What is this?

[e46Pitt]

A friend of mine inherited this tool from his dad, who worked as an engineer on cranes. It was made by Phillips and has graduations on it.

 

[CMB41]

That looks like a weld inspection gauge. Not sure why it’s made by Phillips?

 

[Mintgrun]

This illustrates the tool in use.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

It was made by Phillips

Not sure why it’s made by Phillips?

Philips (one "l"), the Dutch multinational technology giant, but still very strange, I agree. A welding gauge doesn't readily fit their profile even before they started divesting en masse of lighting, electronics, home goods, etc., to concentrate on healthcare. I'm wondering if it was made for them, but that doesn't make sense, either. They're not a services company.

 

[KnurledNut]

https://www.weldvisualtest.com/en-us/produit/squaresimpleaz-type-angle-weld-gauge-philips/

 

[RoninB4]

-It's used for setting angles for something, perhaps for sharpening drill bits. What the Phillips brand has to do with it I'm not sure, perhaps used for something electronic that they made.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

@KnurledNut
How are you interpreting that webpage? The gauge shown, on a EWG (European Welding Group) page, is marked with an "EWG" logo. What is that little parenthetical addition "(Philips)" to the end of the description supposed to mean? That it's made by Philips? Or that Philips owns EWG?

 

[Mintgrun]

Philips (one "l")

When I typed out my search, I used two Ls as weLL. The funny thing is, there is a Phillips company that manufactures welding safety equipment, so it wouldn't be a stretch for them to make it, but there are too many Ls in their name.

Welding Safety

WELDING WELDING GLASSES WELDING LENS CLIP ON FLIP UP WELDING GLASSES WELDING WINDOW WELDING SCREEN LASER WELDING SAFETY BECOME A DISTRIBUTOR APPLY NOW Welding safety products are an essential part of welding, as they protect the eyes, skin, and head from dangerous rays. Invisible rays like...

phillips-safety.com

 

[KnurledNut]

@KnurledNut
How are you interpreting that webpage? The gauge shown, on a EWG (European Welding Group) page, is marked with an "EWG" logo. What is that little parenthetical addition "(Philips)" to the end of the description supposed to mean? That it's made by Philips? Or that Philips owns EWG?

I am not sure.
It looks like EWG does have patents and manufactures some of their welding gauges.
From their website:

Who is EWG?​

EWG is a Belgian company specializing in welding quality management. The company was founded in 2012 and has staff certified as International Welding Engineers.

EWG provides support to clients implementing a welding quality system. This day-to-day experience in welding quality has allowed EWG to design and manufacture new, efficient tools for visual inspection of weld seams. A patent has been filed for these new tools, called VT® gauges.

Philips (one "l"), the Dutch multinational technology giant, but still very strange, I agree. A welding gauge doesn't readily fit their profile even before they started divesting en masse of lighting, electronics, home goods, etc., to concentrate on healthcare. I'm wondering if it was made for them, but that doesn't make sense, either. They're not a services company.

Possibly made welding glass or electrodes?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I am not sure.

Weird, though, right, the way it's just sort of stuck on the end there, parenthetically, like an afterthought, on a page dedicated to their company and their products, including a gauge with their name on it? Frankly, I would really like to read that like, 'it's a Philips type gauge,' as if Philips not only made them, but were known for this type.

Possibly made welding glass or electrodes?

Interesting.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

When I typed out my search, I used two Ls as weLL.

Between the famous cruciform screw and screwdriver pattern, the oil company, the milk of magnesia company, and every other instance of Phillips (with two ells!) on the planet, it's understandable.

The funny thing is, there is a Phillips company that manufactures welding safety equipment, so it wouldn't be a stretch for them to make it, but there are too many Ls in their name.

I bet that little irony has ruined the days of more than a few lack-of-attention-to-detail people involved in ordering welding gauges!

 

[four.cycle]

Frankly, I would really like to read that like, 'it's a Philips type gauge,'

That is exactly what I was thinking.
I just ran into one of these this morning - a wire stripping tool invented by one "Miller", who sold the company to "Ripley", and "Ripley" still manufacturers the tool with both "Ripley" and "Miller" clearly printed on the handle, with the font on the "Miller" being much larger.
So... maybe this widget is something invented/developed by Philips and it's one of those same kind of deals. (e.g., "Pulaski" or "McLeod" tools)

Just my best wild guess on short notice, anyway.

EWG makes many different styles of similar-looking "measuring devices":

Tous les produits pour Catégorie Autres outils de mesure

EWG / EWG see European Welding Group SPRL, Charleroi, Belgium /

European / European Welding Group SPRL, VAT BE0889.076.561, Rue de la Gare 18, 6001 Charleroi, Belgium / https://www.controle-visuel.com/ / est. 2012 / measuring tools /

 

[CMB41]

I see you are in PA. Philips is based in Pittsburgh and Reedsville. Maybe it came from one of those facilities back in the day?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Although it looks vintage, I wouldn't have thought it was quite as old (1920s) as this timeline (excerpted from the '1000 Logos' website) seems to indicate it is. Likely they kept using that until it was modernized twenty years ago.

 

[four.cycle]

^ When I ran a Google search for "Philips welding gauge", I came upon this entry on a "Reddit" site.
Not really sure what to make of it, although the "EWG" company is very much involved in the business of welding.
I didn't go down any rabbit holes on "Philips".