Tool Talk

General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: UncleBill on December 05, 2016, 03:06:55 PM

Title: Post your best guess on what this strange simple looking old Plomb Tool is?
Post by: UncleBill on December 05, 2016, 03:06:55 PM: Ok... No looking it up in the old catalogues, just use your best guess. I will tell you the answer this weekend, December 10th.

8 1/2" long (straight measure, end to front tip) - 1/2" thick in the back down to a 1/16" to the tip.

I picked it with a lot of other tools off an old farm. For a week I and a few other tool buddies couldn't figure out what it was. I scoured the internet and Ebay but couldn't find a picture of it, absolutely nothing. I finally found it listed in one of online Plomb catalogues. My hats off to the people who scan and post those items..
Title: Re: Post your best guess on what this strange simple looking old Plomb Tool is?
Post by: Papaw on December 05, 2016, 03:19:33 PM: I will guess it is a seal pick.
Title: Re: Post your best guess on what this strange simple looking old Plomb Tool is?
Post by: gibsontool on December 05, 2016, 03:30:57 PM: The ends don't look flat enough for a brake adjustment tool so I'll agree with Pawpa any a seal or O ring pick.
Title: Re: Post your best guess on what this strange simple looking old Plomb Tool is?
Post by: Lostmind on December 05, 2016, 03:35:49 PM: Cotter pin puller
Title: Re: Post your best guess on what this strange simple looking old Plomb Tool is?
Post by: UncleBill on December 05, 2016, 03:55:02 PM: I updated measurements... Great guesses so far.

8 1/2" long (straight measure front tip to back) - 1/2" thick in the back down to a 1/16" to the tip.
Title: Re: Post your best guess on what this strange simple looking old Plomb Tool is?
Post by: lptools on December 05, 2016, 04:27:46 PM: Used like a drift punch>? For aligning holes?
Title: Re: Post your best guess on what this strange simple looking old Plomb Tool is?
Post by: oldgoaly on December 05, 2016, 04:34:23 PM: Well they made a bunch of plumbers tools for caulking dwv pipe, so my guess is caulking iron, so I googled it and found this pic. close?
Title: Re: Post your best guess on what this strange simple looking old Plomb Tool is?
Post by: turnnut on December 05, 2016, 07:29:25 PM: to scratch an itch if your hands are dirty !
Title: Re: Post your best guess on what this strange simple looking old Plomb Tool is?
Post by: Ken W. on December 05, 2016, 07:38:46 PM: Hoof cleaning tool ? Horse ??
Title: Re: Post your best guess on what this strange simple looking old Plomb Tool is?
Post by: Northwoods on December 05, 2016, 07:47:26 PM: Cotter pin pick?
Title: Re: Post your best guess on what this strange simple looking old Plomb Tool is?
Post by: Bill Houghton on December 05, 2016, 08:33:35 PM: I'd lean toward the plumbing caulking tool, too. Seems too blunt for a cotter pin or seal puller.

Is there a prize?
Title: Re: Post your best guess on what this strange simple looking old Plomb Tool is?
Post by: bill300d on December 05, 2016, 09:59:13 PM: I'd like to say but I'll let you guys stew on it for a while and see what happens.
Title: Re: Post your best guess on what this strange simple looking old Plomb Tool is?
Post by: UncleBill on December 05, 2016, 10:04:53 PM: Wow great guesses! My first guess when I glanced it was a punch, easy guess, because it was in a box full of chisels, punches, and other items... Then the reality of physics took over and I got a Zonk on that guess. I never thought of the cotter pin puller, I like that one... It does make a good back scratcher.

If you don't want to wait until this weekend you can always look it up on a Plomb catalogue 1939 and most of the 1940's. Just don't say what it is..

Thanks..
Title: Re: Post your best guess on what this strange simple looking old Plomb Tool is?
Post by: bonneyman on December 05, 2016, 11:13:05 PM: #1) cotter pin remover
#2) hole alignment tool
Title: Re: Post your best guess on what this strange simple looking old Plomb Tool is?
Post by: kwoswalt99 on December 06, 2016, 12:00:31 AM: I have some of those. The guy I bought them from told me they were brick jointers.
Title: Re: Post your best guess on what this strange simple looking old Plomb Tool is?
Post by: chopper1 on December 06, 2016, 08:12:38 PM: Plumbing caulk tool?
Title: Re: Post your best guess on what this strange simple looking old Plomb Tool is?
Post by: wvtools on December 06, 2016, 09:08:21 PM: It looks like a brick jointer to me, although it seems odd that Plomb would make one.
Title: Re: Post your best guess on what this strange simple looking old Plomb Tool is?
Post by: Chillylulu on December 07, 2016, 04:15:14 AM: I know what it is, but I've ran a lot of copper. It isn't for making guitars, that's for sure.

Chilly
Title: Re: Post your best guess on what this strange simple looking old Plomb Tool is?
Post by: UncleBill on December 07, 2016, 01:21:38 PM: Ok... So what's your guess? If you know what it is please post it and let us know how it was used... It was a bit unclear when I went back to the person I bought it from.

Thanks.
Title: Re: Post your best guess on what this strange simple looking old Plomb Tool is?
Post by: bill300d on December 07, 2016, 01:53:51 PM: Plumbers Bending Iron
Used to finesse the end of dented lead pipe, when jointing.
Title: Re: Post your best guess on what this strange simple looking old Plomb Tool is?
Post by: UncleBill on December 07, 2016, 02:34:37 PM: You got it! Great diagram of the tool and how to use it.
Title: Re: Post your best guess on what this strange simple looking old Plomb Tool is?
Post by: Northwoods on December 07, 2016, 04:54:49 PM: Good to know. I also learned about the shave hook. Had seen them, but not aware of their purpose.
Title: Re: Post your best guess on what this strange simple looking old Plomb Tool is?
Post by: bill300d on December 07, 2016, 06:26:11 PM: https://archive.org/details/plumbingworkingm00grayrich (https://archive.org/details/plumbingworkingm00grayrich) is the book from which that page was garnered.
Title: Re: Post your best guess on what this strange simple looking old Plomb Tool is?
Post by: Bill Houghton on December 07, 2016, 10:12:19 PM: Quote from: Northwoods on December 07, 2016, 04:54:49 PM
Good to know. I also learned about the shave hook. Had seen them, but not aware of their purpose.
Interesting - I thought those shave hooks were woodworking scrapers. That's what they're sold for now.
Title: Re: Post your best guess on what this strange simple looking old Plomb Tool is?
Post by: Chillylulu on December 08, 2016, 06:54:49 PM: Quote from: UncleBill on December 07, 2016, 01:21:38 PM
Ok... So what's your guess? If you know what it is please post it and let us know how it was used... It was a bit unclear when I went back to the person I bought it from.

Thanks.

Sorry, I didnt want to ruin the fun.

They are still usefull, when you pull a tee in copper. And copper gets really soft when brazed, type m moves like lead sheet. A smooth iron pushes it back in place.

Besides pipe it was used a lot at fittings. Many of which could be made from sheet. For pipe re-rounding a swage makes short work.

I think that a lead soil pipe craftsman would be almost impossible to find. I can only imagine that their life expectancy was less than most.
Title: Re: Post your best guess on what this strange simple looking old Plomb Tool is?
Post by: UncleBill on December 08, 2016, 11:15:25 PM: The box this tool came in was partially filled with early Plomb Calking and Yarning Irons plus a few Protos. A few of those items were worked down to the nub and some barely used. It was fun finding out a little bit of the history of the owner and to see his assortment of old tractors and vehicles.

Thanks to everyone who guessed at this..