Came across these and have no idea what they are. No marking on it at all. They are a little over 5 inches long. They are cast, not stamped with a single rivet holding it together.
http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y392/amg42866/WHATISIT001_zps43dbb721.jpg
http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y392/amg42866/WHATISIT002_zpsc72a4962.jpg
Thanks!
Interesting looking design...unfortunately I don't have a clue what they were for.
Mike
any photos of it closed? does the jaw protrusions contact or side by side?
I'll put more pics of it later today. They don't touch when closed, though. Weird....
They look old, with the heavy casting, possibly pre WWII. But they strongly resemble the tool used in a band style piston ring compressor.
Seen a similar pair. I believe that different types of jaws can be slipped on them for different types of applications.
maybe a spring clamp tool?
Quote from: john k on July 30, 2013, 07:08:47 AM
They look old, with the heavy casting, possibly pre WWII. But they strongly resemble the tool used in a band style piston ring compressor.
The different size bands were for the different sizes of canning jar lids then in use. I wish I had a stock catalog photo or advert in my files to illustrate these as they looked in a complete set. Somewhere some time I've seen a set of these handles with one of the bands that came with them -- the spring steel bands eventually got brittle around the holes & broke -- then the handles were worthless curiosities. Nevertheless, the handles turn up fairly often.
This is what it looked like with the spring/band in place.
Ah, that makes sense now.
Quote from: RWalters link=ic=8873.msg55413#msg55413 date=1375328312
This is what it looked like with the spring/band in place.
I finally stumbled across where the set with three bands turned up -- 2010 Doug Busch collection auction Box lot #58-1 ( http://s222.photobucket.com/user/buswrench/media/busch-2010/busch-CB-058-59.jpg.html ). I'd taken a picture of part of Doug's collection my first year as MVWC Newsletter editor & the "three bands" show up on pg. 18 of the December 2000 MVWC newsletter as well.