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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-GB link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Dear David,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>I have seen objects just like this in cetacean bone and wood, but of much more recent origin. These are sailmakers tools for smoothing seams in sails and are sometimes called seam rubbers.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>See Hull Museums Collections <a href="http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=seam+smoother&SearchSubmit.x=0&SearchSubmit.y=0&SearchSubmit=Search&title=&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&museumall=all&location=any">http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=seam+smoother&SearchSubmit.x=0&SearchSubmit.y=0&SearchSubmit=Search&title=&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&museumall=all&location=any</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>If this URL does not work go to <a href="http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/">http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/</a> and search on seam smoother.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>All the best,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Sonia<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:72.0pt'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Dr Sonia O'Connor </span><span style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>PhD FSA FIIC ACR Honorary Visiting Fellow, University of York</span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:72.0pt'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Post-doctoral Research Fellow<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:72.0pt'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Archaeological Sciences<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:72.0pt'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Division of AGES, <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:72.0pt'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>University of Bradford<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:72.0pt'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD7 1DP, UK<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:72.0pt'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:72.0pt'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>tel 01274 23 6498 (office) 5210 (lab)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:72.0pt'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>fax 01274 23 5210<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm 0cm 0cm'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Bonetools [mailto:bonetools-bounces@listserv.niif.hu] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Dave Constantine<br><b>Sent:</b> 16 June 2014 09:40<br><b>To:</b> bonetools@listserv.niif.hu<br><b>Subject:</b> [Bonetools] "linen smoother"?<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Hello,<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>I was forwarded the attached image by a friend who had seen this object in Lincoln Museum where I believe it was labelled as a “Linen smoother”. They asked if I had ever come across anything similar as they thought linen smoothers are normally glass slickers. Having never seen anything like it I thought I would pop it up here to ask if any of you have come across an item like this. It is dated as “Anglo-Saxon” and is approximately "5” long (about 125mm)<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><br>Regards,<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>David Constantine<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div></div></body></html>