The Mystery Tool.

[woody 73]

A very special thanks to everyone that replied to my last 4 posts; I learned what a "Bird" hammer was, a "Ford" auger bit, A new tool company in Northern Ohio, and a small paint scraper sold in hardware stores was used for.

This is the very last tool that was sitting in all that rust that came out of that box and I do not know what it was used for. In all honesty I have know clue what it is?

I can tell you a few things about it:

Every tool that came out of all that rust was indeed 100% vintage; so I am thinking this also must also be vintage, if not it sure looks old in my eyes.

It is heavy it has a weight of 11.18 oz.
It is the length of a dollar bill.
It has a ratchet gear that will only turn clockwise.
The inside is as smooth as glass (in other words no teeth on the outer walls)
The gear itself has very course teeth.
Only at the very bottom it has a pawl that catches the gear and stops it.
It is factory made not homemade.
I can take a small screwdriver and lower the pawl but I can not take the thing apart.
It has two gull like wings with a hole on each side; each hole is 3/16" and it is not tapped with any threads.
When the gear is at the 3:00 position the very top is 1/4" wide.
When the gear is at the 12:00 position because the gear is larger and not even it becomes 5/32" (making the 1/4" mute as they say.
also at the 3:00 position the hole is 3/16".

I was thinking maybe some very special type of hand crank ?

Thank you for taking a look maybe someone will know what it is.

 

[4xdog]

Looks sorta like one of the ratchets on an old chain system for securing loads.

 

[Millwrong]

Perhaps some type of fencing wire twisting tool?

 

[richfinn]

Just a guess but maybe some kind of crank handle from a "block and tackle"

 

[510ebl]

Perhaps for the tensioning of spokes?

Or for adding barbs for barbed wire?

 

[lardy1]

Just guessing here, but maybe for tightening wire rope or some sort of stretcher.

 

[SeisMec]

Couldn't find a matching picture, but my guess is for splicing barbed wire.
Sorry for the giant picture, but here is the sort of splice I'm thinking of -

Ends of wire cross through center of tool and into the small holes, then spin the handle?

Edit: Rethinking this seconds after posting. Not barb wire - too many strands. Splicing single wire.

 

[RTM]

Ohh, the wire twisting guys may be on to something

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-fence-tool++ribbon-wire-twister++rare

 

[Farmer J.]

Woody, it looks like it could be for twisting wire or flat metal bands like the one in the link from RTM.
For joining fence wire isn't it usual to twist the strands in opposite directions on either side of the overlap, like in the pic from SeisMec? This tool would twist both ends the same direction.
I have no recollection of ever having seen this actual tool before or anything similar, but twisting like RTM says is most likely.