For Those Interested in Old Tools

[stewartingram]

6 hours ago, 57xx said:

 

Looks very much like an O ring expander.

We used them in my apprenticeship days at Pye Telecom, for stretching sleeving over cables.

Known in the trade as Virgin Stretchers.....

 

Stewart

[57xx]

6 hours ago, Dave John said:

They were known in the trade as "honeymoon pliers". 

 

My other guess was going to be a speculum for a mouse, so wouldn't have been too far off there.

[Hroth]

On 19/03/2020 at 18:29, Nick Gough said:

My dad's old Wolf Cub, which I believe he bought new in 195-?

 

I've got an old DIY mag from 1957 (One of FJ Camms efforts) that has an advert for one of those!

 

Update:  Practical Householder, October 1955.  Wolf Cub, £5/19/6

Edited March 28, 2020 by Hroth

[Platform 1]

7 hours ago, Dave John said:

Hi 57xx, those things were used  for putting silicone tubing type insulation on electrical wires. The idea is that you put an inch or so of tubing over the prongs , squeeze to open it up then push the wire through.  Make the soldered joint on the end of the wire then slide the tubing over it to insulate and support the wire. 

 

They were known in the trade as "honeymoon pliers". 

 

 

 

Their proper name was Hellermann pliers - see here for the modern equivalents.  Dangerous things in the wrong hands!

 

[Bochi]

Here's another old favourite of mine. I am a sucker for slide rules and have them all over the house, wherever they might be wanted. This is one of two in the workshop at present.

 

 

[Dave John]

Oh, a British Thornton one. I had one at University. 

[Bochi]

10 minutes ago, Dave John said:

Oh, a British Thornton one. I had one at University. 

British Thornton were originally PIC - Precision Instrument Company - and have a long pedigree. This one's a good workhorse. I prefer slide rules to calculators because a) I'm a romantic and b) when modelling you can set the scale once and then move the cursor to get the distance you need. It's particularly useful when measuring from a drawing or plan that's in some horrible scale such as 13.71 feet to the inch.

[polybear]

 

On 27/03/2020 at 13:48, Dave John said:

Hi 57xx, those things were used  for putting silicone tubing type insulation on electrical wires. The idea is that you put an inch or so of tubing over the prongs , squeeze to open it up then push the wire through.  Make the soldered joint on the end of the wire then slide the tubing over it to insulate and support the wire. 

 

They were known in the trade as "honeymoon pliers". 

 

 

 

As previously mentioned, Hellerman Pliers.  Sell well on Ebay....

[PatB]

On 28/03/2020 at 01:58, Bochi said:

Here's one I picked up a few years ago at a fair - it's a Hobbies drill. I've used it many times for drilling pilot holes. Works a treat! It dates from the 1910s-20s or thereabouts.

 

 

 

 

A very similar, though, I think, rather flimsier, drill came in a fretwork set my father was given, as a boy, some time in the late 1940s. I used to find the archimedian screw action quite fascinating. 

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

Back in the 1960's I had an Uncle who used to have the Hobbies catalogue in the canterbury in the front room, the highlight of the visit to him was to read it from cover to cover. An amazing world of tools and other ephemera unfolded before my eyes and could well be what set me off on my mechanical based work career and hobby. I especially remember lusting after the hand operated pillar drill as seen above, and also a treadle operated fretsaw, the former I would love own now!

 

Mike.

[laurenceb]

I received a Hobbies fretwork set in about 1965 with one of those in it

Edited March 29, 2020 by laurenceb
Somebody stole the "e"!

[Bochi]

4 hours ago, PatB said:

A very similar, though, I think, rather flimsier, drill came in a fretwork set my father was given, as a boy, some time in the late 1940s. I used to find the archimedian screw action quite fascinating. 

 

I believe Hobbies lost the sticky out weighted bars (which give plenty of momentum to the drill) some time around 1920 which is why I gave my example an earlier date. But I'm no expert! It still performs extremely well (although it was a heck of a job getting the old broken drill bit out as the threads had frozen up). 

 

The Hobbies treadle fretsaw was another lovely item. It was made for them by Gem and those saws come up for sale quite regularly too. You can get replacement leather drive belts for them. But they are a pain to operate! I tried one once and co-ordinating feet, hands and eyes was too much for me. I prefer to use a modern powered saw or even the one I built out of Meccano!

Edited March 29, 2020 by Bochi

[laurenceb]

Mine had the Sticky out bits and they didt half hurt when you got in the way!

[Paperlad]

Flying tools.

 

the modern (20 yr old) replacement for the other bits.

Whiz wheel. This side for plotting headings and track allowing for wind.

Plotting square and rule, scale in nautical miles.

This side of the whiz wheel is basically a circular slide rule. I’ve only used it during training, both my training and instructing others. It’s impossible to use at the same time as flying unless you have a navigator and a plotting table but the CAA still insisted that all pilots should be able to use one.

Edited March 29, 2020 by Paperlad

[Paperlad]

Maybe you can tell that I’m bored with the lock in....searching for tools to picture and post!

[Paperlad]

Another slide rule, this time my Father in Law’s 

 

 

[Bochi]

7 hours ago, Paperlad said:

Flying tools.

 

the modern (20 yr old) replacement for the other bits.

Whiz wheel. This side for plotting headings and track allowing for wind.

Plotting square and rule, scale in nautical miles.

This side of the whiz wheel is basically a circular slide rule. I’ve only used it during training, both my training and instructing others. It’s impossible to use at the same time as flying unless you have a navigator and a plotting table but the CAA still insisted that all pilots should be able to use one.

 

It amuses me that this is one of the few tools that would enable you to navigate an aircraft you'd just hijacked, and yet they let you take them on board...

[PatB]

12 hours ago, Bochi said:

 

I believe Hobbies lost the sticky out weighted bars (which give plenty of momentum to the drill) some time around 1920 which is why I gave my example an earlier date. But I'm no expert! It still performs extremely well (although it was a heck of a job getting the old broken drill bit out as the threads had frozen up). 

 

The Hobbies treadle fretsaw was another lovely item. It was made for them by Gem and those saws come up for sale quite regularly too. You can get replacement leather drive belts for them. But they are a pain to operate! I tried one once and co-ordinating feet, hands and eyes was too much for me. I prefer to use a modern powered saw or even the one I built out of Meccano!

Dad's still had the flyweights, but the handles were made out of rather thin pressed tinplate. 

[Paperlad]

8 hours ago, Bochi said:

 

It amuses me that this is one of the few tools that would enable you to navigate an aircraft you'd just hijacked, and yet they let you take them on board...

I doubt that any hijacker would have even the vaguest idea of how to use one and it’s also unlikely a modern crew could use one effectively.
 

After I’d dug it out for the photo I had a little play with it and I was struggling to recall most of the functions, it’s about 30yrs since I’ve used one for actual plotting. Luckily (I think) they’ve been replaced by ground based nav aids and more significantly by Sat Nav and aircraft FMS (Flight Management System). I don’t know if it’s still a CAA exam topic or whether there’s any requirement to be able to use one, still, it was fun to reminisce on its uses.

 

PL.

[Kickstart]

Hiya

 

Many years ago in the air cadets I did an O Level in Air Navigation. Remember using those to plot course / heading / etc. Probably still have it somewhere.

 

All the best

 

Katy

[tomparryharry]

On 19/03/2020 at 15:36, Nick Gough said:

I have this old, hand operated pillar drill.

Unfortunately the chuck end wobbles slightly around its axis so it's not completely accurate.

 

I think the top of the quill is designed to accept a weight, so the downward pressure can be regulated. A lovely piece of kit. 

[Damo666]

23 hours ago, Paperlad said:

I doubt that any hijacker would have even the vaguest idea of how to use one and it’s also unlikely a modern crew could use one effectively.
 

After I’d dug it out for the photo I had a little play with it and I was struggling to recall most of the functions, it’s about 30yrs since I’ve used one for actual plotting. Luckily (I think) they’ve been replaced by ground based nav aids and more significantly by Sat Nav and aircraft FMS (Flight Management System). I don’t know if it’s still a CAA exam topic or whether there’s any requirement to be able to use one, still, it was fun to reminisce on its uses.

 

PL.

 

Do the CAA still require you to know Morse Code? I hated that part, found it really difficult.

[Paperlad]

12 hours ago, Damo666 said:

 

Do the CAA still require you to know Morse Code? I hated that part, found it really difficult.

 

The short answer is, I don’t know.
 

Most modern aircraft will ‘auto’ identify and tune the next or nearest nav aid so there’s probably no need to audio ident them by listening to the morse ident and only enthusiasts still communicate by morse.
 

It’s well over 30 yrs since I did my theory exams and morse was part of the CPL stuff that was examined. I didn’t re take them as part of ATPL theory but maybe that’s because I’d already passed the morse exam and the combination of dots and dashes didn’t change. Not wishing to sound smug but I found it easy enough, although most peeps didn’t find morse straightforward, maybe I’m one of those sad muppets that when someone says it’s difficult I try and prove them wrong. But I’m just a thick northerner so what do I know .

 

Bear in mind that the CAA are about 50 years behind the real world in what they test, I recall being examined on DECCA and LORAN navigation which was almost never used in the 80’s, having been superseded by other, better and more accurate long range navigation equipment.

 

I hope that helps, at least a little bit, with your question.

 

PL.

[5050]

In a drawer i have a British Thornton slide rule that I 'had' to buy when I went to college in 1967.  Its use never came up in the 3 years I was there and I have never used it since.  TBH, I wouldn't have a clue where to start!