ausfire Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 A whole truck load of old tools appeared at our place recently. I have sorted them into various boxes depending on their use - mostly spanners, chisels, solder irons, and a few neat blacksmith punches and drifts. But there are some I have no idea what they are. I took a photo of some of the ones I don't know, along with an interesting one or two. I have never seen a shifting spanner with the business end at both ends! Also the pliers at the left with the curved beak - something for leather work perhaps? Interesting alligator wrench with dies (?) in the middle.The steel cone and the plumb bob might make handy tools in the hardie for rounding bottle openers. and what use are those little vices with no way of mounting them? The others are a mystery. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Coke Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Greetings Aus, The small vises are for filling small parts . Typically used by jewlers . They mount in a bench vise after mounting the part to be filed. The cutters look like valve seat cutters . The double ended adjustable wrench is a collectible and has some real value . The pliers / hammer is a leather working tool used by shoemakers. Great gift and have fun. Forge on and make beautiful things Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gote Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 The curved beak one is for bending sheet metal. (If the beak is wide) I have one of these. The small vises were also used handheld for pieces that were too small to be held securely in the hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matto Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 We used the curved beak ones for wire fence work to pull out and pound in staples. The small vises are pocket vises. As opt hers have said great for holding small work. I have also known them as mountain man vises. Used to help work on their muzzle loaders. But that I don t know for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldironkilz Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Far right center of image, looks like clinch cutter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianinsa Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 The 'spike with wings' is the head of a harpoon of sorts, I've always known the 'hooked beak ' pliers as upholstery pliers and the 'L' shaped tool with the groove in the bottom is for closing seams in sheet metal. I have one of those vices too and I was led to believe that they are used in tensioning overhead wires on railway lines Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan the blacksmith Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Correct me if I am wrong, but I think those small vices are fore sharpening saws too. the thread dies in the alligator wrench are interesting to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notownkid Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 The gears on the wire look like they came out of a differential/ rear end. The hooked beak pliers/ w hammer aren't fencing pliers in my area. I carried them everyday for years on the farm. My grandfather said there was 3,000 miles of fence I know he was kidding but not by much some days. Someone gave me a set just like them recently and they are destined to my What's it Wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumbojak Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 1 hour ago, Ethan the blacksmith said: Correct me if I am wrong, but I think those small vices are fore sharpening saws too. I could be wrong Ethan, but I doubt they would be much use for sharpening a saw. Unless, of course, you are talking about a very narrow bladed saw like a hacksaw. All of the saw vises I have seen are very deep to accommodate the width of the plate with wide jaws to secure the length of the saw for filing. Now that I think about it though, a jeweler would have tiny saws in their shop and could well have sharpened them. I have never heard of sharpening a jeweler's saw, or any metal cutting saw aside from some band saw blades... maybe. My memory seems to be going along with my eyesight. Tedious I'd imagine. I've sharpened my 18 tpi dovetail saw and would be hard pressed to work on anything smaller. There are certainly better craftsmen out there than me though! Hopefully someone here will be able to chime in and correct me if I'm wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 I always knew the vises as just hand vises when working on small parts. The far right looks like a farrier tool I got from a retired farrier. The small end is for the nail holes, and the chisel end food trimming the clinched nail ends? The cobbler's pliers are used in making shoes. They stretch the leather over the last then drive the tacks with the hammer. I agree with Ianinsa about the harpoon tip. Is it threaded? The interesting one for me is the one in the middle that goes in a brace. Maybe for spinning some sort of tool? The one looks like a tuning fork. Does it have a tone when struck? The bottom one with the hooks is some sort of tool for stretching items together. A spring of some sort? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarus Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Left most -- Cobbler's pliers Bottom middle -- may be a combo -- button shoe hook & boot pull Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seldom (dick renker) Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 looks like the thing next to the clinch cutter is a rivet set. i beleive the gear looking thingies are to cut recesses in wood. looks like one has a pilot shank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsoldat Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Is there a hole in the bottom center of the top right hand object? if so it will be a plumb bob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted January 31, 2016 Author Share Posted January 31, 2016 Thanks for all that info. Top right does have a centre hole and I know it's a plumb bob. Most I've seen are pear shaped and brass. This one looks something like what an apprentice may have made a s a practice job. The 'harpoon' thing has no thread. Quite sharp - a bit like a reamer, but why the wings?? That 'tuning fork' is one of three of different sizes. Doesn't make much of a tone when hit. Don't know what the heavy weights on the arms are for. Yes, bottom centre is a button hook - I found another like it in our cobbler's shop. And same with the curved beak pliers - used for saddlery and bootmaking according to an old catalogue I looked up. The cogs are not diff parts, although they look similar. Too sharp. Think Jim might be right - valve seat reamers? Thanks for all help. I'll put some labels on them and if someone comes up with a better suggestion, well and good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 I believe the gears are for a lathe, different one = different feed rate. The "wings" on the sharp point are BARBS to prevent it pulling out of the whale. That's my guess it could be a ground anchor but probably wouldn't be sharp in that case. I'd make up stories about it being a harpoon point regardless. You either have good neighbors and friends OR they didn't want to pay for a dump run. Either way, good score! Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 bottom right, up one is a soldering pen. i have one similar from my grandfathers stuff but the wooden handle is broken on mine. it's one of my "too old and neat to not keep" items for me. I have the same curved pliers/hammer that you have on the left, and i might have or have seen the double business end fitsall., they are cool. I've also seen the double alligator with the dies in em, but dont have any. all very cool stuff. Wish i had truckloads dropped off at my place like that I have a clamped saw vise and i'll agree the small vises are hand held vises and not saw vises. good treasures there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frozenforge Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Finally a metric and standard crescent wrench! Seeing all the flea market finds and scrap stuff makes me jealous. Up hear you can occasionally find something at a garage sale but usually I see stuff like that at antique stores and priced accordingly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted January 31, 2016 Author Share Posted January 31, 2016 5 hours ago, Frosty said: You either have good neighbors and friends OR they didn't want to pay for a dump run. Either way, good score! Frosty The Lucky. Both! We tell people just dump your stuff here and I'll decide if it goes to the dump or not! Amazing what lands at my gatepost at times. Some gets used for junk sculpture, some goes on the 'too good to destroy' wall some goes to our museum, and some gets dumped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Frozenforge, we call those several sixteenths, and multi millimeter wrenches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aessinus Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 Ever figure out the brace drive one? Or the piece immediately to it's right? Or your "tuning forks"? I got the balance right, but what a cool exercise.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 25, 2016 Share Posted August 25, 2016 On January 31, 2016 at 0:27 AM, ausfire said: That 'tuning fork' is one of three of different sizes. Doesn't make much of a tone when hit. Don't know what the heavy weights on the arms are for. Weights on a tuning fork force the vibrations down the stem, so you're not going to hear much tone unless you place the base of the stem against a resonant body like a violin or a tabletop. The idea is not just to get a pure tone (as needed for tuning an instrument), but to test the resonant properties of that body without audible interference from the tines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted August 25, 2016 Author Share Posted August 25, 2016 9 hours ago, aessinus said: Ever figure out the brace drive one? Or the piece immediately to it's right? Or your "tuning forks"? I got the balance right, but what a cool exercise.... No, still not sure about that one. In the too hard basket. Same for the other. I put the tuning forks in with our antique medical stuff. We constantly get things like this to challenge our thinking. Just yesterday a guy turned up with a trailer load of old stuff .. lots of hammer heads, drifts, chisels, etc. I'm pleased he turned in here before taking it to the rubbish tip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockstar.esq Posted August 25, 2016 Share Posted August 25, 2016 I'm curious about the brace bit too. I wonder if it's for making bow strings with a flemish twist? You could twist the strands in one direction, then twist the bundles in the other. The "harpoon" tip might very well be for bow fishing. Most contemporary wooden shafted arrows are tapered and the arrowheads are glued on. Modern bow-fishing arrows have tips like that one. I'm also curious about the hollow formed tool. It looks a little like a lead casting pot with a longer spout. If there's a sporting arms angle to this collection, I'd be tempted to suggest it's a cruicible for casting pewter tips into wooden rifle fore stocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 25, 2016 Share Posted August 25, 2016 Might the articulated double-hook at the bottom be for cinching up some kind of strap? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 25, 2016 Share Posted August 25, 2016 you mean the button hook and boot puller center of the bottom? Guess you never wore button up shoes, me neither, but I have pulled a bunch of boots on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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