This weeks 4 Mystery Tools?

[Martin King 2Participant @martinking2]

Hi All,

This weeks haul of mainly watchmaking related tools and items also contained these 4 odd items.

Very well made indeed, the central shaft rotates about 360 and pushes forwards as it does so; the small cap screw is the “stop” for the rotation. Nicely engraved numbers to some of them.

I think the front end holds a drill or other tool, secured by the small slotted screw.

Any thoughts please?

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

Possibly a sophisticated type of capstan tooling

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Lower photo, the one on the right…

Are those two “labels” in very small lettering, one perhaps the maker’s name?

Perhaps too, on the conical cap of the right-hand one in the first photo?

The broad, shallow grooves round the bodies suggest either helping ensuring accurate centering, or clamping, in some sort of holder. Perhaps as Bernard suggests, some form of repetition-work tooling.

What is the flush-finished cylindrical part across the body near the “top” end?

 

You do mention most your collection is watch-making equipment, so these might be related to that trade.

[DC31kParticipant @dc31k]

Are all four items identical in every way?

If not, please highlight the differences.

The projecting slotted screw you surmise could hold a drill bit could be quite dangerous if rotated at any speed (there are no pokey out pieces on your Jacobs chuck).

[Martin King 2Participant @martinking2]

Hi All,

The items are identical save that two have the engraved numbers on the bottom not the “top”

There is a makers mark of RACO on two of them. Nothing on the RACO site, they seem to do huge items only?

Google Lens gives a very vague possibility that they are small tapping heads (watch related perhaps???)

What are the small ball bearings in the end for? some kind of rotation surface?

If I stand one on a hard surface and push gently the inner shaft slide easily forwards clockwise until it hits the stop.

As stated above these came in a huge lot of MAINLY watchmaking related items but lots of other stuff as well.

Cheers, Martin

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

Is the bearing on the end to allow it to be pushed while rotating?

[Martin King 2Participant @martinking2]

Is the bearing on the end to allow it to be pushed while rotating?

I think so…..

Possibly by some sort of lever set up???

 

Martin

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Martin –

Following that I have just examined the RACO site myself.

This American company manufactures rotary and linear actuators, some of them quite complicated machines, so these could be components for one or another such; hidden in the depths below the shiny RACO-Blue paint.

Their protruding screws don’t look “right” so could be thanks to the previous owner improvising some purpose of his own for them. Assuming the tapped holes are manufactured features, not an owner’s modification, the threads are likely UN-series.

The action within them, and the company’s product-line, hints at perhaps parts of, say, a travel-stop mechanism, or triggering a brake, dog-clutch, switch or hydraulic control-valve.

 

I nearly went down the wrong road as there is also a RACOR, with an end ‘R’, making fuel-filters and related.

[Martin King 2Participant @martinking2]

Nigel, Many thanks for that.

It does seem that this lot of stuff has many other non watchmaking related items in with the “good stuff”!

Just found this MONODEX branded item which Google Lens has no idea of!

Cheers, Martin

[RainbowsParticipant @rainbows]

I’m guessing twisting the upper knob causes the 4 pins to close in, and the lower knob locks the assembly in position? I feel like I might have seen something similar with watchmakers job lots. Clamping clock faces? Graces Guide for Patentools shows some very generic and varied tools marked Monodex.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

I have justtried to find that by name and patent-number, using the gov.uk web-site, but failed… Most likely because I don’t understand the terms used in the questions!

However, the name Monodex rang a bell. Searching just by that name elicited ads for sales of the Monodex manual sheet-metal nibbler. Of which I own one. It works by shearing a narrow kerf, about 1/8″ wide, through the material; the waste being a tightly-scrolled strip.

Whihc might suggest that gubbins with the opposing racks has some sort of sheet-metal working purpose.

An alternative wild guess is that it is an expander for fitting rubber insulation sleeving over large electrical cable ends and terminals. A big version of the sort that uses three parallel prongs moved apart by operating its pliers-like handles. (I think Hellerine enters here but that might have been the trade-name for the lubricant, probably a silicone oil, used in that assembly process I recall using at work, a few decades ago.)

 

A third wild guess is that it is a clamp or adjustable jig for some special purpose, or for use in confined conditions where a conventional G-clamp or similar will not fit.

Not perhaps, a type of depthing-tool for gears?

 

Unlike the RACO items, it looks as if a complete tool itself, not a machine component or accessory. What seems strange is that there is no clear parallelism control. One might expect the two halves to be constrained to move along the same plane but there seem no slideways or other guides to enforce that. Possibly it has to float to some extent in its proper use.

 

My search also raised somebody else using the same spelling – Monodex – as the brand-name of a sort of protective varnish for concrete!

[Martin King 2Participant @martinking2]

The larger knob operates the rack and the top knob is the lock, silky smooth action to all parts.

Re the 3 prong insulation expander, the name is HELLERMAN, we have sold many of these in the different sizes over the years,

I too, have a Monodex nibbler somewhere!

cannot really see a sheet metal applicatioon for it?

A watch movement holder writ large is my best guess so far…

Cheers, Martin

 

 

[Adrian R2Participant @adrianr2]

Is this it?  “Improvements in or relating to taper gauges”

Located via Espacenet smartsearch using “GB19554303” (I guessed that the /55 was the year)

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?FT=D&date=19570731&DB=&locale=en_EP&CC=GB&NR=780091A&KC=A&ND=4

[renardiere7Participant @renardiere7]

That looks like it Adrian.

[Martin King 2Participant @martinking2]

Adrian, spot on! Great research, well done, that is very helpful. Regards, Martin

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Congratulations, Adrian!

So a taper-gauge, gauge then.

[Adrian R2Participant @adrianr2]

Thanks. GB19550004303 may have been a better start point (country+year+number padded to 7 digits) but fortunately the smart search lives up to its name.

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