What Obscure Tools Do You Have?
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MarlynOC
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ingot maker?
rlitman
Well-known member
Copper? It reminds me a little of a Cadweld mold.
Close. As said, it normally has a long steel rod. You stick it in a glass furnace every morning to get a sample of molten glass. Wrap it in a bit of insulation so it cools down slowly. Pop it out and take it to the QC department where they check it for color and clarity.
I suppose it would work for some molten metals too.
I suppose it would work for some molten metals too.
rlitman
Well-known member
Ah neat. So it's more of a sampler than a mold and I was pretty far off.
I don't work with hot molten materials in a data center, but I do have a similar sampler for cool liquids from my line of work that's otherwise pretty obscure:
It's not my image, but mine looks identical, except it has a chain on it.
I don't work with hot molten materials in a data center, but I do have a similar sampler for cool liquids from my line of work that's otherwise pretty obscure:
It's not my image, but mine looks identical, except it has a chain on it.
MushCreek
Well-known member
As a tool maker, I have a lot of industry-specific tools that most (but not all) of the folks here wouldn't recognize. I'll have to see if I have something particularly odd that I can take a picture of.
Kscardsfan
Well-known member
Have some oilfield specific tools and gauges in my old briefcase still. A few people would know what they are. Have a decent collection of gunsmith specific tools and jigs as well that I’ve accumulated in recent years.
Assi JPL-P3 with a 0.8mm hole in the jaws. These are basically avery nice pair of Swiss made tweezers used for vascular surgery. The hole allows you to hold a single blood vessel without crushing it. They are very nice for many fine detail jobs. Mine were used when I got them.
BigMike782
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Collimated magnifier for use on register marks when laying separations in four color stripping, register pins, line gauges even some brand new in the package gray scales.
Killer95Stang
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I have a timing belt tool set specific to a 2000 Ford Focus with 2.0L Duratec. It consists a of a timing gear holding bar and a pin that is inserted in the block to mark tdc. Not really that cool and I'll never have a use for it again. Probably see it in 20 years on this site, in one of the "anyone know what this is for" threads.
NoahG
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I have a Rocco Wrench, its pair of specialty pliers used to remove the retaining ring in older theatre and film lighting equipment.
jacob_coulter
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Sort of obscure today, but I still like using Saltus wrenches
ex-x-fire
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ChevyEFI
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first thing that comes to mind is a servo piston travel measuring Kent-Moore tool for 200-4R. Not sure if it works on TH200(-C) or others.
theoldwizard1
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Distributor wrenches !
x2 Beat me to it.
macgee
Well-known member
Here's one that you'll have no clue what its used for?
If you know exactly what it is, the first person will get a prize (tool) sent to you in the mail. I posted about this recently and nobody was able to answer it.
PS> You can click on a photo to view in higher res.
If you know exactly what it is, the first person will get a prize (tool) sent to you in the mail. I posted about this recently and nobody was able to answer it.
PS> You can click on a photo to view in higher res.
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As far as I know it's the only one ever made, so cracking this one might bring some bragging rights 
It was supposed to be thrown away when the company I work for sold one of it's buildings and it was cleared, but I kept it as an interesting ornament in my office.
The gauge is a pressure gauge by the way.
It was supposed to be thrown away when the company I work for sold one of it's buildings and it was cleared, but I kept it as an interesting ornament in my office.
The gauge is a pressure gauge by the way.
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BigMike782
Well-known member
Looks like a marriage proposal extractor......two needed.As far as I know it's the only one ever made, so cracking this one might bring some bragging rights
It was supposed to be thrown away when the company I work for sold one of it's buildings and it was cleared, but I kept it as an interesting ornament in my office.
The gauge is a pressure gauge by the way.
MarkBailey
Member
I have a belt sander and a grease gun.
No, I'm sorry, that's not it.
It might, however, take your mind off proposing again if clamped to the right body part.
joe_padavano
Well-known member
Pretty much every Kent Moore tool that I own is obscure and single-purpose.
When all the GM dealerships when belly-up about a decade ago, I scooped up all the K-M tools applicable to my vehicles that I could find on ebay.
This out-of-production K-D tool is also a favorite.
When all the GM dealerships when belly-up about a decade ago, I scooped up all the K-M tools applicable to my vehicles that I could find on ebay.
This out-of-production K-D tool is also a favorite.
Alfisti
Well-known member
I have a Dzus fastener spring adjusting tool and a sheet aluminium dimpling tool also for Dzus fasteners.
HenryAZ
MEMBER EMERITUS
Sort of obscure today, but I still like using Saltus wrenches
I use mine all the time. I have a full SK metric set, and 3pc Craftsman SAE set (7/16", 1/2", 9/16").
Gunfixr
Well-known member
I have some odd gunsmithing tools, but they are all buried in boxes out in the garage.
I also used to make custom tools as a machinist, they would definitely be obscure.
I also used to make custom tools as a machinist, they would definitely be obscure.
Gunfixr
Well-known member
I've seen a number of different sheet metal gauges like those, especially the ones where there appears to be a round hole at the bottom of the slot.
Where it is just u-shaped, could be wire, screw/bolt, or perhaps even drill gauges.
That's pretty seriously special purpose. My first thought was a fixture to test, measure, or verify the torque from a small motor or actuator or something. Then I saw the pendulum thing hanging from the chuck, which confuses the heck out of me. I don't think you could use a thin wire like that to measure torque, because it would wind up, so you'd have to pull at it. Which gets back to measuring the output of a motor or something.
Rabid Badger
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I'm going with rotational rheometer.
macgee
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Wow Rabid,
That was a really nice and great out of the box guess but no.
I believe rheometer is to measure the deformation and flow of matter, especially the non-Newtonian flow of liquids and the plastic flow of solids?
See, I sound so smart. Thanks to Wiki
This does have a watch movement vise mounted to the base but what is this device/tool used for?
I am serious about sending a nice prize to the person who can give the right info on it.
Private Lugnutz
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My old man called them Stubbs' gauges and I always thought he was referring to "stub" as an improper noun, like the stub or end of something, but the term was crescented into the trade lexicon due to the original maker in England, one P.S. Stubbs, and it emigrated across the pond from there. The example in the middle is an actual P.S. Stubbs gauge. Above it, with the wooden handle, is a Disston. Below it is a Chesterman.
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KnurledNut
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seber
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Looks like it would measure the torque on a watch mainspring.
rlitman
Well-known member
A watch mainspring has a lot more torque than that. More like the hairspring.
The "wire" hanging from that apparatus looks like the torsion spring one would find in an anniversary clock, or perhaps an Atmos clock. Different movements require a number of various spring rates, and that device could probably be used to differentiate between them, if for some reason you spilled your carefully sorted and separated Horolovar spring assortment on the floor by doing something stupid, like opening them all up at the same time.