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Antiques! => Antique Questions Forum => Topic started by: maxwell on September 07, 2014, 02:37:44 PM

Title: What is it? Strange looking antique...
Post by: maxwell on September 07, 2014, 02:37:44 PM
Hey, somebody just brought this into our mall, and nobody can seem to figure out what it is! Does anyone know?

It seems to be made of bronze, and folds up flat. The base forms a sort of tripod. The arm on the top is jointed in three places and comes to a point at the end. We cannot find any markings anywhere on it!
Title: Re: What is it? Strange looking antique...
Post by: mart on September 07, 2014, 02:44:12 PM
Does it sit, stand, hang or what ??  My first thought was (I forget what they are called) an apparatus to center and mark a round/circular object !!  There may be some of it missing !!
Title: Re: What is it? Strange looking antique...
Post by: maxwell on September 07, 2014, 02:57:03 PM
We don't know... It does look like the tip may have held a lead at some point. But the tip also looks burnt... maybe used for soldering or something.
Title: Re: What is it? Strange looking antique...
Post by: fancypants on September 07, 2014, 05:57:15 PM
My first impression is that your item is a 'runout gauge' , used for checking out-of-round , centering & etc. for mechanical (spoked-wheel trueing & etc & misc) work .

Clockmakers '3rd' hand , some sort of scribe , etc ..... I really don't know for certain what the tool is , but will be happy to learn , when someone turns the right stone over !
Title: Re: What is it? Strange looking antique...
Post by: KC on September 07, 2014, 06:51:35 PM
My first impression was a machinist drafting tool.

Are there any markings on it anywhere?
Title: Re: What is it? Strange looking antique...
Post by: mart on September 07, 2014, 07:18:03 PM
Maybe Rauville or Cogar will recognize it !!
Title: Re: What is it? Strange looking antique...
Post by: cogar on September 08, 2014, 04:44:15 AM
I hafta agree with fancypants .... on that, ...... a "centering" gauge.

I'm guessing  ??? ??? it would have been used with either a wood or metal lathe, .... or a "turntable" (such as  "potter's wheel"), ..... to put a "scribe" mark on the "piece" as it rotated.
Title: Re: What is it? Strange looking antique...
Post by: mart on September 08, 2014, 09:23:08 AM
If used with a lathe that's probably why the tip appears burnt !!  Turning wood gets hot and over time will discolor the metal !!
Title: Re: What is it? Strange looking antique...
Post by: Rauville on September 08, 2014, 09:26:19 AM
We don't know... It does look like the tip may have held a lead at some point. But the tip also looks burnt... maybe used for soldering or something.

Hmm...maybe?
A sharpened graphite stick is often used for a "heat sink" in soldering jewelry. This device might possibly be a "third hand" model for such use?
(http://riograndeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/tipstricks.winner.jpg)
Title: Re: What is it? Strange looking antique...
Post by: maxwell on September 27, 2014, 04:22:53 PM
Those sound like some good ideas. There are no markings on it that I have been able to find.