A new what's it for you...

[Mitch]

Came across these and have no idea what they are. No marking on it at all. They are a little over 5 inches long. They are cast, not stamped with a single rivet holding it together.

http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y392/amg42866/WHATISIT001_zps43dbb721.jpg

 http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y392/amg42866/WHATISIT002_zpsc72a4962.jpg

Thanks!

[mikeswrenches]

Interesting looking design...unfortunately I don't have a clue what they were for.

Mike

[oldtools]

any photos of it closed? does the jaw protrusions contact or side by side? 

[Mitch]

I'll put more pics of it later today. They don't touch when closed, though. Weird....

[john k]

They look old, with the heavy casting, possibly pre WWII.  But they strongly resemble the tool used in a band style piston ring compressor. 

[BruceS]

Seen a similar pair.   I believe that different types of jaws can be slipped on them for different types of applications.

[oldtools]

maybe a spring clamp tool?

[mvwcnews]

They look old, with the heavy casting, possibly pre WWII.  But they strongly resemble the tool used in a band style piston ring compressor.

The different size bands were for the different sizes of canning jar lids then in use.   I wish I had a stock catalog photo or advert in my files to illustrate these as they looked  in a complete set.   Somewhere some time I've   seen a set of these handles with  one of the bands that came with them -- the spring steel bands eventually got brittle around the holes & broke -- then the handles were worthless curiosities. Nevertheless,  the handles turn up fairly often.

[RWalters]

This is what it looked like with the spring/band in place.

[Plyerman]

Ah, that makes sense now.

[mvwcnews]

This is what it looked like with the spring/band in place.

I finally stumbled across where the set with three bands turned up -- 2010 Doug Busch collection auction   Box lot #58-1 ( http://s222.photobucket.com/user/buswrench/media/busch-2010/busch-CB-058-59.jpg.html ).  I'd taken a picture of part of Doug's collection my first year as MVWC Newsletter editor & the "three bands" show up on pg. 18 of the December 2000 MVWC newsletter as well.