Mystery tool

UKworkshop.co.uk

Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Phill05

Established Member
Joined
27 Oct 2014
Messages
840
Reaction score
799
Location
Derbyshire
Anyone know what this could be for (named John Wilson with a broad arrow and No11

Phill
mystery tool.jpeg

mystery tool name.jpeg
 
Lacking dimensions in the picture, and whether the end is sharp or blunt, it may well fit the cross-screw heads on saws..................
though may have another primary use.
 
It is 6" long each end is 3/8"wide and does not go to a chisel edge, square ends, slot is 1/8" x 1/4"
 
It resembles an old, broad Brace-mounted screw-driver bit that I adapted to that sort of shape many years ago to adjust saw-screws.

Judging by the masses of ancient mangling on the slots of older saw screws, it may have been a rare beast indeed.....
Have you tried it on a saw?

Many were sloppy a fit and the secret is to have a good, tight fitting in the slot without fouling the screw shank to avoid damage to the relatively soft brass.
 
It looks like it would be great for saw split nuts and I take it the ends are different sizes. Other thought it may be an old gunsmith's screwdriver. Perhaps military because of the arrow.
Regards
John
 
Is it a War Department arrow? If it was a tool for tightening, you would expect more wear at the ends and the hole, but they still look good good condition. Perhaps it wasn't used much.
I wonder if it'a anything to do with this company ?
 
Definitely War Office issue but not part of any tool kit either individual or armourers for any British issue firearm since the Brown Bess and Colt Naval Pistol. Spent last night going through the kit list for each and nothing like that in any of them. So probably something from a RE tool box or perhaps RA. Standard practice was to punch the tool kit's line numbr to the tool for auditing. Best example of that being for long nose pliers being called 81s as that was their line number in a RS technicians tool box list.
 
Well it don't fit in a brace very well so think that's out, see your point on the hole for a small bar but it still has square edges all over so either never been used or very little.
 
Definitely War Office issue but not part of any tool kit either individual or armourers for any British issue firearm since the Brown Bess and Colt Naval Pistol. Spent last night going through the kit list for each and nothing like that in any of them. So probably something from a RE tool box or perhaps RA. Standard practice was to punch the tool kit's line numbr to the tool for auditing. Best example of that being for long nose pliers being called 81s as that was their line number in a RS technicians tool box list.
If my memory serves me correctly, I think you'll find that the 81s were actually GPO designation for wiring pliers issued to R Sigs for same use.
 
Looks like a sight adjusting screwdriver for use with the front sights of a FN-FAL or R1 the South African version of the L1A1 SLR 7.62, used by the British forces. The hole was for attaching the cleaning rod . Front sight (pin) was adjusted for windage with one of these slotted screwdrivers . there was another of these slotted screws somewhere i. If I remember correctly it was for adjusting the amount of gas feedback to operate the weapon. part of the cleaning kit. could be for another weapon as well

Was over 50yrs ago
Richard
 
Last edited:
A combination tool was issued for that purpose for the L1A1SLR combi tool and the FN Fal and R1 is this version

Rhodesian kits were standard belgian FN kits as well only having an additional spanner for their unique flash eliminator

I know all 3 kits well having grown up down there and serving here, first rifle was a wooden stock SLR (lefthander)


@Linus wouldn't surprise me if my entire tool box was originally GPO stuff, especially as at first I worked on Type 11 and 15 teletypewriters etc
 
A combination tool was issued for that purpose for the L1A1SLR combi tool and the FN Fal and R1 is this version

Rhodesian kits were standard belgian FN kits as well only having an additional spanner for their unique flash eliminator

I know all 3 kits well having grown up down there and serving here, first rifle was a wooden stock SLR (lefthander)


@Linus wouldn't surprise me if my entire tool box was originally GPO stuff, especially as at first I worked on Type 11 and 15 teletypewriters etc
Quite correct on the combi tool as issued to me in 1965 for my walnut handled SLR:D Yes the toolbox was mostly PO. Were the TT11 and TT15 not American products? All my stuff was Creed before Siemens got in there.

Come to think of it, I think I still have my old cleaning kit lurking somewhere!
 
Dunno if they were american, they all had a kings crown and GPO painted on the front plate. by the time I was working on them they had been in the backs of FV432s and L/Rs for a good long time and in the Commcen. About 3 years in we started getting Trend 600 series teleprinters to replace them. Oh the glorious luxury of an electronic keyboard and a LCD dot matrix screen and only being allowed to replace boards rather than fault find, heaven. Then they gave us Cossors the Tossors
 
Dunno if they were american, they all had a kings crown and GPO painted on the front plate. by the time I was working on them they had been in the backs of FV432s and L/Rs for a good long time and in the Commcen. About 3 years in we started getting Trend 600 series teleprinters to replace them. Oh the glorious luxury of an electronic keyboard and a LCD dot matrix screen and only being allowed to replace boards rather than fault find, heaven. Then they gave us Cossors the Tossors
Kings crown? Wherever (whenever) did you serve, Droogs? Intrigued🤔
 
I've seen car mechanics use something similar to straddle the the clips holding door cards in place(Google "door card removal tool")
 
I took the shilling (well £16.42 signing on bonus) on 12 11 85. My first field army unit after phase 2 had T100s and T11s on Clansman 353z fits and 352s and I slowly modernised from there :LOL:

the crown stamp was defo kings as it was a "straight" curve rather than lumpy, just very old kit. Started off in a FV435 Wavell and then onto FV439s in various guises. Interspersed with stints at Commcen Whitehall, JHQ,~Shape, 7 sigs , 244, Brunei Sig Tp and then later HQ Scotland, 242, 30 and some other stuff
 
Last edited:
It almost doesn't look like a tool to me at all, but some sort of brace, which would explain the lack of wear. It maybe sat between two struts or two plates in some machine? (However the problem with that theory is, would such a component be stamped with the broad arrow, makers mark, and catalogue number?)
 
Back
Top