Gauging Trowels

Tyzack gauging trowel

In the plastering trade, gauging means mixing specific proportions of plaster or cement with water. It has also meant a particular mix of plaster, which might be called the gauge, and a gauge board would be used for mixing plaster.

The gauging trowel is a versatile tool used by plasterers for  mixing (gauging) small amounts of plaster, pulling plaster out of a bucket, and occasionally for applying small amounts of plaster to a wall or surface.

WHS gauging trowel

One of the best books on decorative plastering, Plastering, Plain and Decorative, by William Millar, 1905, refers to 2 sizes of gauging trowels. The smaller one was like a pointing trowel, 6 by 3 inches, with a point. The larger one was 7 to 9 inches long by 3 to 3½ inches, tapering to a round tip.

The modern gauging trowel is sized in between those, with a round end. Gauging trowels are manufactured on both sides of the Atlantic, but a comparison of UK eBay and US eBay shows that old gauging trowels are much more common in the United Kingdom. This is a result of plastering being more common in the UK than the US.

Plastering Plain & Decorative, William Millar 1905

Gutter Tools

Gutter tool, maker unknown

The gutter tool is for shaping concrete gutters for streets, sidewalks, driveways, and floors in factories, institutions, and farm structures. The traditional gutter tool is the size of an edger or groover, with a dished bottom which rises to a lip on 3 sides and square on one end. They were cast iron or bronze, with wooden handles.

The gutter tool was developed when the use of concrete increased dramatically in the late 1800s and early 1900s, replacing brick, gravel, or dirt surfaces. The first concrete street in the United States was laid in 1891, the 100 block of Main St. in Bellefontaine, Ohio. In 1893 the 100 block of East Court Ave., a block away, was paved, and this original pavement is preserved.

Portland cement, 19272% increase 1890-1909

Building Age, Vol. 32, May 1910

Gutter tool, 1904

Gutter tool and other cement tools, 1910