Summary

Spirit Lamp used by Sandor Sabo to heat his boot making tools. It was common for finishing tools, such as edge irons, glazers and fudge wheels, to be heated. A small lamp like this was a portable and convenient implement. This lamp was used by Mr Sabo from 1954 onwards, it was made by Merit in England in 1923.

Sandor Sabo migrated to Australia from Yugoslavia in 1970. He was a trained bootmaker who, when working for himself made shoes using a simple range hand tools, without machinery that many larger businesses used. Mr Sabo began working in a bootmaker's workshop at the age of 10, when he was taken off the street to learn to make himself a pair of shoes. He completed his apprenticeship between the ages of 14 and 17 years. After working in Yugoslavia as a bootmaker for 18 years, he then spent two years working in Germany, after which he immigrated to Australia.

In Australia Mr Sabo worked at the Corvin shoe factory in Prahran for ten years, then at the Robin shoe factory in Huntingdale. He later worked at a golf shoe factory in Richmond. Whilst he was employed and in between employment Mr Sabo also made and repaired shoes at home by hand. He also worked at a wire factory and as a gardener.

Physical Description

Small glass lamp with metal lid and white cotton wick

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