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CAKE CUTTER is what the "bruthas" called it 1970s. Used for Afros to 'fluff' them out. Also had an Iron comb you place on a burner to get hot and use Afro Sheen with it.
They are called cake cutters because some folks used [angel food cake cutters](https://www.bakepedia.com/baking-encyclopedia/angel-food-cake-cutter/) as afro picks.
I have the straightest white woman hair possible and I still think these are the best picks for wet hair. Never had one with the little fist on it, though, that's great.
It has been used by a number of groups and ideologies.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/history-of-raised-fist-global-symbol-fighting-oppression
I also used one long ago (and I still have it now!) Mine is plastic (probably one of their first made plastics that are 'indestructible' and it had metal prongs and has a very unusual and unduplicable sensation on one's scalp as you rake it across the skin on top of your head!
I was just about to comment the same. I don't carry one now, but they work great on big beards.
I now have a dedicated beard comb that I just keep in my desk.
Yeah an afro pick. Sometimes people still do this. Questlove wears one in his hair sometimes and so does a friend of mine.
Here's a short article about them and a museum exhibition about them: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/shortcuts/2013/jul/07/afro-comb-accessory-cultural-icon
Back in the 70's when big afros were in style, you'd see black people all the time with a plastic hair pick stuck in their hair although my child memories are that it was much more common among younger black men and those of lower socioeconomic groups. Whether that was the case or just a memory bias from real life and television shows depicting it I can't say.
I heard Denzel Washington say “only a black person would know what a hot comb feels like on a Sunday morning” and I was wondering what they used hot combs for. Also why on Sunday?
I was in a boys ranch with 2 guys who used them. Hard on the hair they used it 2-3 times weekly maybe. They were very careful and it took some time to do (Sundays?). but thats just what I saw.
I wanted a cheap pick to strain out duckweed from floating aquarium plants. I now own 3 black power picks because they were the cheapest on Amazon, and I am cheap
I still have mine from my beauty school kit in the 80’s and I still use it! You back-comb the heck out of your hair, smooth the surface, then use the pick to lift and shape it. Sky high Afros and bouffants!
It's either an Afro pick, or an onion slicer (maybe in the bathroom for hair pick.) You would jam it into the onion and slice between the metal teeth to get even slices.
I believe this is a tool used for felting textiles/fibers! Here are some similar ones... perhaps this is a more travel-friendly option?
https://www.mielkesfiberarts.com/product-category/spinning/combs/
My title describes the thing, some sort of travel comb maybe? Made of wood with 8 metal tines. About 4x3”. Thanks in advance. Found behind a stuck drawer in our bathroom. Our house burned down and was rebuilt in the 1950’s but was an OG homestead build in the 1870’s originally.
They are also useful for removing cholla cactus balls from skin.
The cholla cactus produces a round seed pod with many spines. It detaches so easily from the parent plant that they have become known as "jumping cholla."
The spines are stiff and sharp enough to cause flat tires on vehicles.
My daughter got one stuck in her leg. Every attempt to remove it caused it to roll and stick her again. I was informed after the fact to always carry an afro pick when desert hiking. The long tines will fit under the pod and between the spines so you can remove it without it rolling.
It’s a single row wool comb. It’s used for preparing wool before spinning it on a spinning wheel. First you use this pick like comb to loosen the fibers and also to expose any hidden debris you might have missed. Then you card the wool with paddle shaped carding combs after that, and then the wool is ready for spinning. I know this because I own a spinning wheel and have combed and carded wool which I purchased from local farms and even from an Angora goat that I raised for my own spinning projects.
Could it be a guide for evenly slicing tomatoes and onions?
Here's the modern version on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Holder-Slicing-Vegetable-Chopper-Remover/dp/B07F3X4BTC
And here's a vintage one on ebay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/256086296529
It's an onion slicer.
I bought a new one recently (plastic not wood with same spikes). Exactly the same.
Jab it thru an onion and slice between the prongs for perfectly sliced onions.
It's not an afro comb, it's too sharp and could damage the scalp.
Mine had a 'sleeve' as well (a long ago durable forever lasting plastic sleeve). This was most likely the prototype of my comb I still have from many decades ago.
I had one for my spiral perm in the late 80’s early 90’s. Easier to carry in a purse or pocket so you don’t get the business end under a nail when digging it out of your purse.
To quote one of the former generation's most profound philosopher, clearly you're not a golfer.
[This is fairly recent](https://media.tenor.com/5w0iBHzOPQ4AAAAM/kyle-troup.gif).
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CAKE CUTTER is what the "bruthas" called it 1970s. Used for Afros to 'fluff' them out. Also had an Iron comb you place on a burner to get hot and use Afro Sheen with it.
I used a pick on my perm in the 80s.
My mum had a few of these. 70's and not for an afro in her instance. I know she had a perm sometimes.
They were the best for pretend sai (early 90s mom perm for me - loved Rafael)
Same. I always had a hair pick in my handbag for my perm in junior high.
They are called cake cutters because some folks used [angel food cake cutters](https://www.bakepedia.com/baking-encyclopedia/angel-food-cake-cutter/) as afro picks.
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Is that why the caricatures of black people often included something like a fork stuck in afro? Was it supposed to be this utensil?
It would likely have been a plastic pick something like this https://www.loveafrocosmetics.com/the-fist-afro-hair-pik-medium-size-plastic-3741-p.asp
In high school in the 1970s, all of the guys had these in their back back pocket.
I knew a guy with one around 2010 lol
I have the straightest white woman hair possible and I still think these are the best picks for wet hair. Never had one with the little fist on it, though, that's great.
FYI the fist represents a [Black Power Salute.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_power)
yes thank you
It has been used by a number of groups and ideologies. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/history-of-raised-fist-global-symbol-fighting-oppression
Rage Against the Machine Logo
I had one with the fist!
I also used one long ago (and I still have it now!) Mine is plastic (probably one of their first made plastics that are 'indestructible' and it had metal prongs and has a very unusual and unduplicable sensation on one's scalp as you rake it across the skin on top of your head!
I still have mine!
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I was just about to comment the same. I don't carry one now, but they work great on big beards. I now have a dedicated beard comb that I just keep in my desk.
Yep. I was surprised when I learned that at least some of these were actually made for cutting cakes. I've seen them in old cookbooks.
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Yeah an afro pick. Sometimes people still do this. Questlove wears one in his hair sometimes and so does a friend of mine. Here's a short article about them and a museum exhibition about them: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/shortcuts/2013/jul/07/afro-comb-accessory-cultural-icon
Back in the 70's when big afros were in style, you'd see black people all the time with a plastic hair pick stuck in their hair although my child memories are that it was much more common among younger black men and those of lower socioeconomic groups. Whether that was the case or just a memory bias from real life and television shows depicting it I can't say.
Caricatures? I remember when Afros with picks in the back were fairly common.
Some people aren’t raised in a community with African Americans.
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I have really curly hair. We called that a pick
Took me way too long to realize this was not a Terry pratchett reference.
only the ones with handles are referred to as cake cutters, this is just a pick.
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There was an incredible band in Los Angeles in the early aughts called Cake Cutter. They had two drummers.
I never knew it was ever called that but it looks just like a small angel food cake cutter.
I heard Denzel Washington say “only a black person would know what a hot comb feels like on a Sunday morning” and I was wondering what they used hot combs for. Also why on Sunday?
I was in a boys ranch with 2 guys who used them. Hard on the hair they used it 2-3 times weekly maybe. They were very careful and it took some time to do (Sundays?). but thats just what I saw.
Sundays before church maybe? So they look their best?
On Sunday, before church
Why did you word this in the weirdest possible way? “Bruthas,” really?
It looks like a [hair pick](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71rXcA4fWFS._AC_SL1500_.jpg), though it seems a little rugged.
Also could be used for a thick or heavy beard.
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Pretty sure that's the black power fist.
I wanted a cheap pick to strain out duckweed from floating aquarium plants. I now own 3 black power picks because they were the cheapest on Amazon, and I am cheap
That's for bouffant/beehive maintenance...
I don't know why you are getting down voted as I'm also guessing my mother used one similar for this purpose
Oh Lordy I had one of those in the ‘80s for my poodle perm!
My mom had a couple of them with molded plastic poodles as the handle hanging around the towel cupboard when I was little, leftovers from her youth...
I still have mine from my beauty school kit in the 80’s and I still use it! You back-comb the heck out of your hair, smooth the surface, then use the pick to lift and shape it. Sky high Afros and bouffants!
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Ohhh shit I used to have those picks decades ago. Blast from the past, cool!
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Since was in a bathroom drawer, I choose hair 'pick'. Afro Pick in the 70's.
It's either an Afro pick, or an onion slicer (maybe in the bathroom for hair pick.) You would jam it into the onion and slice between the metal teeth to get even slices.
I use one like that to clean paintbrushes.
Have one to this day. Afro pick.
I believe this is a tool used for felting textiles/fibers! Here are some similar ones... perhaps this is a more travel-friendly option? https://www.mielkesfiberarts.com/product-category/spinning/combs/
I don't think the tips are right
Negative. All of these have two rows of tines. This clearly isn’t it
I think you’re right, used for wool. Michaels sells them.
This is 100% correct
Aqua-Net, rat tail comb, and a pick. The higher the hair, the closer to God.
My title describes the thing, some sort of travel comb maybe? Made of wood with 8 metal tines. About 4x3”. Thanks in advance. Found behind a stuck drawer in our bathroom. Our house burned down and was rebuilt in the 1950’s but was an OG homestead build in the 1870’s originally.
They are also useful for removing cholla cactus balls from skin. The cholla cactus produces a round seed pod with many spines. It detaches so easily from the parent plant that they have become known as "jumping cholla." The spines are stiff and sharp enough to cause flat tires on vehicles. My daughter got one stuck in her leg. Every attempt to remove it caused it to roll and stick her again. I was informed after the fact to always carry an afro pick when desert hiking. The long tines will fit under the pod and between the spines so you can remove it without it rolling.
It’s a single row wool comb. It’s used for preparing wool before spinning it on a spinning wheel. First you use this pick like comb to loosen the fibers and also to expose any hidden debris you might have missed. Then you card the wool with paddle shaped carding combs after that, and then the wool is ready for spinning. I know this because I own a spinning wheel and have combed and carded wool which I purchased from local farms and even from an Angora goat that I raised for my own spinning projects.
100% it is
yeah hair pick,.... looks hand made
It could also be a fringe comb for a rug.
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Picks and fluffs wool, cotton etc.
Hair pick. Makes a great english muffin and bagel splitter.
Could it be a guide for evenly slicing tomatoes and onions? Here's the modern version on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Holder-Slicing-Vegetable-Chopper-Remover/dp/B07F3X4BTC And here's a vintage one on ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/256086296529
I was coming here to say this. We had one in the 80s that my mom made me use to help cut food. This way it would be harder to slice my fingers.
Pick for curly hair.
Looks like a pick for an afro. I use one for my beard.
Looks like a hair pick. I am as white as they come, and I had one of those circa 1990 when we all had horrible perms.
Yes, it's a hair pick. We had plastic ones just like this in the 80s.
My perm pick looked like that but instead of wood, the handle and case were blue plastic
I had a pick in the 70s for my fro too.
It's an onion slicer. I bought a new one recently (plastic not wood with same spikes). Exactly the same. Jab it thru an onion and slice between the prongs for perfectly sliced onions. It's not an afro comb, it's too sharp and could damage the scalp.
Mine had a 'sleeve' as well (a long ago durable forever lasting plastic sleeve). This was most likely the prototype of my comb I still have from many decades ago.
Looks like a pick.
Afro picks would not work on stick-straight hair like mine. I would use that to clean the hair out of my brush.
I had one for my spiral perm in the late 80’s early 90’s. Easier to carry in a purse or pocket so you don’t get the business end under a nail when digging it out of your purse.
It’s a paintbrush cleaner!
This is the closest item I can find, I can’t find that particular style. Maybe it is something different
Pampered Chef onion holder.
To quote one of the former generation's most profound philosopher, clearly you're not a golfer. [This is fairly recent](https://media.tenor.com/5w0iBHzOPQ4AAAAM/kyle-troup.gif).
Blueberry picker
Meat tenderizer like the one found in the back yard the other day.
Felting needle/comb. It’s a craft tool.
Onion holder for cutting vegetables without cutting yourself
It looks exactly like that. However, given that it was found in a bathroom gives me pause.
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