Pneumatic single crank chisel
- "Nigger Heel", Single Crank Chisel, Pneumatic
Re-framing the Collection
Three chisels in the collection were renamed in 2022 as part of AAGM's commitment to remove offensive language. These were:
• ABDMS004985 Presented in 1983 by AE Bartlett.
• ABDMS016847 Presented in 1989 by J McLaren.
• ABDMS027297
The term is part of the history of the objects and the industry they come from but is not integral to the identification or meaning so these items have been renamed.
Research and consultation:
Is language integral to the meaning, intention and understanding of the object? Consider, for example, is this typical or expected of the artist?
Three members of the granite industry were contacted for comment, the earliest having worked as an apprentice in Aberdeen in the 1960s (one of the last generation to train at Grays during their apprenticeship). One replied suggesting it was a term in common use in the 1970s but that the alternative “cranked chisel” was a suitable alternative.
Typed first-hand memoires in our reference holdings written by J McLaren specifically refer to the term: “As all tools were fashioned by toolsmiths from steel bars it was essential in the larger firms to have a “smiddy” and one or more toolsmiths to keep a steady supply of puncheons, chisels, drills circulating around the yard. Where there were heavy carvings with awkward undercuttings or pierced worked as in wheel crosses the toolsmiths made up special chisels with cranked shapes for some obscure reason called “nigger heels” to reach into cavities where it was not possible to use straight chisels. The toolsmith was a useful chap to have around as he could knock up bits and pieces for structural or machine repairs etc. Woe betide him however if tools were not well tempered as he then incurred the wrath of frustrated masons and a volley of verbal abuse – mostly unprintable.”
These memoirs are undated but likely to date to the late 1970s/1980s – there are similar notes from an interview conducted with McLaren dated 24/2/1978. McLaren later published a book called Sixty years in a granite yard: the craft and the men in 1987, which remains one of the key texts on this industry.
Searches of AAGM archives did not reveal what the chisels were called on entry to the museum or whether this term has been applied by the curator or the donor.
