Monday Mystery, another plier-type thing

  Looks like die cast metal of some type, no sharp or grippy edges... possibly some opening or spreading feature in front to the pivot. No idea... 

But I know someone will know exactly what it is- within, I'd say... 15 minutes.

Snow day

Joe G Collias, The Search for Steam, Heimburger House, 1972

 

Seemed appropriate... Above, Freight traveling north, Little Rock, Arkansas, date unknown. Below, Nova Scotia 1934. Bottom, somewhere in Saskatchewan 1955.

Bill Sherk, 60 years behind the Wheel, Dundurn Press, 2003

 

Sidecar Sunday

Goldwing with Hannigan fairing and a large ungainly and unattractive sidecar.

 

Chainsaws, 1975

 From the Eaton's catalog (Canada's Sears-type department store) with their Viking tool line. They sold saws under their banner and also carried Remington saws. Interesting that the prices shown for comparably sized saws have gone up by a less that you'd expect 50 years later.  They would have been expensive back them for the average wage earner but were also made of cast metal, not today's plastic.

Papec machinery company arbour

 Papec. apparently stands for Pneumatic and Propeller Ensilage Cutter. The company started in Lima in the Finger Lakes region of New York around 1900, basing their business around a patented ensilage cutter-filler from the Paris Plow Co., of Paris, Ontario. When the factory burned in 1911 they moved to the former Empire Drill company factory, (Seed drills, not drill bits) in Shortsville NY.  They built almost exclusively forage equipment until they went out of business around 1980.

 According to Vintage Machinery, at some point they made a grinder arbor- which must be what we have here. 

  

 

Trial by fire... CMA news October, 1947

 A little cross-border tension, perhaps?

Early motoring

The car is a 1903 Packard, the problem seems to be a flat tire compounded by a hot cloudless day. Just another day for an early motorist. 

  The car appears to be heavily loaded, the umbrella could provide some driver protection from the sun, and what is that large bottle doing there in the forefront? Love to know the story...

Safety first

This Craftsman drill press was made by King Seeley between 1946 and 1958. The head casting is heavily styled and the engine turning trim is a nice touch.

 Obviously, the owner of this one was worried about exposed belts and made a nicely integrated plywood cover. Seen at Liberty Tool, Maine.

 

Nice drawing

Arthur Train, Jr. The Story of Everyday Things,  illustrated by Chichi Lasley, 1941

No explanation given.

 

Harrison Union Graduate lathe

Wood lathe made by T. S. Harrison and Sons Ltd. of Heckmondwike, England. This cast iron model was designed for schools and was introduced in 1959. The company was established in 1898 as a textile machinery manufacturer but in 1900 introduced their first lathe. They made lathes of all types and are still in business today.

 More here.

 overview at Turnedwoodenbowls.co.uk

 

Care for your rifle...

1943

 

One piece chisel

  Here's an interesting chisel, it looks as though it was made in one piece, handle and all. Google Lens seems to think it could be a bearing scraper. The stamped letters are Down England and that's a difficult word to search. On the blade is some useful advice, "Do not lever".

Update: Comments below (thanks, guys) lead me to Down Brothers surgical instruments, more here.

 

Magazine covers, Television, May 1930

 Television magazine, based in London, began publishing in March of 1928, making it the first regular television publication in the world. They were right on top of things,  John Logie Baird had only demonstrated his television invention in London 3 years before. Magazine history here.

1931 MG F Type Magna cutaway drawing

 

Monday Mystery, Pliers

This might be a tool for calibrating combs, or... or... 

I have no idea. Thoughts?

 

Channellock battery terminal pliers

 Not sure how old this pair of pliers is. Imprinted around the pivot is Channellock, Meadesville PA, the company is still located there.

Previous Channellock post here. Company history here. 

Sidecar Sunday

Unusual form for the passenger...Driver Kvasnička racing over the cobblestones at the Zbraslav - Jíloviště race in 1963. 

Mercury Bobcat

 

 A Pinto by any other name, the Bobcat was a way to sell the Pinto with an upmarket flavour, featuring an upgraded grille and interior. They came onto the market later than the Pinto, 1974 in Canada, 1975 in the US, discontinued in 1980.

 

The new HD Model K

1952

 

Pedlar hook

  Too old and delicate to put back to real work, this 6 inch tall swiveling hook might look good holding a lamp in someone's living room. Do people still have rec rooms? Previous post on Pedlar here.

 

Pressed steel toy truck

A Studebaker dump truck, another beautiful toy made by Marx in the 1930s.

Jacobs K420N collet wrench

  1" wrench, about 5 1/2" long.  I'll assume that this is the same Jacobs of Jacob Chucks, though I can only find reference to the Jacobs Rubberflex collets which doesn't seem to use this type of wrench. They're not uncommon, Ebay has listings for several.  

 

Whaling

Editors of American Heritage, American Album, Ballantine Books, 1971

 This picture was taken at New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1880, towards the end of the whaling era. Oil was rendered from whale blubber and had been used for lamp oil and light lubrication for centuries.  Petroleum had been discovered in the 1850s and was being refined into various products including lamp oil, making the obviously risky and labour-intensive whale oil industry obsolete. 

Here we see barrels of whale oil on the dock awaiting pickup, with the whaling ship drying its sails in the background.

Indian four

 Source and date unknown, but possibly from Eastern Ontario. Interesting exhaust routing. There is some lettering on the tank that is not quite readable.

Calipers, possibly

  This looks to me like some sort of measuring device, though there is no scale marked. Once again, I should have included something for scale but the wood frame is about 24 inches long. Both brass pointers slide in tracks and are secured with a wingnut.  Any ideas?

 

Tufftools wrench

A tool as tough as it's name?

 I tell ya, someday someone will start collecting tools made in India, and this blog will be at the forefront.

 

Early rest stop

Editors of American Heritage, American Album, Ballantine Books, 1971

  It's maple syrup time!  I think not but while out and about in his shiny new Locomobile steam car, he's stopped for a drink from a magical water supply- unless he's filling the rear mounted water tank one cup at a time.

Maine Aero Rendevous, 1938

 

Monday Mystery...

What is this thing?

  

Update: Thanks, Steve, I never would have guessed. Here it is assembled correctly.

Ebay

 

Manhattan bridge under construction

 Manhattan-side bridge tower on June 8 1908. 

Below, Google Streetview April 2023

Streetview