Coopers Tools
The museum received a donation of a collection of old coopers tools from a Naval dockyard on the south coast of England.
After a good clean up and being treated for woodworm they have been put on display.The photos only show part of the collection, some tools are very old and could go back to the 1700's.
Barrels were used for storage for almost everything on board a ship, food, water, beer, rum and gunpowder, so a cooper was a vital occupation in a Naval dockyard.
Water didn't keep well in barrels, it developed algae and tasted putrid and sour after a very short time. The Navy tried beer next but that didn't keep well in hot and humid conditions. Rum became popular when ships began making regular journey's to the West Indies. It kept well in casks and had lime juice added to it for vitamin C in an effort to prevent scurvy amongst the sailors. Sailors who didn't take their daily tot were paid 3d, about 1p in today's money.
The daily tot was abolished on the 31st July 1970 which became known as Black Tot Day.
After a good clean up and being treated for woodworm they have been put on display.The photos only show part of the collection, some tools are very old and could go back to the 1700's.
Barrels were used for storage for almost everything on board a ship, food, water, beer, rum and gunpowder, so a cooper was a vital occupation in a Naval dockyard.
Water didn't keep well in barrels, it developed algae and tasted putrid and sour after a very short time. The Navy tried beer next but that didn't keep well in hot and humid conditions. Rum became popular when ships began making regular journey's to the West Indies. It kept well in casks and had lime juice added to it for vitamin C in an effort to prevent scurvy amongst the sailors. Sailors who didn't take their daily tot were paid 3d, about 1p in today's money.
The daily tot was abolished on the 31st July 1970 which became known as Black Tot Day.
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| Coopers craze cut barrel plane |
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| Coopers draw knife |
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| Coopers router plane |
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| Coopers sun plane |
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| Coopers flagging iron |
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