Thread: Mystery tool

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Does anybody know what this tool is used for and how to use it? This is not a trivia question. The guy that got it from an estate sale doesn't have a clue what he was given. See photos

Judging by the handles and the sliding piece on the other side, I'm thinking mold of some sort. Maybe lead or aluminum??
Pure SWAG!

GMTA, Thats what I thought too. LOL But nobody can figure out for sure. Or explain how to use it. The guide or blade or whatever it is on the bottom messes with peoples heads. I thought gun reloading lead or fishing weight molds. A bunch of people have looked at this thing and can only come up with a WAG.

The pic doesn't show if the handles move side to side and open/close something inside.

The handles pivot 180 plus degrees, there is a allen head set screw in each side that will lock the handles in any position. The handles don't operate anything. It appears they are just there to handle the block. The inside of the bore is kinda rusty whereas the block itself is nicely machined and may be plated steel. While I'm not sure, I don't think its stainless.

You mention the "guide or blade" on the bottom, but from the picture it's hard to see the shape - looks like a formed wire or something? Does that "guide" slide to cover the little hole on the bottom? What's it look like inside the "bore"? Does it come apart any more than shown?

I'd say a mold die is a pretty decent guess, part of a manufacturing process.

EASY its a mold for packing marijuana in so it fits your pipe

I believe this is a Directional One Ounce Helix Inducing Circular Kinetic Impression Exciter. Don’t see this exact model often, but I’ve run in to similar ones over the last fifty years or so. They’re used in a variety of applications and often are a one-use tool that is a derived from a necessity - being the mother of invention. When I was in the Air Force we had similar components and often asked young airmen to fetch “two hundred yards of flight line”, or a “bucket of prop wash”. We also had wiffle trees and snatch blocks – which were often the basis for rather interesting side bar conversations that could not be repeated in the presence of women and children – alas, I digress

There is such a thing as a snatch block...I've got one.
And its seen a lot of use over the years.
It's a pulley between two steel plates. The plates are folded in such a way that they meet together at the top and have a quite large hole through them that can take a heavy chain (or shackle) through it.
They're used for snigging logs through bush.
If you can't (or don't want to,) get a straight pull on the log you're snigging, you attach the snatch block to a suitable anchor-point with a chain or strop and run the snigging rope through it.
The snatch block plates are attached together only at the pulley so that they can be opened from the top, the wire snigging rope placed inside, the plates closed and held closed by the anchoring chain to form a normal pulley.
Dead simple to use.

They're a very handy thing to have when working in the bush. ('Woods' to you Americans.)

Originally Posted by rspears

You mention the "guide or blade" on the bottom, but from the picture it's hard to see the shape - looks like a formed wire or something? Does that "guide" slide to cover the little hole on the bottom? What's it look like inside the "bore"? Does it come apart any more than shown?

More photos coming.

Glenn, Have you and Charlie been hitting on some of that medicinal stuff? LOL

I went and got more photos today. This "Thing" has been looked at by alot of people and nobody can say, Yeah I know exactly what that is. The hole size is about 7/8"-1", I didn't measure. That pretty much rules out bullets or slugs for shotgun shells or fishing weights. It does not appear to have ever been heated in any way. It is probably NOT a mold. I'm attaching more pics. It belongs to my barber and it is driving him nuts trying to figure out what it is.
NolanIMG_1700.jpgIMG_1701.jpg

Puzziling, But my guess is the guy that machined it didn't put those grooves in the bottom for no reason, so it must interlock with something I would say. Since it has no markings it tells me its a one off tool made by a machinist or tool maker for a very specific job maybe? My thoughts are a it got dragged down something pretty darn tough, not many small tools with 2 handles unless it was really needed. I would also say a awl, or scribe goes through the holes and then the guide follows what was just cut by the awl or scribe, making the dragging pretty tough, making the need for two handles for a heavy pull but making a nice straight cut. Maybe for scoring ice blocks or something??
Ok I have no idea but its neat!

I don't think molten lead would discolor steel, or aluminum for that matter. The wooden handles really say the part was too hot to touch, and that it had to be removed regularly.