L: 53.2cm W: 19.6cm H: 13.5cm
Hackle made of wood and metal. The body consists of a wooden plank with a handle at one end. At the top of the plank, there is a metal plate from which protrudes 2 rows of 20 and 19 metal teeth respectively. The teeth are square in section and taper to a blunt point. The very ends of the teeth are visible on the other side of the plank. There are 3 decorative lines etched into the wooden plank, along with decorative lines and crosses along the edges.
Hackles, or hatchels, are used to comb out raw flax and hemp to turn it into functional fibres. To use, one would toss the end of the raw material onto the teeth and pull through and repeat, adding a only a bit of length every time to avoid ripping the delicate strands. Once half the flax is done, the worker would turn it around and comb out the other side.
