Tools, ID, and pictorial reference

This section is a reference for tools and their intended use. Please post one tool per thread so we can start a pictorial reference and discussion on each tool.

I bought a box of random tools at the same farm auction I got my leg vice. The box had 2 of these that from a distance looked like files, but they have no teeth. They are about 15" long 1" wide and tapered from 1/4" near the handle to about 1/8" at the other end. Does anyone know what they are or what their purpose is?

For the last 45 yrs I have wanted a true gear powered 2 wheel ring roller. I have a Plummer open side 1 wheel and then I picked up a dual drive which was a little smaller that wanted but it fits the build. Well a month or so ago I found an electric ring roller and thought it was 2 wheel but to my delight it turned out to be a 3 driven wheel model. I struck my dream machine. I belive I can also use it as a rolling mill since 2 of the wheels are in near perfect alignment. Its triple reduction gear drive. 2 wheels are gear driven and the 3rd is chain driven. Here's a little video. 20251124_151006.mp4

A buddy had this, and I'm curious. Appears to be a bucket, made of VERY light galvanized tin, and completely lined with a heavy ceramic(?). The "floor" of the bucket is elevated to half height( so there's a lowr area below it), has multiple holes leading into the lower area, and the lower area has an adjustable door or gate on the side. It has a clearly cast " Champion No3" visible on the floor on the inside of the bucket. Just totally guessing, but something to put a fire in, and adjust the air flow coming from the bottom? But why? Guess I'm just really wanting to know what it's called and what it's used for.

Made out of scrap, various jigs for hooks or similar. The v slot makes them available for various gauges of rod, the support is able to be mounted in a vice or hardy hole. The hole in the bottom allows them to be hanged for storage

This is a scrapyard find. There is no marking, the hole is straight wall I don't think it can be wedged, it is obviously very used. I did hit it with a hammer (lightly) on the side of the mushrooming and it seems soft. I wouldn't want to use it as a fuller if it is not.

This came in a box of other tools at a yard sale. It’s about 6” long, and stamped “BERLIN”. Both ends are hollow, although of different sizes Apologies for the quality of the photo; I can retake if necessary.

Following on from a digression on another thread (enormous tongs) I thought some may be interested in a beautifully balanced blacksmith made Post Hole digging bar I inherited from my father. It is 1016mm (40") overall length and fire-welded up from three pieces. You can see one of the scarf traces on the transition between head and shaft. Ø28mm (1.125") for the shaft, which was upset over a few inches, and 38mm (1.5") square for the head, both wrought iron, and it is tipped with a bit of (blister?) steel. Alan

Had a friend send me this. Can anyone identify it?

Could this be a purpose made hot chisel,or just run of the mill homade chisel.

Good evening, I have a customer that has a number of these old hammers. They have the same eye as a regular 6-12lb sledge. They use them for striking tie-plates on the ends of rail ties when the machine doesn't seat them fully. They're almost like a very oversized planishing double-round, but I would very much like to know what these REALLY are. I've never seen that "A\" mark before, but it is on all of the ones that have marks. Most also have "16S" and what looks like either "10Q" "1OQ" or "1QQ" depending on which one you look at. They are located in central Texas. Thank you for your time!

Excavating stone blacksmith shop on our farm near Pittsburgh, PA. My 3x great grandfather was a farmer and blacksmith. In addition to many nails, hinges, hooks and a wooden knife, just found a metal form of some sort. Shop was probably used from 1830-1900.

Came across this tool at an antique shop. Like several other pieces it seems to be from the "I don't know what it is/does, so I'll put it in the blacksmithing stuff." It appears to be cast, in the first image there's a mold seam visible below the rivet or pin. The wood handle goes all the way through and is cut flush with the top. Both ends are the same with no evidence of being struck. both ends have a not quite centered hole about 1/2 inch dia. by an inch deep. For scale there's a Canadian $2 (toonie) coin with a 28 mm dia. in both images. I suspect it was for use with some sort of short lived piece of farm equipment.

I’ve had this thing hanging on my shop wall for years I just pulled it off an looked at it an it says Stanley, It’s adjustable an has an edge on one side of the teeth it used to be shiny but I don’t think it was chromed what is it called an what’s it used for?

I have never seen one.

I dug around a yard sale today an found a bunch of random stuff I never new i needed! a bunch of books, a coin collection from the late 1800s to the 1930s, antique scissors ect… but then there was this whatchamacallit they ask me if It was a old branding iron an I said I don’t believe so but I ain’t gotta clue what it was It looks to me like it was bolted together, you can kinda see the old bolt heads on both ends of it,

Hi, do you know what the tools in the picture are for? Are they nail headers, a number of monkey tools in one, or something completely different? They were part of lot with blacksmith supplements.

I found this hammer awhile back, and I assumed it was some sort of narrow faced flatter, but I showed it to Randy last Saturday and he said he wasn’t sure, so i thought I’d put it on here and see what y’all had to say,

The small face shows signs of being used as an anvil. Based on visual inspection, hardness and rebound, I think it is unhardened cast steel. The opposing holes in the rim pass through. The other two rim holes and the one in the small face are blind. There are no identification marks to be found. Given that this is the PNW, there used to be a mill on most street corners and odd looking anvils I’ve seen are often used for tensioning saw blades. This may be another one. Any info or guesses are welcome. CPH

Flea Market Friday. I got this as a "to boot" with a sawmill blade and sledge hammer. The knob and shaft/plate turn 1/4 of a revolution. A jabberbox while I was buying it said a broom holder. The guy selling it said he had no idea and he's been taking it there for a year. I get a 5$ discount next time if I can tell him what it's purpose is. Its about a foot tall.

Can you all help find out where this stamp came from and year. I'm from Los Angeles. Found this at estate sale. Antique rock hammer pick hammer small. Also has an s stamp on both sides of hammer. Any answers would be great.

This came with my anvil when purchased and has since been "rediscovered" by me in my shop after some time. The fellow I bought my anvil from didnt know anything about it other than it came with the anvil when he purchased that 40 years ago in PA Dutch country. The body of the tool is rather large for the shank, which itself is too small for my anvil hardy. Is it just an over built cutoff? The angle seems wide for that. The apex is worn down but I have no idea if it was sharp at some point or not. The only making is an O or 0. Appreciate any help identifying it before I repurpose it.

Came from an old farm

What is this tool? Looks like a cutter of some kind. https://owwm.org/download/file.php?id=413405&t=1

These three pieces were tucked inside a box of layout and machinist’s tools I just picked up. They are just under two inches long, have three different outside diameters, and have a little plunger that moves the insides up and down by about 1/8”. Any clues?