It's A Dandy, But What Is It?

[dowdstools]

Here's an oddball critter for you to ponder. I don't have any idea what it is for, except that I think it is related to the aerospace industry (the man's father used to work out at Love Field in Dallas). Possibly, it was used to twist a group of wires when running the avionics, but that is a SWAG. It is marked ALCOA C on both handles - one on each face - and has some numerals cast into it. It measures 16 inches long.

Any thoughts?

[bonneyman]

Dang, dowd, that is a weird one. I hope someone chimes in and tells us all.

[dowdstools]

Another weird thing, bonneyman, is that I picked up four of them.

[johnsironsanctuary]

So, let's wire an airplane fuselage or wing today. First let's string a 1/4 inch wire from point A to point B which is, say, 40 feet away. Now we start a group of wires that are on a multi spool feed out fixture at one end of the 1/4inch wire and put each wire through our tool which is clamped over the 1/4 in wire. Screw a wire nut on each wire to keep it in our tool. Pull the handles, turning the tool on the big wire as you go. When you get to the end, take off the wire nuts and unclamp our tool from the big wire. Wire ties or linen electricians string holds our cable together depending on the age of the plane. Pulling out the big wire is optional depending on whether the cable we just created is hanging, festooned or dropped into a conduit. OK, I made that all up, but it sounds like it would work.

[dowdstools]

That's kinda' what I had in mind, too. I hope someone comes along who has used a tool like this and can confirm or refute that.

Lynn

[amertrac]

before you could bur triplex the power co. would wind the three cables around a messenger cable to hold it up on long satrands   bob w.

[rusty]

Thinking it is for unwinding the end of an alumnium over steel cable so it can be braided/spliced.
8 strands is odd for steel cable, but perhaps for alumnium transmission cable it's normal?

[dowdstools]

A friend of mine just made it back into town, and over to my place. While digging through some of my recent acquisitions, I showed him this critter. He has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of all things regarding telephones, power lines, equipment, and installation, and he identified it as a tool used by armor installers for ACSR conductor cable. This is what Wikipedia says about ACSR:

"Aluminum conductor steel-reinforced cable (ACSR cable) is a specific type of high-capacity, high-strength stranded cable typically used in overhead power lines. The outer strands are aluminum, chosen for its excellent conductivity, low weight and low cost. The center strand is of steel for the strength required to support the weight without stretching the aluminum due to its ductility. This gives the cable an overall high tensile strength."

 So, we were on the right track as to its function, but I missed the mark regarding which industry utilized it.

Lynn