A Pocket Knife

It has a can piercer and a bottle opener in addition to the knife blade. (I just tried out the bottle opener -- it works fine.)

It was made by 'Richards' of Sheffield, England. (There's a logo of a beacon or lighthouse bisecting the 'Richards' name.) From what I've read of Richards knives on the internet, they're considered to be low-end tools of no great distinction, but this knife looks pretty decent to me. It's well-constructed, with solid, unambiguous open and closed seatings of the 'blades'. I'll keep it in the tackle box I have for miscellaneous bits of camping gear.

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As an adolescent, I always had a pocket knife on me -- a very slim one, like this.

Attending high school (mid-1960s), I'd have a brown-bagged lunch that my mom had packed for me. There was often an orange in the bag. I had a neat method for peeling an orange with the aid of a knife -- three shallow, circular cuts to the skin and it all came away nicely. I'd peacefully eat my sandwich in the school's lunchroom/cafeteria, take out my orange and my knife, peel the orange and eat it; no big deal, no threat to anyone, no cause for alarm.

From things I've read lately, I take it that a high school kid doing such a thing these days would attract a SWAT team equipped with tasers, automatic rifles, tear gas, pepper spray, fearsome dogs and possibly a grenade launcher. WTF!?

Who, pray tell, is responsible for that state of affairs? Is he or she still running around loose? Why hasn't he or she been hunted down and dealt with harshly? I'd like some answers.

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A Cheap, Worn-Out 2 1/8" Hole Saw

Has this ever seen better days. Yikes!

On the back it says, "MADE IN CHINA
2 1/8"-54mm MAX RPM 2500". The pilot drill is 15/64". It's rather shallow -- effective depth would have been 3/4".

A picture of this would serve to illustrate the word 'futility' in an illustrated dictionary. This can go in a scrap metal bin.

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Olympia Fibreglass Measuring Tape

It's inch/metric -- 50'/15m.

Olympia Tools is a going concern, but they appear to have dropped this size and style of tape measure from their product line.

I have a wall-hung cabinet above my lathe where there's a 'tape measures' shelf; a little rearranging and this will fit in there.

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A Small, Offset Hammer

Something a little different. It looks old but unused.

Overall length is 10 1/2". The whole hammer only weighs about 3 oz. It has an offset shank. The offset shank is made of 3/16" diameter steel rod. Here's a close-up view of the head in profile.









The only application I can think of for it is driving glazier's points -- the head could be safely slid along the face of a pane of glass as a point is being driven.

I have a drawer where I keep a few odd items. I guess this belongs in there if anything does.

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A Stanley Handyman 3007-6" Screwdriver

Another obscure Stanley item; it was made in Canada.

I imagine that the 'Handyman' line was low-end stuff, aimed at the do-it-yourselfer. This screwdriver looks pretty decent, though. The square (9/32" A/F) shank makes it 'wrenchable'. The tip's formation is good (9/32" tip width). The handle is a little small for the size of the tip/shank.

Into the 'spare/odd screwdrivers and wrenches' drawer it goes.

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A Stanley Atha '7-16' Cold Chisel

The 'Atha' line of tools is obscure. I can find practically nothing about it.

This chisel is a bit odd in that it seems to be mislabelled -- either that, or there's something about chisel dimensioning I'm unaware of. On the chisel I read what appears to be "STANLEY ATHA 7-16 MADE IN U.S.A.". One would take '7-16' to mean 7/16"; but it's a 1/2" chisel. Beats the bleep outta me.

Anyway, into the 'chisels and punches' drawer with it.

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A Tiny Bottle Brush

It speaks. It's saying, "Hang me on a nail near the workshop's sink. Do I have to draw you a picture?"

'Ok, already. I'll hang you on a nail near the workshop's sink.'












'There. Satisfied?'

"You bet! A-OK!"

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A Plastic Utility Knife

Another bit of bafflement -- the knife blade's end has been ground to a more oblique angle than that of the snap-off scores. He must have had a reason; I just can't fathom what it might have been.

As plastic-bodied knives go, this one looks pretty decent, but none of these stand up well to hard use. 'Never hurts to have a spare knife on hand, though. I'll shoe-horn it into my cutters drawer for now.

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A 3/4" Cold Chisel

The name on it is partially obscured, but all indications are that it was made by Kraeuter & Company. The model No., "430-3/4", matches what this site shows. There's some company history there as well, although I see no mention of what became of the firm -- it appears to no longer exist.

This chisel doesn't appear to have had much use; there's not a trace of 'mushrooming'.

It's a good thing I still have a fair amount of space in my 'chisels and punches' drawer, though I may have to reorganize it soon.

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Dividers

The instant I spread them apart for the photograph, I was put in mind of the painting by William Blake, "The Ancient of Days". Some images sure have staying-power.














I believe it's said that 'God resides in all', or something to that effect.

Anyway, I still have space in a small drawer where I keep a few measuring tools and gauges. The dividers can go in there.

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A Stanley No. 1299 Utility Knife

Something of an antique -- certainly no longer in production.

I take this one to be from early production of the 1299 knife. It's made of cast iron; later ones were cast from lighter metal.

Inside, of course, is storage space for spare blades.






My cutters drawer is pretty much full, so I'll hang this from a nail on a toolboard -- it certainly lends itself readily to that.

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A Big (7/8") Cold Chisel

The 'cold' in 'cold chisel' refers to the tool's application -- it's for cutting 'cold' metal, rather than metal that's been heated by a torch or in a forge.

The name "GEDORE" is stamped on this chisel. Gedore is a German firm, a toolmaker with a huge product line. I'd never heard of it before.

I'll grind away the 'mushrooming' -- that's easy. Sharpening is another matter; sharpening chisels is quite a skill. Something I've been meaning to do is construct some tool-grinding gear that will de-skill the process. This chisel gives me more cause to get on with that.

This can go in my 'chisels and punches' drawer.

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A 9/32" Square Drive Sliding T-Bar

I thought this drive square looked a bit odd. I put a caliper on it and read 9/32".

It seems that Snap-on introduced this size around 1925. This tool's bar carries the ID 'Snap-on-M-5'. Here's a link to some more information.

I guess it's safe to say that 9/32" square drive fell by the wayside. I didn't know it ever existed.

I'll put this in the drawer where I keep a few seldom-used specialized wrenches.

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A Soldering Copper

No, you haven't misread, and I haven't miswritten -- it's a soldering 'copper', not a soldering 'iron'; there's no 'iron' to it.

This is the smallest one I've ever seen. The solid copper tip is about 3/8" in diameter by 1 1/4" long. It's heated by a flame. Does this ever bring back memories.

In my junior high school's metalworking shop, we used similar coppers, but they were huge compared to this one. Attendant to each copper was a little cast iron, natural gas fired 'oven' in which the copper was kept hot.

One of our sheet metal projects was a holder/dispenser for paper table napkins. The material was light gauge, tin plated steel. (The tin plating made it readily solderable.) Final assembly of the box-like construction involved soldering two seams at its base. I can still hear Mr. Makings, the teacher, saying, "Hold the work so that gravity works with you." [I've been itching to quote Mr. Makings^[1] in a post.]

It may seem like a clumsy way to solder, but it's not. Remarkably fine work can be done with such tools.

Note:

[1] Mr. Makings was a big, barrel-chested Scotsman who brooked no nonsense in his shop. His grasp of the subject matter and ability to communicate it were superb. (The woodworking shop's teacher was excellent as well, although I can't recall that man's name.)

Those two years of formal metalworking and woodworking instruction are about all that I treasure of my 'education'. That it's no longer provided to kids at that age is a crime. Those responsible for that ought to be in Guantanamo, or perhaps someplace similar, but with a less benign climate.

Anyway, this can go in the small toolbox where I keep solder and flux and a similar-sized electric soldering iron.

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A Two-Edged Pruning Knife

On the ferrule it says "MADE IN U.S.A."

The blade steel looks decent. It could stand a wire-brushing and a sharpening. (I should try out the preceding item on it.) It can reside in my wife's garden tools drawer.

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A Glass Cutter/Knife Sharpener

There's no manufacturer's name, it just says "MADE IN U.S.A." on it.

There are two knife slots, a scissors slot, and at the end it says "MOWER" -- 'reel mower' I suppose is what's meant. I'm not sure how effective the sharpening feature is; I suspect not very.

It's been a long time since I've done any glass cutting; it's a tricky business. When I was a boy, every hardware store had a rack of window glass and a glass cutting machine. That's pretty much gone the way of the typewriter.

This item can share the same nail with the Acme 2029 spanners.

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A Tubing Cutter

It's a "274-FC GOULD IMPERIAL". Gould Imperial appears to no longer exist.

I have a very similar cutter, a "HI-DUTY 274-FB IMPERIAL EASTMAN". Imperial Eastman is still with us; their equivalent cutter model is now the "TC-1000".

Anyway, they're both quite fine tools, and now I have a spare. It can reside in the drawer where I keep some plumbing tools that I haven't made a toolboard spot for yet.

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A Wrenchable Screwdriver Bit

The hex is 3/4" A/F. The screwdriver tip is 3/8" wide. It's beautifully made, but there's no manufacturer's name on it. I've never seen one like it.

It can go in my stubby screwdrivers drawer.

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A Small Mason's Pointing Trowel

Quite a nice one -- made in England; the manufacturer's name is chipped and unreadable.

Masonry is something I do very little of, but I do have a few tools for it. I'll stash this with them.

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A Lanyard Whistle

I've cleaned it up; it cleaned up nicely with just lacquer thinner. On the top surface of the mouthpiece there's an etched lion and "MADE IN HONG KONG". I can't imagine my dad having had a use for this item, and neither do I have a use for it.

I'll hang it on a nail by the door; perhaps a use will suggest itself. At least, I never need find myself in the position of regretting that I don't have a lanyard whistle handy.

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A Brass Sweeper Nozzle with an Extended Nose

I don't know what to make of this; I'm sure my dad had a good reason for making it.

On the thread-on portion it says "RAIN BIRD GLENDORA CALIF". Rain Bird is still a going concern.

Come spring, I must try this out. It might be good for harassing squirrels. Meanwhile, it can go in my hose fittings bin.

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A Very Clunky 1/2" x 5/8" Open End Wrench

Embossed on the handle is what looks vaguely like "US/C" or "USAC". Stamped at the 5/8" end is "1755", although the '1' could as easily be taken for 'L'.

This looks to me like something you might find in the toolbox of a steam locomotive. It can go directly to my open end wrenches drawer.

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A Pin Vise Based on a Small Gear Chuck

My dad and I were on the same wavelength more than I knew. He made a chuck-based pin vise.

And I made a chuck-based pin vise.

The handle on this one that he made is quite nice; it's remarkably comfortable and elegant, and it has a hole through it for hanging it on a nail on a toolboard. I think I'll hang it on a nail on a toolboard.

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A Paint Can Lid Pry Bar

On one side is embossed, "SCARFE & CO., LIMITED". On the other side is embossed, "VARNISHES, PAINTS, ENAMELS".

I googled "SCARFE & CO.", and it appears that they're no longer with us. I seem to recall that Scarfe & Co. was a Canadian paint manufacturer that was alive and well throughout my 1950s boyhood; I could be wrong about that.

Anyway, I'll wirebrush this to brighten/clean it up. I have a place for it on a shelf above the bench where I do most of my painting.

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A Propane Torch Flame Spreader

It must be for some big old brute of a torch. The round opening is sized to go on a 3/4" diameter nozzle -- that's much bigger than either one of my two relatively modern torches.

It's made of heavy-gauge steel. The clamp screw is 10-32. I could adapt it to my torches by making a bushing.

I'll park it on my 'pending' shelf, where it will bug me to get at it.

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A Couple of Small Spanners

It says "Acme^[1] 2029" on them. I googled that and learned that these are for adjusting bifold door pivots.

The big open end is 1/2". That truncated jaw would be to give the wrench a sort of 'ratcheting' action. The box wrench and the small open end are both 5/16". It appears that one of the small open ends was filed to make it 11/32".

These remind me that I have quite a collection of little specialized spanners. I should hang them on a toolboard and free up some drawer space.


Note:

[1] Isn't 'Acme' the outfit that Wile E. Coyote gets all his failure-prone gear from?

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Hoof Picks

Something I never knew existed until I found them in a toolbox from my dad's garage -- hoof picks.

They're for cleaning mud and what-have-you from horses' hooves. My dad must have had something else in mind for them -- he was not a horseman, nor would he have been inclined to keep company with the horsey set. (Nor would the horsey set have been inclined to keep company with my dad, for that matter.)

I'll clean these up and make them a place to hang on a toolboard. If a horse should come by with mud-caked hooves that need tending to, I'll have just what's needed right handy.

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