Mystery tool, What is it for,??

This topic has 15 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 28 October 2011 at 09:42 by Charlie,.

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21 October 2011 at 23:07 #76616
Charlie,
Participant
@charlie18171
Right Chaps

Here we go, I have an item that i bought from a car boot for a

fiver,I asked the bloke what it was and he said he didnt know

and said if he did he would have asked more for it,I liked the

look of it and bought it thinking that i would soon work out

what it was for,But it didnt happen, I still dont have a clue,

It has a number stamped on it and a weakly stamped symbol

which i cant make out,Its been with me bout five years and i

have shown it to many engineers, Some qualified and some

not quite so qualified, Not one of them came up with a plausible

answer,Its a nice looking thing but right now it just a usless

onerment, And i may dismantle it and use the bits for other

things,A die stock looks like a contender for some of the bits,

Can anyone out there save it from a fate worse than death,

I have pics of it in my album,

Edited By charlie on 21/10/2011 23:09:12
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21 October 2011 at 23:07 #5712
Charlie,
Participant
@charlie18171
21 October 2011 at 23:53 #76618
Jeff Dayman
Participant
@jeffdayman43397
It might be an orbital riveter or stud header of some kind. Is the hole in the working end dome shaped? If so that is probably what it is. Could be very handy if you’ve got a bit of riveting to do.

Might be something the guys at the airport maintenance hanger might recognize.

JD
22 October 2011 at 00:27 #76620
David Colwill
Participant
@davidcolwill19261
Some kind of device for tapping small holes?
22 October 2011 at 00:37 #76621
NEIL SMITH 1
Participant
@neilsmith1
A floating tap holder.?
22 October 2011 at 07:52 #76622
AndyB
Participant
@andyb47186
Is the nose piece split? It looks as if it is in the photo; in which case it could be a tailstock collet chuck.

Someone took a lot of effort to make it. It would be shame to break it for parts if you have already kept it so long.

And, of course, 10 minutes after irretrievably having done so, someone would recognise it, and it would turn out to be the most useful thing you have ever possessed…how do I know…???

Andy

ps. I wanted to add a glum emoticon and it says the area I am trying to access is forbidden!

Edited By Andy Belcher on 22/10/2011 07:52:38
22 October 2011 at 09:08 #76624
Speedy Builder5
Participant
@speedybuilder5
Looks like a tool to bell the end of a soft metal (Brass ?) tube to form a rivet head. The nose piece would start the belling out, and the sprung loaded cap would finish the head off ??? Looks like a super test piece for a toolmaking apprentice !!
22 October 2011 at 21:54 #76678
Charlie,
Participant
@charlie18171
Hi Andy

Yes the nose peice has what look like equaly space punchings,Which

leaves a small space under the main mandrell,In the past it has been

sugested that a cutting tool should ocupy this space and protrude through

the punchings to cut metal,But i cant see that it would do anything that a

large ball nosed cutter wouldnt do,Yes Robert it would make a good test

peice,If i could machine that to exact spec most of what i do would be a

lot nicer,Well now it seems that no definitive answer is forth comming,

What i was hoping for was for somone to Post saying OOH I know what

that is, Used to use one every day at my place of work, But its not hapening

So as Andy says the only way to find out what it is is to cut it up for stock

And the next day somone will tell me what its for,

Charlie,
22 October 2011 at 23:39 #76683
Charlie,
Participant
@charlie18171
Hi Malk

Thanks for your input,Button making, At least thats a new thought,

As good as any i have had so far, My knowledge of the item is sutch

that i cant agree or disagree with any of the sugestions made so far

but i do feel that no one has won the coconut yet,

Charlie,
23 October 2011 at 10:00 #76690
KWIL
Participant
@kwil
Could you take a better photo of the numbers and symbol, prefereably as near to full frame as you can get?
23 October 2011 at 17:44 #76719
Sub Mandrel
Participant
@submandrel
I wonder it it is for making one half of the large eyelets used in tarpaulins etc., forming them from discs of sheet brass.

Bear in mind it may be designed to operate vertically in a mill, rather than in a lathe.

Neil
23 October 2011 at 18:01 #76721
Les Jones 1
Participant
@lesjones1
Hi Charlie,

Could it be that ball beadings should be fitted under the pear shaped holes in the end cover ? As the end cover is screwed in the balls would move up the taper and could grip the inside of a tube to support it at the tailstock end. Sort of a rotating expanding mandrel.

Les.
23 October 2011 at 21:12 #76734
Charlie,
Participant
@charlie18171
Hi chaps

KWIL, Yes i will attemt to take a better pic of the serial numbur and the

motive although the motive is only faintly stamped,What i can see of it

looks vuagly familiar, I have an idea that i have seen that motive before

Posibly on an east German greasgun that i used to own,But i will do my

very best with the pic,But i havent found out how to use the flash on my

new camera,Its one of them with all the bells and whistles, Its got buttons

everywhare and i got big hands, I have a job picking it up without pressing

a button or changing a setting,Come back the Box brownie, All is forgiven,

Neil and Les, Have taken you sugestions onboard, You chaps have

realy been thinkin outside the box

Charlie,
24 October 2011 at 20:31 #76811
Charlie,
Participant
@charlie18171
Hi KWIL,

Have taken one more pic of the mystery item showing information stamped

on it, I am sorry there is not to mutch to see, I cant photograph what is not

there,It is plainly roll stamped and to go to the trouble of setting up a roll

stamping process would indicate that there would have been several of

t items about, maybe even a hundred or so, So whare are they and who

is using them?,

Charlie,

The new pic is in my what is this album,

Edited By charlie on 24/10/2011 20:33:23
28 October 2011 at 07:55 #76972
John McNamara
Participant
@johnmcnamara74883
Hi All

My Guess is it is not quite complete. I suspect there are small rollers that fit in the slots. There appears to be a track marking where the rollers ran on the apparently ground inner part.

That explains the taper on the inner part also as the tool was fed in the rollers would be forced out.

Could It have been used to flare the ends of heat exchanger tubes after they are installed?

Cheers
John McNamara
28 October 2011 at 09:42 #76978
Charlie,
Participant
@charlie18171
Hi John

You are not the first person to sugest that the item is incompleat,And you

have looked at it realy closly to notice the wear marks on the front end of

the mandrell, Most people miss that small clue,So i have to say that your

sugestion on what the purpose of the item is is probably the most

plausable i have had,So you win the coconut,I thank all of you chaps for

your contributions,I have to add that i have over several years of going

to car boot sale and auctions etc, aquired a number of unidentified

engineering related items, So from time to time i will submit one or two

to this very usefull forum for your valued opinions,

Thanks Charlie,
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