What is it.... the game! Post unknown objects to ID... and to stump others!

My second thought (I rejected my first thought) is that it is some sort of crimping tool. Just what it crimps (sheet metal pipe so it fits inside another - something done with rollers now-a-days, but maybe not in the past?) is a big wonder as it has such funny angles we aren't even sure which way the material would be fed into it (hubby was looking over my shoulder - hence the "we".)

Maybe this will get other's thinking!

The handles are weird they fit inside each other which seems like a good way to get pinched skin.  
The movement of the jaws is also quite small and not adjustable.
I may try and clean it a little later to see if there are any markings or a size.

Drew Moffatt wrote:The handles are weird they fit inside each other which seems like a good way to get pinched skin.  
The movement of the jaws is also quite small and not adjustable.

OK, that suggests the handles are only closed all the way for storage, rather than for use, but that would reduce the jaw movement even further. If you think about it though, if the idea is to crimp something, often you're only looking for a small fraction of an inch like an 1/8" or less.

Are you willing to give us measurements:
Jaws open...
Jaws closed to the point that the hands won't get pinched...
Total movement of jaws...

Jennifer Richardson wrote:Does anyone know what this one is? I am stumped!

It is a nut splitter.  Be sure you scroll down to the matching one.

Nut Splitter

Drew Moffatt wrote:Alright this I do not know hopefully someone can enlighten me.

Chain link tool for heavy tire chains?  Would like to see a close up of the jaws a couple of different ways.

 Oh C. Letellier
so maybe a nut cracker,..
like for walnuts?

Here's something old I found.
Probably and easy one:
whatisit by vwfatmobile, on Flickr

Aah brakleen nasty stuff but works wonders on metal.

I've done my fair share of fencing but I've never used this and can't think what it would do.
Sorry forgot to grab the ruler too.

The handle-thing is a barb otherwise the fish will just slide off the point with some vigorous motions.

Here's a thing I found beachcombing. Not sure what it is for.





Anyone seen these around and know what they are?

To me they look like the baskets that fit in evestroughs where the downspout holes are. Their job is to filter the tree duff so it doesn't plug the downspout or the pipes the downspouts lead to. This style is pretty much gone, as they just filled up, and most similar things stick up rather than down nowadays.
But I could be wrong!

Looks like a one way entrance to some kind of trap.
Like a lobster or cod pot.

Amy Arnett wrote:Here's a thing I found beachcombing. Not sure what it is for.





Anyone seen these around and know what they are?

Perhaps the mouth to an eel pot (trap)?

Apple for Daniel! I found them for sale on alibaba (no longer available) labeled "high quality fishing plastic eel trap" with this picture



I'm not seeing them for sale any more, in several places they are labeled not available, I'd say old style, that possibly didn't work well.

:D

Pearl Sutton wrote:Apple for Daniel! I found them for sale on alibaba (no longer available) labeled "high quality fishing plastic eel trap" with this picture

...
I'm not seeing them for sale any more, in several places they are labeled not available, I'd say old style, that possibly didn't work well.

:D

Awesome! Daniel got it!

Drew was very close.

Jay, that's a great idea for how to reuse it.

I grabbed them as possible snake trap entrances. Maybe I'll do some eel fishing as well. A search in Japanese showed they are still in use here.


Japanese amazon

Thanks for solving this mystery!

OK its kind of obvious that it's a reel of some sort but I'd love to know what it was originally used for before someone used it as a crude polytape reel.
We just got a new lease block and this is the most interesting thing I've found so far.

I'd better add photos I guess.

Maybe the predecessor to the modern day come-along (manual winch)?

Is the circular groove bits above your hand in the first two pictures, just regular steel?

It looks as if that part is a pulley - does it spin or is it just a guide? My guess is that it's for fencing, but I'd have to do some searching.

This tool seems to have a few things in common with the mystery tool:

It specifies that it's for barbed wire.
Can the pin in the mystery tool act as a ratchet in any way, or simple as a way to stop the wire from "sproinging"?

The pin is just a stop for the spool.
It feels old, keeping in mind I'm 28.
The piece at the top is interesting as its fixed but porcelain so a pre plastic insulator?

Drew Moffatt wrote:The pin is just a stop for the spool.
It feels old, keeping in mind I'm 28.
The piece at the top is interesting as its fixed but porcelain so a pre plastic insulator?

I was *really* wondering if it was porcelain from the picture - so we've got a tool where an insulator would be an asset, unless it's a Frankentool? Is this something someone bodged up out of other parts to do a job? Or a damaged tool that someone found alternative parts to replace? It certainly looks old in the picture, but in real life do all the parts look to be of "equal" age and quality?

Pretty sure it was made with the porcelain.

Drew Moffatt wrote:The pin is just a stop for the spool.
It feels old, keeping in mind I'm 28.
The piece at the top is interesting as its fixed but porcelain so a pre plastic insulator?

Well, porcelain has other useful characteristics than just insulating: for one, it's really hard and scratch/abrasion resistant, so if it were a barbed wire stretching tool, the porcelain would be much less damaged by the barbs than a metal bearing would. Plus, it's smoothness would mean much less friction from whatever was being un/rolled across it

Probably for running out any cord, wire or fence.
Looks like it's loaded with electric fence wire.
Kinda looks like something they would use run wire to TNT in the old movies.

Still not sure what the fencing/crimping tool is for.
I'd try it on walnuts, ha

Something just occurred to me: is there any sign that it originally had some sort of handle other than the bar between the  spool and the porcelain bearing/insulator?

Unrelated to anything, I just saw that this thread has 20 pages at this point! I think there are 25 posts to a page. WOW! What a fun batch of silliness! Thank you all for keeping it going!!
This is one of my favorite threads!  :D

Return to the speculation, apologies for the interruption
:D

I have a feeling someone's going to know what this is right off the bat...but I can't figure out what this thing is called or what it's for. I'm thinking leather working, but I definetly don't know.

It's made by Boye, the same company that makes knitting needles and crochet hooks

My first thought was a rug hook, but I can't find one like this online.

Cheryl Gallagher wrote:My first thought was a rug hook, but I can't find one like this online.

I think Cheryl's basically right. My dad's father made rugs on burlap backings, and dad had a tool that looked just like that, which he said was his father's rug making tool. From what dad said, he didn't make hooked rugs exactly, they were more stitched, and the loops pulled upin a different way-does the tip slide into the shaft at some point along its length?

I think Cheryl and Daniel are likely on the right track:

The 4th and 5th down seem similar. It would be interesting to explore how they were used.

Maybe it's a punch needle?

I just noticed that it says NO. 6 USA. So I think it's size 6...of whatever it is!

I paid 50 cents for this. I know what I'll use it for, but what is it? I have a guess, but no solid data to back it up.
About 12 inches long, iron, interesting shape.

I'd say it's a shoe horn, but I could be totally wrong there.

A shoe horn like for getting your shoes on? No. It's cast iron, 12 inches long, weighs several pounds. Up to 1.5 or 2 inches thick across the center. Not for slipping on shoes.

Pearl Sutton wrote:I paid 50 cents for this. I know what I'll use it for, but what is it? I have a guess, but no solid data to back it up.
About 12 inches long, iron, interesting shape.

I think it's a cobbler's last. You'd slip it into a shoe that needed resoling so you could peg/nail on the new sole. It'd also be useful for putting hobnails on the soles of shoes and boots

Apple for Daniel! Thank you!! Looking up that term, I found them! YAY!!

Personally, I do a lot of odd things, and I wanted it as a little anvil I can slip into cracks and corners so I can hammer things. I use some odd stuff for anvils, and that fits into my head well.

:D

I'm inclined to agree with cobblers' last. I began collecting a small handful of more common ones, in prep for my explorations into cobbling, and it just has that visual 'feel', though I've not seen any like it, until now.

I was thinking it looked like something for shoe-making, but it wasn't like any of the typical wooden lasts I'd seen. Well done, Daniel!
I'd noticed it seemed to have "Canton" imprinted on it, which is associated with China, so I wonder if it is more commonly used in their version of shoe-making?

Hm. The canton doesn't look stamped in well, wonder if it was added, someone's name or a business or something.
I got no hits adding "canton" to a search... Interesting. Canlon is the name of a big family in this area, but I haven't heard of Canton....

Jay Angler wrote:I was thinking it looked like something for shoe-making, but it wasn't like any of the typical wooden lasts I'd seen. Well done, Daniel!
I'd noticed it seemed to have "Canton" imprinted on it, which is associated with China, so I wonder if it is more commonly used in their version of shoe-making?

I'd thought it was referring to Canton Ohio

Daniel Schneider wrote:

Jay Angler wrote:I was thinking it looked like something for shoe-making, but it wasn't like any of the typical wooden lasts I'd seen. Well done, Daniel!
I'd noticed it seemed to have "Canton" imprinted on it, which is associated with China, so I wonder if it is more commonly used in their version of shoe-making?

I'd thought it was referring to Canton Ohio

Yeah, well, Canajun, eh? Never even occurred to me.