Whatsit for?

[HeelSpur]

This is all brass and looks like its missing a piece on the screw end, like on a c-clamp.
I was thinking something to do with welding.

[Chillylulu]

Its an equipment riser clamp for attaching equipment to an upright rod. Think chemistry bottles etc.

I think it is only the  riser side. Another clamp sits in the groove and fits in the hole(s).  The 2nd half could be a burette clamp, a right angle clamp, etc.

Nevermind that guess was in the 15% (min) of when I am wrong.

Thanks Phil!
Chilly

[Aunt Phil]

Sorry Chili.
It's most of a hotstick clamp used to connect a tap to the Primary wire on an electric pole line.

The bolt that holds the tap wire to the clamp is missing.

[Billman49]

Watched a video a few years ago - in the Balkans somewhere - chap had two long wooden poles with a couple of leads attached, with hooks - on the other end of the leads was an electric saw bench - he found a bit of woods with over head power lines, hooked on his leads and proceeded to cut up his firewood...

That was potentially a real 'hotstick'......

[rusty]

In various third world countries, farmers die monthly hooking electric fences up to high tension wires.
The electricity thing people get, the voltage thing not so much...

Ditto Aunt Phil, looks like something that fell off a utility truck...

(Rusty has a really neat pair of ratcheting cable cutters that were left behind by the nice folks at con ed :)

[Chillylulu]

Is it steel or copper / brass?
 ( You sold me Phil, just curious niw.)

Chilly

[Billman49]

Volts jolt - Mills kill (miil = milliamps) - it is the current that kills, although generally you need a high voltage to 'push' that current through the human body...

In the UK mains voltage is 220/240v - that kills OK - for industrial or site use we use 110/120 transformers with a centre tap to earth, so potential to earth is only 55/60v - that's painfull but not lethal...

Car ignition sytstems using a coil produce high voltage (kV) very low current - they kick like hell, but my dad used to check plug leads by holding the plug cap when the engine was running.... Modern electronic ignitions tend to be higher voltage AND current.....

[Billman49]

Is it steel or copper / brass?  ( You sold me Phil, just curious niw.) Chilly

HillSpur stated 'all brass'

[Chillylulu]

Is it steel or copper / brass?  ( You sold me Phil, just curious niw.) Chilly

HillSpur stated 'all brass'

TY

[Billman49]

YW

[rusty]

>Volts jolt - Mills kill (miil = milliamps) - it is the current that kills

At the utility level tho, it is more about raw energy. The human mind just doesn't get the kind
of energy available from a high voltage utility wire. There is no conceptual reference for MegaWattSecond,
We have trouble dealing with energy levels where solid , thick , heavy pieces of metal vanish without a trace, and an arc results in an explosion like dynamite going off....

Keeping the cows in the fence is good, barbecuing the entire cow in 3 seconds, not so good..

[mvwcnews]

>Volts jolt - Mills kill (miil = milliamps) - it is the current that kills

At the utility level tho, it is more about raw energy. The human mind just doesn't get the kind
of energy available from a high voltage utility wire. There is no conceptual reference for MegaWattSecond,
We have trouble dealing with energy levels where solid , thick , heavy pieces of metal vanish without a trace, and an arc results in an explosion like dynamite going off....

Keeping the cows in the fence is good, barbecuing the entire cow in 3 seconds, not so good..

Our son-in-law's license is as electrician (contractor level) although he now works as sales / repair for commercial scale grain handling equipment.  Anyhow, early in employment our son-in-law  was standing by as his boss (also electrician) was working on a 440 / 480 panel when something arced.  The boss was off work for several months regrowing the skin that had vaporized from that flash - luckily his sight was not damaged.

[Billman49]

Agreed, we cannot be complacent about the power high voltage mains systems have to maim or kill - in the UK domestic voltage is 220/240 for single phase, 380/440 for three phase... The power to our place is supplied via a 3kV line and a stepdown transformer. That 3kV line has enough power to fry a body in seconds (probably milliseconds). To undertake tree surgey work under the line to remove trees that may touch the conductors, the line has to be shut down....

High voltage distribution lines run as high as 400kV (330kV, 275kV, 220kV, 132kV, 110kV and 66kV are also common) - 765kV, 500kV, 345kV, 230kV, 138kV, 115kV and 69kV  are the common voltages used in the USA... The mind boggles at the shear amount of power that can be running through one of the HV supply lines...

I watched a crazy TV programme a while ago, a chap hanging out of a helicopter with a high pressure hose, washing the glass insulators on a HV line whil the line was hot...

Just found it on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcvZAUdNSKM

and when it all goes wrong.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX5TIDLvMyw

[Twilight Fenrir]

Hmm... Well, the smaller of the two holes appears to have had another part in it at one point, judging by the slight wear on the side in the first picture, and the v-grooves on the opposing side.

I would guess, that it is some sort of grounding clamp. I think the missing part, would have been an electrical 'u-bolt' that held the ground wire in the two V grooves. While the large thumb screw would tighten against a grounding rod or some sort....

I have nothing to back up this guess :P Just sort of what it looks like to me!

[Billman49]

The eye bolt says it's a temporary use - best guess it is used to ground a power cable (as per previous post) while the line is being worked on for safety of workers in case line is switched on accidentaly, or lightning strike further up the line...

see: https://www.dehn-international.com/en/990/53901/Familie-html/53901/Earth%20Connecting%20Elements%20for%20Switchgear%20and%20Overhead%20Lines%20.html for current models

and here's another model by the same company,  but with an insulated handle...