Whatsit?

[DJH]

Nearly Philip, it's for cutting out leather washers for pumps, valves and taps.

 

[Penners]

Wrong - it's for marking out Draper steel rules.

 

[DJH]

Ha ha Penners. How droll... For that you get another Whatsit...

 

[Penners]

Is it complete, or should the end of the tube be attached to something else?

 

[DJH]

Yes a long rubber tube is missing. It got lost a while ago.

 

[DJH]

This one does the same but doesn't need a rubber tube. :twisted:



Doug, a long way away.

 

[Onetap]

Mouth blown blow torch (Jeweller's?).

I had a fairly good idea about the smoke machine and knew what the bobbins were ( but didn't know how they were used).

Thanks for posting those; everyday's a school day.

 

[DJH]

You're today's winner Onetap and I didn't have to mention the old plumber! I've heard them called jewellers blow torches before but we know them as blow pipes and used them for soldering fine work like leaded lights and especially 'compo' or composite gas pipes. The fuel used in them is methylated spirits and when you blow gently up the pipe and across the flame you get a very small needle sized flame the opposite side.

The second one is kind of self propelled. The tube with the pipe on is filled with meths and the other tube has a wick soaked in meths and when it burns it catches the fumes alight and, bingo, you have a small flame to work with just like the other one

 

[DJH]

What's this Whatsit apart from the Draper Rule :?: It's an old plumbers jobby thing again

 

[Penners]

Some sort of puller or extractor?

 

[DJH]

No Penners, the opposite........

 

[Sonyaclegg]

A clamp of some sort ?

 

[DJH]

Yes you're getting warmer. Unlike the other Whatsits this is probably a bit more obscure. :twisted:

 

[Onetap]

Clamping a brass tail to a lead pipe for soldering?
Or a flange to a steel pipe for welding?
I haven't the foggiest.

 

[DJH]

Clamping a brass tail to a lead pipe for soldering?
Or a flange to a steel pipe for welding?
I haven't the foggiest.

Your first guess is right Onetap, that's exactly what it's for. You pass it through the brass union or tap connector push the tail of the fitting into the lead pipe and then tighten the butterfly nut which makes the two wings at the end of it grip into the lead thus holding the whole shooting match steady while it's soldered together. When everything has cooled down the wing nut is undone and the tool can be withdrawn from the finished job.

You must have a plumbing background I reckon?

 

[DJH]

What are these used for and what are they made from do you think?

 

[MdB]

Well, they have to be for forming the lip on lead pipe to enable two sections to be joined.

and I would guess that they are made from wood! ;-)

 

[Onetap]

Honduras mahogany for the square one, I think.
No idea what they'd be used for, something to do with lead sheet roofing, forming gutters or hoppers?.

You must have a plumbing background I reckon?

I worked in mechanical building services engineering, HVAC, chilled water, heating, BMS, etc... I didn't see any lead used in that line though. I've done a bit of plumbing but I'm too slooooooow to keep up with the proper plumbers. I won't let them near my own pipes, having been severely disappointed with domestic plumbers in the past.

 

[Penners]

I agree that the piece on the left is probably mahogany, although I don't know that it's possible to be certain of the source.

The piece on the right is more tricky. Olive wood can have pronounced light and dark patches like that, but so can other species.

 

[DJH]

Not bad so far but way off on the wood. :twisted: