"USMC 1" press (Arbor? Punch?)

[MayerMR]

Fellas,

I'm going to purchase this press from a nice little ole lady and frankly, I'm buying it because she's nice, she's selling her husband's old tools (he's passed), and I'm a former Marine Officer and it has USMC on the side of it. You all know how crazy we Marines are...but that said...what the heck is it?

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Looks like an arbor press of some sort

 

[jask]

USMC = U.S. manufacturing corp. up until the early 90s they were a specialty manufacturer of components and tools for manufacturing braces and artificial limbs, this could have been used as a bearing press or to press soft rivets etc.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Shoe_Machinery_Corporation

 

[Stuart in MN]

Looks like they made equipment for general shoe building as well, so this press could have been for some part of that process.

 

[HeelSpur]

Wonder if it was for pressing the metal eyelets onto boots.

 

[MayerMR]

Thanks everyone!

HeelSpur,

After the shoe manufacturing connection was made, I had the same thought!

 

[MayerMR]

Well fellas, I picked it up. She was as sweet a little old lady as you can imagine. And the thing is really well made. I still don't know what I could use it for, but I'm sure I'll find something to do it. Cutest little arbor press I've ever seen.

 

[bmwrd0]

I have about a toolbox stack of things like that! Good to help a little old lady.