Rush Piston Ring Extractor

[Papaw]

Another estate sale find was at first a What's-it, but I had guessed correctly. It is a piston ring extractor from 1917.

[amecks]

That just looks like a neat design.  It seems like it might be easier to use than the pliers type. 
Al.

[Plyerman]

That one actually looks like it might have been useful. Wonder why it never caught on?

[Bill Houghton]

Man, that looks so much more comfortable than gripping the ends of the rings with your thumbnails and prying while the sharp ends of the rings attempt to penetrate the nail bed.

I'd be a little concerned with that design about the offset between the two "fingers" leading to the ring being twisted as it's opened.  But maybe the ring gets captured in the groove so that it's not an issue.

[Lostmind]

Actually , it may keep the rings from twisting. Most of the ones I use twist the ring as it spreads , usually just as you get to the point where it's ready to clear the piston. Maybe the offset counter acts the twisting?
I usually just use my fingers , but some oil rings require the tool.

[Papaw]

I suspect it didn't catch on because (in my experience) rings seemed to almost always be stuck in the ring lands on teardown, and I don't see the prongs fitting in the end gap. Now for installing rings, I see it working well, expanding the new ring to fit over the piston and sliding down to set the ring in the ring land without tearing up fingers and scratching the piston sides.

[humber2]

The Ford Model T engine's bore was 3 3⁄4 inches.

Is that a match?

[Papaw]

Just guessing from the radius of the tool, it is near 3 1/2". Don't see why it wouldn't work on larger and smaller.

[JoeCB]

The off set fingers would be for the old style step gap rings. These rings were 5/16 to 1/4 wide and often had step gaps. I just encountered a situation on a old engine (1916 vintage) that had these rings and my "modern" ring expander did twist the rings because of the purchase on the ends of the steps. I sure could have used that tool !

Joe B

[mvwcnews]

Thanks for the patent -- I've had one of these laying around for years & was never motivated to look it up. 

[Papaw]

You are welcome, Stan.