Favourite old tools…….

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

These pliers are so worn as to be virtually useless. But they belonged to my maternal grandfather who died when I was too young to remember him. He was a coppersmith in the RAF. My Nan also used to have a Spitfire he had lost-wax cast from a old penny – I think making these was a bit of a standard test piece as I have heard of others. I know he served in Egypt, among other places as she had pictures he took including the pyramids and one of either Hengist or Horsa, the big biplane airliner.

Neil

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 16/05/2014 21:59:50:

He was a coppersmith in the RAF. My Nan also used to have a Spitfire he had lost-wax cast from a old penny – I think making these was a bit of a standard test piece as I have heard of others.

.

Neil,

Probably not lost-wax cast …

The one I have, that my Dad made, is folded and soldered, then filed to shape.

MichaelG.

.

Edit: Just found this, explaining how to make one

… The wonders of google !!

 

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 16/05/2014 22:26:16

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Posted by roy entwistle on 14/04/2014 10:51:41:

I have got two of these verdict ones one with stylus sprung to the right the other sprung to the left they are both very useful

Roy

.

???

I have a couple of these but slightly different to the one in the photo above but still the same make Verdict Junior.

Mike are identical to each other but skeletal below the needle so it can be read from either side, Very handy when picking a hole up in that you never loose sight of the scale no matter what quadrant you are in.

The question mark was to query the RH and LH versions as mine do either. The stylus can be puched either way and it still reads from 0 to 16 thou.

I took a picture of it tonight and the mounting arm it lives on for the boring head but did it on my phone and the picture isn't great. Will do a new one tomorrow with proper camera.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Thanks Michael,

His was rather more 'finished' than that but it's nice to know how it's done.

I recall his as being much slenderer than THIS one at Cosford.

Neil

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

OK got some pics of the Verdict Junior gauge.

Other side.

The holder is cranked like that so when it's in the boring head the stylus is pretty well on centre so it can pick small diameter holes up. As you can see it's readable from any angle.

Not going to apologise for the fact it's not polished and scraped, after all this is from a working back street bodging shop.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 16/05/2014 22:19:28:

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 16/05/2014 21:59:50:

He was a coppersmith in the RAF. My Nan also used to have a Spitfire he had lost-wax cast from a old penny – I think making these was a bit of a standard test piece as I have heard of others.

.

Neil,

Probably not lost-wax cast …

The one I have, that my Dad made, is folded and soldered, then filed to shape.

MichaelG.

.

Edit: Just found this, explaining how to make one

… The wonders of google !!

.

I'm reviving this old post, because I finally got round to photographing my Dad's "Penny Spitfire"

MichaelG.

[Danny M2ZParticipant @dannym2z]

Here is a lovely Moor & Wright depth gauge that I found at a local market.

The vernier fine feed is quite useful.

Current use:

To measure stroke on model engines.

No batteries required btw. That's one thing that I value highly in the bush.

* Danny M *

[jaCK HobsonParticipant @jackhobson50760]

Favourite tends to be whatever I last bought.

Black wrinkle paint helps.

Edited By jaCK Hobson on 19/10/2014 22:47:29

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Is that a jiggette borer or a jig borette?

Neil

[jaCK HobsonParticipant @jackhobson50760]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 20/10/2014 19:46:52:

Is that a jiggette borer or a jig borette?

Neil

Niether does it justice. It is much better as a favorite tool than a jig borer as I can sit with it on my lap while watching telly. The dog is jealous.

[“Bill Hancox”Participant @billhancox]

Posted by jaCK Hobson on 20/10/2014 20:17:44:

Niether does it justice. It is much better as a favorite tool than a jig borer as I can sit with it on my lap while watching telly. The dog is jealous.

Jack

Looks like it could be used with precision for cracking nuts while watching football?

Cheers

Bill

[John McNamaraParticipant @johnmcnamara74883]

Very nice piece of kit Jack

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by jaCK Hobson on 19/10/2014 22:45:56:

Favourite tends to be whatever I last bought.

Black wrinkle paint helps.

Edited By jaCK Hobson on 19/10/2014 22:47:29

.

Jack,

That's a delightful little machine … is it a Wolf Jahn ?

You might enjoy this page.

MichaelG.

[Cornish JackParticipant @cornishjack]

Very similar to the first mill I bought – a Hauser, 10mm collets and fully compatible with my first lathe – a Pultra, The slides were lever feed and it was in the 'brick-built outhouse' category. Too ignorant to realise what a gem it was and sold it on! Have done sillier things in life but not many!

Rgds

Bill

[jaCK HobsonParticipant @jackhobson50760]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 21/10/2014 10:10:32:

You might enjoy this page.

MichaelG.

Good reading. Hadn't seen that before. Thanks

It's a Boley. I guess pre-ww2. A good bit of backlash left to right which I can't adjust but otherwise everything is tight.

[Rik ShawParticipant @rikshaw]

Jack – Where did you get the wrinkle paint from?

Bill mentions his Hauser milling machine (sure it wasn't a jig borer Bill).

Many years ago my job was to finish grind strangely shaped tooling for punching foil seals for things like margarine and yoghurt cartons. The jig grinder I operated to do the job was also a Hauser and I have to say that it was one of the finest examples of machine tool excellence I have ever had the pleasure of using. The next best was a SIP jig borer – both Swiss.

Rik (retired and reminiscing)

[jaCK HobsonParticipant @jackhobson50760]

Posted by Rik Shaw on 21/10/2014 17:30:44:

Jack – Where did you get the wrinkle paint from?

Rik (retired and reminiscing)

VHT – it just works! http://www.frost.co.uk/vht-black-wrinkle-finish-310ml.html

Used it a few times e.g my previous old favorite tool (still get excited looking at this pic):

Edited By jaCK Hobson on 21/10/2014 23:29:05

[magpieParticipant @magpie]

Just found this thread. My favourite old tools are 74 years old, they are called fingers and thumbs and I am lucky to still have a full set in good working order, although the left hand ones do sometimes "lock up" whilst reading a newspaper these days.

Cheers Derek.

[Brian HParticipant @brianh50089]

Posted by jaCK Hobson on 21/10/2014 23:27:40:

Posted by Rik Shaw on 21/10/2014 17:30:44:

Jack – Where did you get the wrinkle paint from?

Rik (retired and reminiscing)

VHT – it just works! http://www.frost.co.uk/vht-black-wrinkle-finish-310ml.html

Used it a few times e.g my previous old favorite tool (still get excited looking at this pic):

Edited By jaCK Hobson on 21/10/2014 23:29:05

Crinkle paint should also be available from MG restorers as it was used on MG dashboards.

[Brian HParticipant @brianh50089]

Very interesting thread this; a company I used to work for bought a second hand milling machine and were going to throw away a small box set of tools that they didn't need.

Sorry about this, I was going to add a picture but it seems quite difficult to do.

[Phil PParticipant @philp]

I think your little jig borer is very similar to the one on the "Lathes" website.

Last but one on this page

http://www.lathes.co.uk/bca/index.html

I have a Boley & Leinen BFA which is just a bit further back up the same page.

Phil

[Brian HParticipant @brianh50089]

Posted by Brian Hutchings on 04/02/2016 22:57:25:

Very interesting thread this; a company I used to work for bought a second hand milling machine and were going to throw away a small box set of tools that they didn't need.

Sorry about this, I was going to add a picture but it seems quite difficult to do.

Found out how to add a picture. There are 3 tool steel tools inside the body, each being a third of a circle and each with a different profile on one end. The washer like objects fit inside the body (I think) and I assume support bars whilst the ends are profiled. Of course, I could be completely wrong.

[Brian HParticipant @brianh50089]

Another odd tool is this one recently bought on ebay. It is a hand die stock but with retractable cutting parts so that the whole thing does not have to be wound back to remove it. It is an American tool but cuts Whitworth threads. The taps were missing so I have just used some old taps to fill the spaces.

All the parts have a matching serial No and the depth of cut can be locked if producing a number of threads of exactly the same size.

[Brian HParticipant @brianh50089]

This is an optical protractor and has an engraved glass plate inside which can be viewed through the small built in microscope.

This had been used in a machine shop and had filled up with cutting fluid making it impossible to read. It was going to be thrown away but the foreman gave it to me when I expressed an interest. It took a lot of cleaning up and is not easy to use but, it's different.

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