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Mystery tool, What is it for,??

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Charlie,21/10/2011 23:07:38
76 forum posts
1 photos

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

Jeff Dayman21/10/2011 23:53:12
2356 forum posts
47 photos
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
David Colwill22/10/2011 00:27:38
782 forum posts
40 photos
Some kind of device for tapping small holes?
NEIL SMITH 122/10/2011 00:37:46
26 forum posts
A floating tap holder.?
AndyB22/10/2011 07:52:07
avatar
167 forum posts
7 photos
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

Speedy Builder522/10/2011 09:08:45
2878 forum posts
248 photos
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 !!
Charlie,22/10/2011 21:54:45
76 forum posts
1 photos

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,
Charlie,22/10/2011 23:39:41
76 forum posts
1 photos

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,
KWIL23/10/2011 10:00:41
3681 forum posts
70 photos
Could you take a better photo of the numbers and symbol, prefereably as near to full frame as you can get?
Stub Mandrel23/10/2011 17:44:02
avatar
4318 forum posts
291 photos
1 articles
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
Les Jones 123/10/2011 18:01:47
2292 forum posts
159 photos
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.
Charlie,23/10/2011 21:12:55
76 forum posts
1 photos

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,
Charlie,24/10/2011 20:31:51
76 forum posts
1 photos

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

John McNamara28/10/2011 07:55:53
avatar
1377 forum posts
133 photos

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

Charlie,28/10/2011 09:42:24
76 forum posts
1 photos

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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