Oddball tools and assorted whatizzits

[rrrr]

The last time I made up a lead and oakum joint in cast iron waste piping was November 1983. Who can spot the tool used in that process? What is all the other stuff used for?

 

[ltbaney1]

I see a file card, some chuck keys a china marker, measuring stick and a cold chisel. the rest of it, I have no clue.

 

[mjc]

Little yellow pack are magnets for putting in sockets to hold nuts. I still have that same set in the case, came with my first tool set from my parents.

 

[Bobby V]

The last time I made up a lead and oakum joint in cast iron waste piping was November 1983. Who can spot the tool used in that process? What is all the other stuff used for?

View attachment 1426945

I see a stick rule and a water valve packing puller.

 

[c_land]

Well you got a couple doodads, 3 thingamajigs, and a doohickey

 

[Todd Mohr]

Well you got a couple doodads, 3 thingamajigs, and a doohickey

And a chingaderris

 

[TimeBandit]

The chisel in the center of the chingaderas would be for plumbing?

 

[HNL2LHC]

Well you got a couple doodads, 3 thingamajigs, and a doohickey

So you saying the wakadoodle has a couple doodads, 3 thingamajigs, and a doohickey?

If so I’d have to agree with you. But you left out the thingamabob in the top left corner

 

[Rajobigguy]

The packing puller is what I would use for repacking the joint. The temp sticks are also useful when heating the lead.

 

[rrrr]

The chisel in the center of the chingaderas would be for plumbing?

Yep. It's not a chisel, but a formed tool to make the joint leak tight. There are actually three required to make the joint, one to seal the inside diameter of the bell pocket, one for the outside, and one for the center. The face of the tool is angled differently for all three, pushing the lead seal tightly against the bell and inserted pipe.

 

[callbob]

I have absolutely no idea what you are even talking about, but where are the beer cans? C'mon man

 

[old rigger]

Little yellow pack are magnets for putting in sockets to hold nuts. I still have that same set in the case, came with my first tool set from my parents.

Same here! and in the 50+ years since my parents gave me those first tools, I've never used them.

Like @rrrr I have a larger collection of chuck keys for all the air/electric drills used back when I was building boats. Still have all the air tools too but rarely use them. Still fire up the compressor and run some lube through them once a year though.

Got 4 or 5 grease pencils of various lengths in an old tiki mug above the work bench along with several pencils of varying lengths. Smallest is about 3/4 length for those hard to reach places.

Still have the original keys to both my rollaway and top box and have never locked either.

And I still have, somewhere, an old engineers folding ruler. For a very brief time I got a job as a grade checker for a paving company. Spent most of our days pumping water as it was one of the rainiest winters I can remember. Go to work, move water. Next day, same. Should have stuck it out but after 3 months and with the 3rd baby on the way, back to building boats.

And not sure what that Piller key is for, looks pretty large, but for some reason I've kept all the antique keys my parents collected back in the 60s. Still in 2 old glass peanut butter jars full in a cabinet in the garage. Why?

 

[rrrr]

I have absolutely no idea what you are even talking about, but where are the beer cans? C'mon man

I quit drinking in 2006, but there's still a few around the shop.

 

[Your ad here]

Same here! and in the 50+ years since my parents gave me those first tools, I've never used them.

Like @rrrr I have a larger collection of chuck keys for all the air/electric drills used back when I was building boats. Still have all the air tools too but rarely use them. Still fire up the compressor and run some lube through them once a year though.

Got 4 or 5 grease pencils of various lengths in an old tiki mug above the work bench along with several pencils of varying lengths. Smallest is about 3/4 length for those hard to reach places.

Still have the original keys to both my rollaway and top box and have never locked either.

And I still have, somewhere, an old engineers folding ruler. For a very brief time I got a job as a grade checker for a paving company. Spent most of our days pumping water as it was one of the rainiest winters I can remember. Go to work, move water. Next day, same. Should have stuck it out but after 3 months and with the 3rd baby on the way, back to building boats.

And not sure what that Piller key is for, looks pretty large, but for some reason I've kept all the antique keys my parents collected back in the 60s. Still in 2 old glass peanut butter jars full in a cabinet in the garage. Why?

I'm a grade checker and use my folding ruler all the time.

 

[Racey]

I see a file card, some chuck keys a china marker, measuring stick and a cold chisel. the rest of it, I have no clue.

I have never for the life of me figured out when one of those folding measuring sticks would be useful, or should i say more useful than a good tape, or a good fixed rule. For some reason wood workers love them, I don't get it, what am i missing?

 

[Your ad here]

I have never for the life of me figured out when one of those folding measuring sticks would be useful, or should i say more useful than a good tape, or a good fixed rule. For some reason wood workers love them, I don't get it, what am i missing?

I use mine all the time to check grades. I can't use an engineers tape measure as it still has inches on the same side as tenths... I always screw up and will sometimes mark 5" when I meant to mark .5 (6"). Folding ruler has tenths on one side and inches on the other. Less chance of screwing up. Sometimes I'll use a regular tape measure... I know the conversions.

 

[DLC]

I have never for the life of me figured out when one of those folding measuring sticks would be useful, or should i say more useful than a good tape, or a good fixed rule. For some reason wood workers love them, I don't get it, what am i missing?

The old school style wood fold out style works great in tenths! Also called an Engineering tape !

In grading curb gutter, paving, pad elevation etc that’s all we used along w/ sweeds while grading

It a different measurement than inch.

A typical Eng tape has tenths and inch - they can get confusing when doing math quickly
top of curb TC - finish surface FS
Concrete Swales in asphalt parking lots
CS will be 1 dimension
and
the asphalt will be a combination of asphalt & base 2 on 3 or 3 on 4 etc - 2 in of asphalt on 3 in base

then you have your cut section concrete or asphalt w/ class 2 base
Some drive isle can be concrete in heavy traffic areas and asphalt parking

Now they have a porous paving system that is like a French drain - supposedly more eco friendly

You can see the inch and tenths above it - 2nd pic is just tenths

 

[Desert Whaler]

Is that 'Piller Key' above the file brush for a natural gas fireplace?

 

[DLC]

I knew these were punches

But they are a swaging punch for a specific diameter

Had to use google for help

 

[DLC]

The wood handle is a rasp /file cleaner

 

[rrrr]

Is that 'Piller Key' above the file brush for a natural gas fireplace?

No, it's for equipment made by Piller GmBh. In the 80s they produced over half of the 415 Hz frequency converters worldwide used by IBM and Amdahl mainframes. I can't even find a photo on Google to show what they looked like.

The Piller 75 kVA motorgenerator was like cash money. When I negotiated to take out data centers that had been shut down, the building owner would usually give me title to all of the support equipment left in place. Sometimes I had to pay for the stuff, but not much. This included Liebert A/C units, UPS systems, power distribution gear, raised flooring, diesel generators, and the Piller MGs.

I could sell the MGs within hours of removing them, usually bagging around $30K each until mainframes began to die out. After refurbishment and testing, the equipment supporting a 10,000 SF data center would net $130-$150K if it was of recent manufacture, say five years old.

Between 1989 and 1993, I dismantled about 50 data centers, traveling all over the United States with my crew of laborers and a long bed crew cab stuffed with purpose built rigging equipment and specialized tools. The scrap copper wiring was hand stripped and brought between $10-$20K depending on the size of the electrical service.

 

[ltbaney1]

I have never for the life of me figured out when one of those folding measuring sticks would be useful, or should i say more useful than a good tape, or a good fixed rule. For some reason wood workers love them, I don't get it, what am i missing?

i think a good tape or scale is way better, but i know guys who do dirt work love them. I dont know any wood guys who use them.

 

[Your ad here]

i think a good tape or scale is way better, but i know guys who do dirt work love them. I dont know any wood guys who use them.

Thing about the folding engineer ruler is we don't ever measure past 2.5 feet. No reason to always fully open it. I'll leave mine open to the 2 foot mark and keep measuring. Constantly sliding out a tape measure is annoying and when you are using a "banjo" you need a 3rd arm if you're using a tape.

 

[rivermobster]

Little yellow pack are magnets for putting in sockets to hold nuts. I still have that same set in the case, came with my first tool set from my parents.

I have a set of those too.

Found em!

 

[rivermobster]

That packing puller is for plumbing stuff??

Would be perfect for old school rear mains.

 

[Spudsbud]

I've got a set of T handle packing pullers somewhere..... Used them during shutdowns... back in my day.....

 

[LazyLavey]

Looks like you've got some marital aids mixed in there

 

[shock22]

Folding wood rule and an pep sight best way to set grade back in the day.

 

[WTR&PWR]

I have never for the life of me figured out when one of those folding measuring sticks would be useful, or should i say more useful than a good tape, or a good fixed rule. For some reason wood workers love them, I don't get it, what am i missing?

That’s all we use in energized high voltage switch racks. If it’s longer than 6’ you need a cloth measuring tape.

 

[n2otoofast4u]

They were introduced to me as “caulking irons”…… I still have a few… I’ll see your iron and raise you to “do you have running rope” for the vertical joint?

I feel fortunate to have poured, or been on jobs with a few lead joints. Speaking honestly, I think 4 verticals on some remodel shit at a hospital, then a couple dozen water closet flanges before the “blue” flanges (mechanical flanges) took over. I’m born in 81, I’d bet most in the trade with the same date don’t have a clue……

 

[oldman]

The last time I made up a lead and oakum joint in cast iron waste piping was November 1983. Who can spot the tool used in that process? What is all the other stuff used for?

View attachment 1426945

Folding rule and file card are possible tools of the lineman trade, but could be anything.