Mystery tool.

[Boringgeoff]

Hello again,
I have posted this mystery tool on the Australian Wood Work Forum, www.woodworkforums.com we haven't got a definitive answer so I thought I'd see if any one here knows. The tool is made of brass though the rivets and pins are steel. On one arm is stamped JASON and on the other PAT P. To date we cannot find who or what was Jason, I don't think it's American although it is featured on an American site where it is described as a wire stripper.
When relaxed the two jaws are open, as you squeeze the handles the jaws close then spread apart.
I have tried it as a wire stripper on modern plastic coated wire where it is useless unless you cut the plastic with a knife first. One of our Australian contributors suggested it might work better on the old rubber coated electrical wire. I haven't been able to find any rubber clad wire to try it on.
We have also tried it out as a piston ring expander on a BSA piston where it functioned ok but we still have our doubts.
Any ideas?
Thanks in anticipation.
Geoff.

 

[Mr_P]

Think you have nailed it with wire stripper, certainly looks a lot older than the 1950's when I think the modern stuff with pvc first appeared. If you haven't got any rubber wire maybe try it on aerial wire / coaxial .

Staying with the electrical world, my other guess would be a crimping tool of some sort or other.

 

[MusicMan]

It does ring a faint bell as a wire stripper from memories shortly after WW2

 

[sunnybob]

http://picclick.com.au/Vintage-Antique- ... id=1&pid=1

 

[SteveF]

I wonder if it worked in reverse?
maybe for twisting wires
is it strong enough to grip and pull 2 wires together before twisting?

Steve

ignore me I see they close and not open when squeezed

 

[Boringgeoff]

The one in your link, Sunnybob, was in NSW, Australia, and on ebay the same time as the one I've got.
How I came by it is a bit of a saga. A lady I met at a show sent me a photo of the tool that she had to see if we could ID it. I forwarded her photo on to other members of my club and one of them drew my attention to two on ebay described as wire strippers. I bought one of them and after it arrived I met the lady with the original tool to compare them. Hers has smooth jaws where mine has the step on the face and the cross hatching. The smooth jaws don't appear to have been filed down.
Since then I have seen another example similar to mine. Maybe they're an Australian tool?

 

[AndyT]

The steps on the jaws don't make sense for a wire stripper but do for the piston ring expander job.
I'm willing to believe that's what it was made for. There are easier ways to strip wire, as used in the surviving patterns of tool.

 

[Boringgeoff]

It works well as a piston ring expander. My brother in law who's BSA piston we tried it on wondered about its ability to grip a ring on a a piston fresh out of a bore with a lot of carbon and gunge on it. The one we tried it on, I twisted the ring around the groove a couple of times to loosen it a bit then pressed the opposite side down in the groove to make the two ends stick out to easily get hold of them with the tool.
What throws me off is when I take it to events and put it out on the table we get comments like "I've been a mechanic for 40 years and that's definitely not a piston ring tool".
I'm hoping we'll find Jason's patent to see what he intended it for.

 

[AndyT]

There's a sweet spot with a lot of tool designs, I think. The point where the design is effective but the manufacturing process is practical to do at scale, with costs minimised. The design is probably going to be relatively simple compared to some proposals, so the tool doesn't fail during its working life.

If this tool is a piston ring expander, it's more complicated to make than other designs and misses that sweet spot. If it's no better in use, why would anyone choose to buy it? (Can you think of a reason it's made of brass BTW?)

A rare mystery tool is generally not going to be the overall best design and natural selection eliminates most of them. Which all goes to make them more interesting!

 

[NazNomad]

Can you think of a reason it's made of brass BTW?

Spark proof in an 'explosive' environment?

 

[Boringgeoff]

Andy, over engineered it certainly is and as far as spark proof NN would the steel rivets negate that aspect?
The uncomfortable handles had me wondering rather than hand operated, if they fitted into some kind of device that you perhaps stepped on a foot pedal to operate thus keeping both hands free to do.......?

Geoff.