Mystery tool, 1937

[Junk&Disorder]

First post here. Pete from NZ, mad tool collector extraordinaire
This tool turned up in scrap metal. It looks a bit like a morse taper wedge however it's not thin enough of a point to enter, at least not on my MT.
Stamping has some good clues. Thanks

 

[Oregon Dave]

First post here. Pete from NZ, mad tool collector extraordinaire
This tool turned up in scrap metal. It looks a bit like a morse taper wedge however it's not thin enough of a point to enter, at least not on my MT.
Stamping has some good clues. Thanks

Intuitively it looks like something you'd insert in a slot in a big a**ed lock; maybe in a big a**ed metal door; however the penal history of your country has to be factored in; no way being derogatory to the great nation you have built since.

 

[Old Man Roger]

No size perspective.

 

[Beerhippie]

No size perspective.

Next thing you'll be wanting to see pictures in focus!

 

[Oregon Dave]

No size perspective.

The height of the metal stamping is an indicator; but if the O.P. would repost an image with scale - would be great; in this case and others, especially if requesting identification assistance.

 

[Old Man Roger]

Next thing you'll be wanting to see pictures in focus!

Well I already know it’s a sawset, so it’s not really necessary.lol

 

[Old Man Roger]

The height of the metal stamping is an indicator; but if the O.P. would repost an image with scale - would be great; in this case and others, especially if requesting identification assistance.

I’m guessing about 5 inches long, based on what I think is a sheet of paper it’s on, but the stamping could be any size.

 

[Chris_Hamilton]

Intuitively it looks like something you'd insert in a slot in a big a**ed lock; maybe in a big a**ed metal door; however the penal history of your country has to be factored in; no way being derogatory to the great nation you have built since.

Just to be clear New Zealand was never a Penal Colony. The Land of Oz was where all the crimmies were sent from Britain. And even the Aussie's weren't a penal Colony in 1937. That ended shortly after the US Civil War. Late 1860's IIRC.

 

[Oregon Dave]

Just to be clear New Zealand was never a Penal Colony. The Land of Oz was where all the crimmies were sent from Britain. And even the Aussie's weren't a penal Colony in 1937. That ended shortly after the US Civil War. Late 1860's IIRC.

Excuse me, but I did not say or imply colony. It is a very difficult read but Robert Hughes' The Fatal Shore is very decent book on this subject. Likely the stamped 1937 is a date, but not yet a certainty.

 

[Oregon Dave]

I’m guessing about 5 inches long, based on what I think is a sheet of paper it’s on, but the stamping could be any size.

My images do not show edges of a paper; but if the width of the 'N' is ¼” long the tool would be ~ 4⅝" which is pretty close to 5 - at least in grenades - hopefully we get new picture from the O.P.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Stamping has some good clues.

Maybe. The first word is not entire legible, though. I see N _ _ YD BUFF. What are the missing letters? And what is the smaller word after the model number?

 

[Junk&Disorder]

Sorry, I missed the obvious piece of info. Yes it is about 5" long, good guess Old Man Roger.

And another important clue in this pic of mark on back..

 

[Old Man Roger]

My original thought was some type of splitter or wood dog, but it doesn’t seem to have any clear hammer markings on it, maybe some sort of place holder? Some type of safety cog?

 

[Chris_Hamilton]

Excuse me, but I did not say or imply colony. It is a very difficult read but Robert Hughes' The Fatal Shore is very decent book on this subject. Likely the stamped 1937 is a date, but not yet a certainty.

Well you said

however the penal history of your country has to be factored in

I took that as an inference to the Penal Colonies of the 19th Century. Wasn't trying to offend you, just that people often jumble the histories of NZ and Australia. Just how I took your post. Again wasn't trying to offend you.

 

[PCustoms]

Even more confusing:

Robert Hughes' 1986 book The Fatal Shore: The Epic of Australia's Founding is a detailed account of the British colonization of Australia and the impact of its convict transportation system. Hughes examines the country's origins as a penal colony,

 

[PCustoms]

First post here. Pete from NZ, mad tool collector extraordinaire
This tool turned up in scrap metal. It looks a bit like a morse taper wedge however it's not thin enough of a point to enter, at least not on my MT.
Stamping has some good clues. Thanks

How sharp is the "short" leg?

Closest Google can find is a 1911 takedown wrench.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Agreed, Rog, and I was also looking for signs of it being struck, mushrooming, etc, on the spine. Maybe it was never used.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

And another important clue in this pic of mark on back..

Are you familiar with military tools? I know nothing about New Zealand or Australian military tools, but that marking smacks in style and purpose to be akin to the British MOD so-called crowfoot marking. It looks martial. But that's just a hunch.

 

[nadogail]

I have seen wedges like that used to align pieces with each other prior to welding them together.

 

[4xdog]

Are you familiar with military tools? I know nothing about New Zealand or Australian military tools, but that marking smacks in style and purpose to be akin to the British MOD so-called crowfoot marking. It looks martial. But that's just a hunch.

Agreed. It has a vaguely broad arrow look to that mark.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Please transcribe the marking, @Junk&Disorder

 

[RTM]

What are the first few letters before YD BUFF?

 

[sgrammel]

my bet is the guy with all the snap on duplicates has two or three of these things..

 

[Private Lugnutz]

What are the first few letters before YD BUFF?

Am I on your Ignore list again?!

I see N _ _ YD BUFF. What are the missing letters?

 

[RTM]

Am I on your Ignore list again?!

C'mon, it was only one minute prior. I was verifying what I thought it said. Really. Was typing slow and sitting in the mist.


Oops, never mind, musta missed that one.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Just teasing, bud.

 

[RTM]

Just teasing, bud.

I know, just playing back

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Well, we might both need a third person to strong arm the newbie into answering!

 

[four.cycle]

"Crow Foot" or "Broad Arrow" LOGO used on all U.K. Government Property

This one is really buggin' me because I believe I recently saw that widget somewhere else recently and I cannot recall when/where/what.

 

[Junk&Disorder]

How sharp is the "short" leg?

Somewhat screwdriver like..


No signs of use.

Please transcribe the marking

It looks most likely to read:
N HYD BUFF NO.146 AS&S T1 1937

Broad arrow with a "C" was used by Canada
Canada Government marks and codes
Refer to post #12

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Well, this is clearly putting two and two together, where neither of the addends are known, but I am going to postulate that it might just be an offset screwdriver or key, and that "N HYD BUFF" marking could be an abbreviation for (North?) Hydraulic Buffer. Yeah, I realize I am way out on a limb, but it's not as unsteady as it may at first seem.

As has been noted, the tool shows no signs of being struck on the spine. That could mean it was never used. Possible. But unlikely. The other possibility is that it was not meant to be struck. It has a decent amount of handle. Like an offset screwdriver or key would.

Initially I was thinking that the letters to the left ("N HYD BUFF") might be the manufacturer. But the "AS&S" marking eliminates that and makes more sense (i.e., it's diminutive, and the maker is not as important as a functional marking and model number to a user). I considered a placename next, something such as North Hyde Buffington (totally made that up), with my mind going to a grainy image of nightwatchman approaching a gas lantern post or an early electric junction box (No. 146 on the line) or the like.

But I like the hydraulic buffer idea. They were used extensively in railway terminals and stations.



They were also used extensively for recoils in heavy gun (howitzer, etc) batteries, such as those mounted in fortified firing positions overlooking ports and harbors, or on portable siege carriages, where that symbol on the back - if it is indeed Canadian military, might also lend some credence.



But that was the turn of the last century. I don't know if it jibes with 1937.

Just doing some sophisticated spitballin'.

 

[Junk&Disorder]

Thanks, that's great food for thought.

I wondered if Buff was an abbreviation for Buffalo NY?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

It is an obvious allusion, and I briefly explored it - including some hits on Buffalo and the "AS" (from "AS&S"), referring to an old Albany-Susquehanna RR line located there, but it would be very odd to not only abbreviate it, but do so without the presence of "NY" and/or a COO ("U.S.A."), and nothing else seems to correlate to the city, including and maybe foremost the tool's current location!

I will say that in dozens of combinations of searching on all the terms, "HYD" comes up as an abbreviation for "hydraulic" 95% of the instances.

 

[joe_padavano]

It's obviously not a Dzus key but it looks like it could be for a similar quick-release fastener, particularly if it's military.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

^ Terrific example, Joe. Exactly the kind of key I am referring to in post #31 above.

 

[Old Man Roger]

That one heavy duty offset screw driver. lol I can see it though.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I have much bigger ones (9" OAL, 5/8" stock), in all kinds of configurations, including for drag links. It's the depth of the blade on this one that makes me think of it more as a key, though. It'll be fun to resolve this one. Hopefully.

 

[Old Man Roger]

I have much bigger ones (9" OAL, 5/8" stock), in all kinds of configurations, including for drag links. It's the depth of the blade on this one that makes me think of it more as a key, though. It'll be fun to resolve this one. Hopefully.

5/8 seems reasonable for a 9 inch long offset screwdriver, this thing is built like a railroad tie.lol

 

[Private Lugnutz]

...built like a railroad tie.

? It's definitely robust - and I have not completely abandoned my first impression of it as a tool seeming wanting to be struck on the spine above the blade, but I don't know if deserves that kind of allusion. If it's ~5" long, I am guessing it's maybe about 3/8" thick maybe a little thicker at the "head" where it seems to slightly taper.

 

[Old Man Roger]

? It's definitely robust - and I have not completely abandoned my first impression of it as a tool seeming wanting to be struck on the spine above the blade, but I don't know if deserves that kind of allusion. If it's ~5" long, I am guessing it's maybe about 3/8" thick maybe a little thicker at the "head" where it seems to slightly taper.

Ya, now that you broke it down, it really isn’t all that beefy. Ok, it’s an offset screwdriver, to be used on a sawset.