What does this hand crank go to? Says Sterling NO. 23.
The other stuff is,
Imperial flaring tool
Carving knife?
Fulton driver- smooth as silk.
6" Klein pliers.

No idea about the crank, except it was made to ratchet!
I was going to say meat grinder, but the ratchet makes that unlikely.

Imperial is one of the great names in plumbing. You can bet that flare tool is equal to any in its function.

Fulton is a Sears name. Its almost surely a German driver though.
  No way Sears would pay for Yankee quality, which was the only other maker of these ratchet drivers. They would have surely gone to Germany instead. 

The knife is a Sloyd knife. A guy named Sloyd wrote some woodworking books for students around 1900 and became famous for his methods.
The knife size/shape he recommended is still around to this day. 
    yours Scott

   

Quote from: scottg on March 10, 2014, 08:49:59 PM

The knife is a Sloyd knife. A guy named Sloyd wrote some woodworking books for students around 1900 and became famous for his methods.
The knife size/shape he recommended is still around to this day. 
    yours Scott

Scott, you've been watching Roy Underhill again.

The sloyd knife looks like a Hyde.  I would look on the blade for faint etching or on the handle for a faint stamp.

Quote from: scottg on March 10, 2014, 08:49:59 PM
No idea about the crank, except it was made to ratchet!
I was going to say meat grinder, but the ratchet makes that unlikely.

Imperial is one of the great names in plumbing. You can bet that flare tool is equal to any in its function.

Fulton is a Sears name. Its almost surely a German driver though.
  No way Sears would pay for Yankee quality, which was the only other maker of these ratchet drivers. They would have surely gone to Germany instead. 

The knife is a Sloyd knife. A guy named Sloyd wrote some woodworking books for students around 1900 and became famous for his methods.
The knife size/shape he recommended is still around to this day. 
    yours Scott

It says Germany on it.

Quote from: leg17 on March 10, 2014, 09:00:40 PM
Scott, you've been watching Roy Underhill again.

Nah, him and me is just smart.  Actually the guy's name is Slojd, ona them Scandinavian fellas.  Also known as a "manual arts" knife. 

Well, obviously it fits a Sterling.  Or it is sterling.

There was a Sterling Machine Co., acquired apparently recently by Horst Engineering, that made aerospace components.  Maybe it's the backup crank start for the space shuttle?  Sterling was a meat grinder name, but I agree with Scott: a ratcheting meat grinder would be pretty strange.

Quote from: wvtools on March 11, 2014, 12:18:59 AM
The sloyd knife looks like a Hyde.  I would look on the blade for faint etching or on the handle for a faint stamp.

I took a look at the knife and it has Ayers, Mass. printed on it. There's printing above that but I can't make it out, smudged pretty good.

There was a Sterling Mfg co, made Disk harrows, there are some farm wrenches associated with them,

But the handle is kinds weird...

One reason to put a ratchet in a handle is for a motor starting crank, so when it starts it doesn't take the crank with it and break your hand/arm/shoulder/teeth/head/neighbors window/low flying plane.....

If it is Ayers, MA, then it is an R. Murphy.  I have had a few of those, but not as many as the Hydes.

Quote from: rusty on March 11, 2014, 05:44:45 PMOne reason to put a ratchet in a handle is for a motor starting crank, so when it starts it doesn't take the crank with it and break your hand/arm/shoulder/teeth/head/neighbors window/low flying plane.....

Biggest cause of mishaps is a back fire, or engine hits compression without enough inertia to keep it running the right way - in this case the ratchet would be useless - most starting handles automatically disengage when the engine is running. I learnt many years ago to keep my thumb the same side of the handle as my fingers...

I'd go for something like a honey comb spinner or butter churn - where you build up a good speed, with lots of momentum and you don't want to slow it down once it is revolving....

Quote from: Billman49 on March 15, 2014, 04:43:24 AM

Quote from: rusty on March 11, 2014, 05:44:45 PMOne reason to put a ratchet in a handle is for a motor starting crank, so when it starts it doesn't take the crank with it and break your hand/arm/shoulder/teeth/head/neighbors window/low flying plane.....

Biggest cause of mishaps is a back fire, or engine hits compression without enough inertia to keep it running the right way - in this case the ratchet would be useless - most starting handles automatically disengage when the engine is running. I learnt many years ago to keep my thumb the same side of the handle as my fingers...

I'd go for something like a honey comb spinner or butter churn - where you build up a good speed, with lots of momentum and you don't want to slow it down once it is revolving....

What about a siren? It seems Sterling Siren and Fire Alarm of Rochester, NY made hand cranked sirens and alarms. Same concept Billman49 is working with, once it's up to speed the handle is disengaged, allowing the siren rotor to freewheel until it slows down, then crank it back up.

Just did a search and found several hits for a Sterling hand cranked Ice Cream Maker - maybe a ratchet in the drive to allow the paddles to be rotated by hand when emptying without the crank handle going around....

Stirling also made meat grinders. ratchet perhaps because turning backwards makes the cutter plate screw unscrew and the plate fall off...

Can only find pic of Stirling #2, handle looks a little like keystone's handle...

hmm