Tool identification

[Dusty Fuller]

Hello to all experts on old stuff that looks interesting! The attached picture is from a small collection of tools at Alexander H. Stephens State Park in Crawfordville, GA. I am trying to identify two objects... #1 and #3. This photo and one other was sent to me by the staff at the park, and I am ID'ing everything for them (and correcting things that are incorrectly named).

Item #1: Without seeing it in person, I don't know whether it was "store-bought" or homemade. My first guess would be homemade, and it looks to me like a candle snuffer. Of course it could be a bell. I don't know.

Item #3. It looks like a pulling tool of some sort, though not for nails in my opinion. It is not very large, as its business end isn't much more than 2" wide. One of the handles has what looks like a prying foot.

Any guesses on those two? I know what the others are - thanks for the help!

[Bob Coleman]

I have no idea on #3, but #1 looks like a bell to me. It looks like it has a hanging wire or link which can rotate on the top of the cylinder, which would allow the bell to swing.

[Andrew Kertesz]

It's really hard to tell the way they have things stacked on each other. I would say #1 is indeed a candle snuffer, the bell part is made so that is is always in an upright position regardless of the orientation of the handle. That way it goes straight down over the candle. No idea on #3.

[Rick Whitehead]

#1 looks like a weight for a scale, the kind that uses a long beam.
Your "Hand Bore" is really an T-handled auger.
No idea on #3.
#2 is a bit brace.
Hope this helps.
Rick

[Dusty Fuller]

Thanks for the help! The text was put in by the consultant working the design of the museum's displays - I won't let "hand bore" stay there, don't worry.

Looks like Rick was right about item #1 - its a pea weight from a beam scale. I've found lots of pictures after he put me on that trail. It was used for cotton, I would imagine, since tobacco wasn't a huge crop in the area.

#3 is pretty interesting, as it has a hinged foot of sorts that looks like it would provide leverage if hooked over something. My first thought was that it was for pulling horseshoe nails or perhaps the shoe itself, but I'm no farrier. I could make a better guess if I could see it in person, but its about 120 miles away inside a glass box.

[Karl Andersson]

#3 is a pneumatic tire tool for installing and removing old car tires (like 1920-1930) - see patent 1,317,143 from 1919: http://www.google.com/patents?id=WAN...317143&f=false

Karl

[Charles Wiggins]

Karl,

Wow! As a librarians and researcher, I am interested to know how you knew or found that.

Charles

[Charles Wiggins]

#3 is a pneumatic tire tool for installing and removing old car tires (like 1920-1930) - see patent 1,317,143 from 1919: http://www.google.com/patents?id=WAN...317143&f=false

Karl

Here's a photo of the tool that Karl found. http://www.farmcollector.com/mystery...s-answers.aspx
Very similar, but not the exact model.

[Dusty Fuller]

Thanks everybody - I knew the Creek would come through!

[Karl Andersson]

Charles,
Long ago i was interested in very early cars, before my current interest in woodworking tools. I never got that 1917 Model T I wanted, but I did have a bunch of old car tools. The jaws in this photo looked like tire bead-breaker tools from those days, with the blunt tips and the fact they did not meet, so i did a Google Image search (I'm a pretty good Google Ninja). There were a number of ones listed for sale that had similar action, and then I found the same link you posted that had the patent data. The patented tool has almost all the features of the one shown, with the exception of the bead tool and pry-bar on the ends of the handles. Mystery solved...no real genius except I'm pretty good at selecting the right keywords for searches.
Karl

[Bob Black Atlanta]

Ditto on the scale weight. I think the term was steel yard scale, commonly called stilyrd. Thye were often used to weigh cotton in the field at picking time. Field hands were paid by the pound for picking cotton. If the weight has a hole drilled in the bottom so as not to be noticible then the owner was shortweighing and paying his hands less than the full amount.