Any ideas what this is?

[helmut in the bush]

I found this while going through some of my Dad's old tools, it feels like graphite

[Taylormike]

Auto body chisel?

[helmut in the bush]

3 minutes ago, Taylormike said:

Auto body chisel?

Nah, it's like a big piece of pencil lead

[hunter49]

  Maybe for measuring/marking on steel, carpenter pencil,  or a big piece of pencil lead.  What did dad do for a living (hint) if you don't mind answering.

Edited November 6, 2017 by hunter49

[Pygmy]

It's a pencil on steroids...

[Karpteach]

Looks like a pin punch. 

[Jeremy K]

If it's graphite ,it's probably used for laying out or marking steel.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

It's a woodless pencil. many have a clear coating on the outside so it doesn't get on your hands. Used in art a lot

[dbHunterNY]

looks like just a grey graphite lumber "crayon". can write on wet or treated lumber, with thicker more visible marks than your every day construction pencil.  these days you see more fluorescent colors that are more visible.  probably just lost the paper like wrapper that rips easily with use.

[helmut in the bush]

It was in a farm workshop, I doubt there was a whole lot of art work going on in there, I think it's 50+ years old. The farm was built in 27. That part of the farm was a dairy farm.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

wow. That  definitely puts a different spin on it. Only thing I know of that is carbon and that big is gouging electrodes but I have only seen them is round and rectangle. 

[Five Seasons]

i think it's just a punch of some kind. if it's lead i wouldn't go stroking that foot long rod  

[helmut in the bush]

5 minutes ago, Belo said:

i think it's just a punch of some kind. if it's lead i wouldn't go stroking that foot long rod  

If I hit it with a hammer, it would shatter, that's a little more lead than my pencil could handle

[hunter49]

  You can never have too much lead in your pencil, you just need some one to write to!