These have me stumped!!

[V8 S Series]

Hey guys,

Some of you have seen my large vintage tool collection that I inherited. Over the past few months I've been cleaning them up. Well these have me very perplexed.

First I looked for a makers mark but they were very rusty so I set off to clean them up. I thought the ornate handles were really cool. Then as I began to clean the inside of the handles, I started to see writing. The more I cleaned, the more I saw. At first I though I was seeing things. No, the entire surface of the handles were covered in writing. Maybe someone got bored and wrote on them. So I kept removing rust. No, this was etched into the metal. As you see in the following photos there is script, block letters, numbers, what appears to be signatures. Some of it is right side up and some upside down. Large, tiny....I don't know what to make of it. I don't know how or why a company would go through the trouble. And how do you etch a signature that small into metal?

Does anyone have a clue?






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[6PTsocket]

It is definitely a picture of Elvis

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[Larryjones]

Joint came loose, somebody peened it to tighten it up.

 

[ritestuff]

"Don't eat the brown acid!" Woodstock, 1969

 

[Zeeman]

Yeah, that's a bunch of rust spots.

 

[Stadger]

I'm not seein' it.

 

[potato]

i see it.wait,why does it keep changing?

 

[OccupantRJ]

Cue Twilight Zone music.......

 

[55bigblockcid]

Cocaine is a hell of a drug.

 

[welder4956]

Cue Twilight Zone music.......

http://www.wavsource.com/snds_2017-02-05_1692732105491832/tv/misc/twilight_zone_x.wav

 

[Brorex]

I'm so confused

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[d.mcfarland]

Aliens!!

 

[Toothaker]

Let's see... (squinting) hmmm... (turning it in the light) I think... yes! I see it now. "You. need. more." What is that? I can almost make it out... oh! "tools"

There you have it! I definitely read "you need more tools"

 

[LXCam]

Damn, never saw a picture of Mary eating the toast

 

[tym]

It says, "needs more Haldol."

 

[ambenz]

I love the cast grip on this handle, you just don't see that in modern tools of today.

Reminds me of some of the tools gramps had.
Ya, all I see is rust pits in the other pictures....

 

[potato]

I love the cast grip on this handle, you just don't see that in modern tools of today.

Reminds me of some of the tools gramps had.
Ya, all I see is rust pits in the other pictures....

nope,only modern tools of yesterday.

 

[woody 73]

OK now that you boys have had your fun and scared the op off the GJ ; I just wonder if the following product would work ??? (well anyways for unreadable raised letters like serial numbers ).

The have a product called Nital that will raise any letters I will give you jokers some links, for your amusement today...

http://www.evidencemagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=366

http://www.etchantstore.com/Nital-Etch-Test_c6.htm

http://www.chemical-supermarket.com/home.php?cat=166

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/gunsmithing/raising-serial-number-203569/

In all good fun the real clue is in the design of the handles that we can all see, problem is in my 40 plus of tool collecting I don't remember seeing that design ?

 

[woody 73]

ducksface you hit the nail on the head good job!! I only run across about 99% American made vintage tools and about 1% other nations, that is why I have never seen that handle design before now.

Now the op must start looking at vintage British tools and find that same design.

Forget the acid and start searching for British vintage tools.

 

[Bigplum]

I can't see anything apart from random pits , the pictures need improving ,
If there is anything there perhaps the tools were wrapped in newspaper and the paper / print acids etched their way onto the metal ?