Author Topic: Old School Tools (Read 21645 times)

bonneyman · « **on:** August 30, 2018, 05:02:20 PM »

Due to the good response of the slide rules thread, I thought I'd sort of resurrect an thread on old school tools. I.E. tools that still do the job but are older technology considered obsolete by younger people and older, more tech-chasing guys.

Old school doesn't necessarily mean non-digital (although many such vintage tools are analog-based) but I would say anything I would call OS would not be wireless. IR temperature guns are the separating point. When they first came out they were like the point of the spear. Now they're almost ubiquitous, everyone makes one but IR reading is definitely 90's technology.

Don't get me wrong - in certain places I'm all-in for modern digital tools. Like CO meters, NCV detectors, pocket digital thermometers are all tools I have and use. But I keep the analog versions handy in case the first line breaks or the batteries die in the middle of nowhere.

Post up you oldies but goodies!

First up is a group of analog meters. Triplett voltometer and a Simpson 260.

bonneyman · « **Reply #1 on:** August 30, 2018, 05:02:43 PM »

Chicago ohm meter and a Burnwell continuity tester (before I repaired it).

bonneyman · « **Reply #2 on:** August 30, 2018, 05:03:16 PM »

My original Realistic volmeter and my assortment of Amprobe "beetle meter" amp clamp meters.

bonneyman · « **Reply #3 on:** August 30, 2018, 05:03:47 PM »

My really old school home phone setup with caller ID box on the landline.

bonneyman · « **Reply #4 on:** August 30, 2018, 05:05:52 PM »

Halide leak detector for freon leak testing.

Tester runs off of a propane cylinder. The heat of the flame gets the copper indicator disc hot enough that when any freon vapors get drawn in with the inlet air the fumes react with the heated copper and change the flame color. I messed around with it and found that - though it was made for R22 (greenish.purplish color) it will work with R410a (very sooty orange yellow color). Though, burnt freon vapor creates hydroflouric acid and phosgene, so, this type of tester if used is for external use only and with a tail wind!

It's not the easiest to see (another reason these types of testers were replaced - hard to see minute color changes in daylight) but there's a slight green tinge in the bottom pic.

goodfellow · « **Reply #5 on:** August 30, 2018, 05:11:47 PM »

Quote from: bonneyman on August 30, 2018, 05:05:52 PM

Halide leak detector for freon leak testing.

Tester runs off of a propane cylinder. the ehat of the flame gets the copper indicator disc hot enough that when any freon vapors get drawn in with the inlet air the fumes react with the heated copper and change the flame color. I messed arounf with it and found that - though it was made for R22 (greenish.purplish color) it will work with R410a (very sooty orange yellow color). Though, burnt freon vapor creates hydroflouric acid and phosgene, so, this type of tester if used is for external use only and with a tail wind!

I still have one of those -- had to be real careful with that thing. Breathing those fumes and also whipping it around an exposed engine bay is not good -- Thanks for sharing

goodfellow · « **Reply #6 on:** August 30, 2018, 05:16:27 PM »

You mind if we post other old school tools in your thread BM?

bonneyman · « **Reply #7 on:** August 30, 2018, 05:20:14 PM »

Quote from: goodfellow on August 30, 2018, 05:16:27 PM

You mind if we post other old school tools in your thread BM?

By all means! This isn't just HVAC stuff. Any older cool analog stuff would be great!

bonneyman · « **Reply #8 on:** August 30, 2018, 05:22:41 PM »

Analog dial and mercury/spirit filled thermometers. Plus the "new" non-mercury metallic bulb thermometer - filled with galanstan, a gallium/iridium eutetic mixture. Safer than mercury as it's non-toxic, but liquid at normal temperatures like mercury. Although, unlike mercury (which doesn't like to stick to anything but itself - meaning it forms those wonderful globs we all used to play with - and doesn't stick to glass), galanstan adheres to glass. So the inside of the glass tube is specially treated.

bonneyman · « **Reply #9 on:** August 30, 2018, 05:31:05 PM »

Some more loose analog meters.

bonneyman · « **Reply #10 on:** August 30, 2018, 05:34:42 PM »

I also have this 300 mm (12 inch) long scientific mercury-bulb thermometer graduated in Celsius. Don't use it because I'm afraid to break it, but being it's so long the distance between marks is larger so it's easier to get a more accurate reading. Housed in a steel tube cover, and I have that in a padded PVC tube

bonneyman · « **Reply #11 on:** August 30, 2018, 05:35:42 PM »

And who can forget Yankee spiral screwdrivers?

bonneyman · « **Reply #12 on:** August 30, 2018, 05:37:22 PM »

An old school antifreeze dilution tester.

bonneyman · « **Reply #13 on:** August 30, 2018, 05:44:19 PM »

My older timing light I got from a forum member. Not even induction reading - the kind you have to disconnect #1 plug wire and insert the spring connector!

hickory n Steel · « **Reply #14 on:** August 30, 2018, 06:16:09 PM »

Here's something many people give zero thought to today, many people think of them as antiquated by chainsaws.
I may not have much use for a full sized felling axe, but many people still use them daily and I just had to save it.

I could not let this old SAGER chemicalaxe rust away or end up in a scrapyard.

J.A.F.E. · « **Reply #15 on:** August 30, 2018, 06:17:45 PM »

Galileo thermometer. The floats rise or sink depending on the temperature. The lowest float at the top gives the temp. Accuracy is good but this one uses floats calibrated about 4 degrees apart so accuracy is limited. Also there only five floats so the range is pretty narrow. Still a fun piece.

The top float is 80 degrees and it has sunk so it's warmer than 80. In fact that day it was about 98 or so in the room.

J.A.F.E. · « **Reply #16 on:** August 30, 2018, 06:19:01 PM »

Quote from: hickory n Steel on August 30, 2018, 06:16:09 PM

Here's something many people give zero thought to today, many people think of them as antiquated by chainsaws.
I may not have much use for a full sized felling axe, but many people still use them daily and I just had to save it.

I could not let this old SAGER chemicalaxe rust away or end up in a scrapyard.

You don't have any apple trees do you?

J.A.F.E. · « **Reply #17 on:** August 30, 2018, 06:26:44 PM »

BBC Metrawatt. Not sure about the company today - it still exists though. At the time the meter was made it was a German company and the meter was made in Germany.

At the time it was made while a portable meter it was closer in specs to a lab grade unit. It is small and lighter than a Fluke 77 but I like the Fluke a little better. Still use this one a lot.

hickory n Steel · « **Reply #18 on:** August 30, 2018, 06:33:54 PM »

Quote from: J.A.F.E. on August 30, 2018, 06:19:01 PM

Quote from: hickory n Steel on August 30, 2018, 06:16:09 PM
Here's something many people give zero thought to today, many people think of them as antiquated by chainsaws.
I may not have much use for a full sized felling axe, but many people still use them daily and I just had to save it.

I could not let this old SAGER chemicalaxe rust away or end up in a scrapyard.

You don't have any apple trees do you?

No, but I wouldn't mind chopping down a cherry tree so I can be like George Washington

J.A.F.E. · « **Reply #19 on:** August 30, 2018, 06:43:18 PM »

We'll have to get you a tricorn hat then.

Uncle Buck · « **Reply #20 on:** August 30, 2018, 06:48:35 PM »

Quote from: J.A.F.E. on August 30, 2018, 06:43:18 PM

We'll have to get you a tricorn hat then.

I want to see a picture of that lamp made from wrenches!

J.A.F.E. · « **Reply #21 on:** August 30, 2018, 07:00:36 PM »

Quote from: Uncle Buck on August 30, 2018, 06:48:35 PM

I want to see a picture of that lamp made from wrenches!

This is the only pic I had handy. Mrs. J.A.F.E. gave me the lamp for a birthday one year.

bonneyman · « **Reply #22 on:** August 30, 2018, 07:10:08 PM »

Nice save on the axe! I just wouldn't want to have to cut a tree down with it.

And I've got a Galileo thermometer, too.

bonneyman · « **Reply #23 on:** August 30, 2018, 07:12:25 PM »

Quote from: J.A.F.E. on August 30, 2018, 07:00:36 PM

Quote from: Uncle Buck on August 30, 2018, 06:48:35 PM

I want to see a picture of that lamp made from wrenches!

This is the only pic I had handy. Mrs. J.A.F.E. gave me the lamp for a birthday one year.

I've always had this desire to take an old soda/acid fire extinguisher, polish up the brass, and turn it into a floor lamp!

J.A.F.E. · « **Reply #24 on:** August 30, 2018, 07:17:35 PM »

That would be really cool. But I have to admit a fondness for brass.

strik9 · « **Reply #25 on:** August 30, 2018, 08:09:27 PM »

My as yet untested Sanwa meter. It spent its working years off the Texas coast on a barge servicing oil rigs.

goodfellow · « **Reply #26 on:** August 30, 2018, 08:13:59 PM »

I bought this little tracer on e-bay for a few bucks. The seller told me that it was in working order and in good shape. Well, just goes to show that e-bay is sometimes a "crap shoot".

This thing needed every capacitor replaced, along with some wiring. It also needed a thorough cleaning. The input stage was dead until I realized that the transformer was hooked up wrong. 50 years ago this was a "kit", and someone assembled it incorrectly. It must have been sitting in a worthless state like this since it was assembled.

It's used to inject a signal into a circuit which then can be traced along the main and various branch circuits until at some point it can't be measured or heard anymore (it has a speaker for audible signal response). At that point the problem component can be readily isolated.

Quite handy for fixing older equipment -- but it also produces some VERY high voltages and it can be dangerous.

It works, but almost every capacitor in this thing was the "sh#ts".

hickory n Steel · « **Reply #27 on:** August 30, 2018, 09:04:46 PM »

Quote from: bonneyman on August 30, 2018, 07:10:08 PM

Nice save on the axe! I just wouldn't want to have to cut a tree down with it.

And I've got a Galileo thermometer, too.

I probably wouldn't either, and back in the day this probably would've taken a back seat to a crosscut saw on many sizeable trees.
It really was a nice save especially the old replacement haft it was crammed onto, they don't make axes like they used to and even more so they don't make handles like they used to.

kwoswalt99 · « **Reply #28 on:** August 30, 2018, 09:48:51 PM »

Quote from: hickory n Steel on August 30, 2018, 09:04:46 PM

Quote from: bonneyman on August 30, 2018, 07:10:08 PM
Nice save on the axe! I just wouldn't want to have to cut a tree down with it.

And I've got a Galileo thermometer, too.
I probably wouldn't either, and back in the day this probably would've taken a back seat to a crosscut saw on many sizeable trees.
It really was a nice save especially the old replacement haft it was crammed onto, they don't make axes like they used to and even more so they don't make handles like they used to.

They still make axes like they used to, but they’re expensive af.

bonneyman · « **Reply #29 on:** August 30, 2018, 09:53:20 PM »

GF, electronics is one area where my repair skills really suck. Old radios, stereos, and the like that need fixing run when they see me! Guess I can't complain - everybody has their gift.

hickory n Steel · « **Reply #30 on:** August 30, 2018, 10:45:40 PM »

Quote from: kwoswalt99 on August 30, 2018, 09:48:51 PM

Quote from: hickory n Steel on August 30, 2018, 09:04:46 PM
Quote from: bonneyman on August 30, 2018, 07:10:08 PM
Nice save on the axe! I just wouldn't want to have to cut a tree down with it.

And I've got a Galileo thermometer, too.
I probably wouldn't either, and back in the day this probably would've taken a back seat to a crosscut saw on many sizeable trees.
It really was a nice save especially the old replacement haft it was crammed onto, they don't make axes like they used to and even more so they don't make handles like they used to.

They still make axes like they used to, but they’re expensive af.

You can buy an axe today with quality comparable to an axe of years past, but in form they are not alike. Profiles of heads and hafts are less refined, and only a few basic head patterns survive today.

J.A.F.E. · « **Reply #31 on:** August 31, 2018, 12:04:49 AM »

Quote from: hickory n Steel on August 30, 2018, 10:45:40 PM

You can buy an axe today with quality comparable to an axe of years past, but in form they are not alike. Profiles of heads and hafts are less refined, and only a few basic head patterns survive today.

You have be very picky when you go chopping for an axe.

hickory n Steel · « **Reply #32 on:** August 31, 2018, 12:38:30 AM »

Quote from: J.A.F.E. on August 31, 2018, 12:04:49 AM

Quote from: hickory n Steel on August 30, 2018, 10:45:40 PM

You can buy an axe today with quality comparable to an axe of years past, but in form they are not alike. Profiles of heads and hafts are less refined, and only a few basic head patterns survive today.

You have be very picky when you go chopping for an axe.

That's hilarious.

Btw how about egg beater drills?
This is more of a " falice " drill than an egg beater drill, but it functions the same way.
They're still useful, it's not like you need a modern compact 18v cordless to hang a picture or drill small pilot holes and you never have to worry about a battery going bad.

strik9 · « **Reply #33 on:** August 31, 2018, 01:17:04 AM »

I wore out two of those drills years ago. Those things pushed me through a thousand jobs.

Wish they were sold here. I'd have two or three in reserve.

J.A.F.E. · « **Reply #34 on:** August 31, 2018, 01:24:06 AM »

Hand drills have their place. With really small drills I prefer a hand drill. A bit and brace is still an amazing tool to bore large holes through wood. Hand drills have been used for 100's of years good ones are amazing.

bonneyman · « **Reply #35 on:** August 31, 2018, 10:09:36 AM »

Yeah, I've got/had some egg beater drills. Here's a restored Dunlap cranker, Millers Falls #5, and a small DIY grade Dunlap.
I should gather them all together for a current family shot.
I use them alot in my handyman gig. They're alot easier to use than getting out a battery drill or corded drill with an extension.

hickory n Steel · « **Reply #36 on:** August 31, 2018, 01:04:23 PM »

Quote from: bonneyman on August 31, 2018, 10:09:36 AM

Yeah, I've got/had some egg beater drills. Here's a restored Dunlap cranker, Millers Falls #5, and a small DIY grade Dunlap.
I should gather them all together for a current family shot.
I use them alot in my handyman gig. They're alot easier to use than getting out a battery drill or corded drill with an extension.

Those are awesome, especially that Dunlap.
I really need to replace this fiskars, it works fine but it doesn't feel that great in my hand during use.

J.A.F.E. · « **Reply #37 on:** August 31, 2018, 04:03:35 PM »

When a tool feels right you have better control and you'll enjoy using it more. Get what feels right.

bonneyman · « **Reply #38 on:** August 31, 2018, 08:25:58 PM »

I forgot to mention some other "low tech" and old school leak detectors I've used. (I mainly use soap bubbles now).

Soap bubbles (Nu-Calgon Gold) - Specially made soap solution that would form large stable bubbles and not pop easy. Also was a flourescent dye to be real visible.

Sonic leak finder - worked off of the specific frequency that an escaping gas makes when leaking out of a crack or hole. Used to calibrate it by aiming at an old mechanical clock. It would pick -up the minute workings of the mechanism.

Old GE halogen detector (H-10) - use don cars, blinked and beeped when it detected chlorine

Electronic freon detector (TIF 5600) - Geiger counter type of noise when it sensed chlorine - faster and higher frequency beeps the closer you got to the source of the leak.

Cruiser808 · « **Reply #39 on:** September 01, 2018, 09:52:18 PM »

Old Proto hand drill.

CRTDI · « **Reply #40 on:** September 01, 2018, 09:55:07 PM »

Hand drill with and adjustable/fold-able handle? That's a first for me...awesome!

Cruiser808 · « **Reply #41 on:** September 01, 2018, 09:56:23 PM »

Opps, correct photo.

bmwrd0 · « **Reply #42 on:** September 01, 2018, 10:16:44 PM »

Brazing seems to be falling out of favor, but I picked these up the other day, a Smith Airline set, to go with my airplane tanks.

bonneyman · « **Reply #43 on:** September 01, 2018, 11:59:15 PM »

Quote from: Cruiser808 on September 01, 2018, 09:56:23 PM

Opps, correct photo.

I've got two of those myself. One's missing the handle.
WW2 military, made for working inside airplane wings.

bonneyman · « **Reply #44 on:** September 02, 2018, 12:08:49 AM »

Quote from: bmwrd0 on September 01, 2018, 10:16:44 PM

Brazing seems to be falling out of favor...

Yeah, seems like everything is disappearing. Good thing folks like us keep the dream alive!

One of these days, guys, things as we know it are gonna go "poof"! But people are still going to need things fixed. And those of us with the skills - and the old fashioned equipment that still works - will be in demand.

Here's my little oxy/acetylene welding rig. And what good would it be without a rig specific tank wrench!

J.A.F.E. · « **Reply #45 on:** September 02, 2018, 01:05:37 AM »

Supposedly the Smithsonian maintains and restores with tools of the era the artifact was made. So a locomotive from 1880 would be worked on with tools contemporary to 1880. That is done to keep the technology alive.

I hope it's true.

hickory n Steel · « **Reply #46 on:** September 02, 2018, 01:20:01 AM »

Quote from: J.A.F.E. on September 02, 2018, 01:05:37 AM

Supposedly the Smithsonian maintains and restores with tools of the era the artifact was made. So a locomotive from 1880 would be worked on with tools contemporary to 1880. That is done to keep the technology alive.

I hope it's true.

I hope so too, not sure they could truly understand the things otherwise.

J.A.F.E. · « **Reply #47 on:** September 02, 2018, 01:45:48 AM »

Roy Underhill uses contemporary to the era tools at Colonial Williamsburg.

bonneyman · « **Reply #48 on:** September 02, 2018, 08:32:40 AM »

I keep trying to tell young folks that just because somethings old doesn't mean it useless.

I remember reading a while back how some scientists have discovered a 1000 year-old bovine concoction will kill the MRSA bacteria that's resistant to virtually all modern antibiotics.

Found it:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-32117815

Some ancient backwards farmers figured a cure for something that modern doctors with all their technology couldn't. Who'd have thunk?

Cruiser808 · « **Reply #49 on:** September 02, 2018, 10:59:02 AM »

Hi Bonneyman - I had no idea those hand drills were used in the aviation industry. Can you tell us more about them? Thanks.

bonneyman · « **Reply #50 on:** September 02, 2018, 12:22:49 PM »

Quote from: Cruiser808 on September 02, 2018, 10:59:02 AM

Hi Bonneyman - I had no idea those hand drills were used in the aviation industry. Can you tell us more about them? Thanks.

Not much, I'm afraid.

The second pic of mine shows a marking, "Property USAF". The Air Force wasn't a separate service until 1947 (right after WW2). I don't know how small they could make powered drills in those days, but I read the angle drills were used by guys who had to crawl inside airplane wings and do repairs! (I'm thinking bombers and such). Maybe it wasn't practical or safe to drag a power cord in through the access hole to the repair location? I know some airplane wings carried fuel - perhaps they couldn't risk a spark from a tool igniting stray vapors? I don't know for certain but it seems logical.

Cruiser808 · « **Reply #51 on:** September 02, 2018, 12:42:33 PM »

Thanks Bonneyman - that makes a lot of sense. I now have a new appreciation of this old tool and its capabilities. I suppose those spark risks could also apply to boat engine compartments.

bonneyman · « **Reply #52 on:** September 14, 2018, 06:12:43 PM »

Here's an old timer you don't see often. A self lighting propane torch head, with spring-loaded gas collector and lighter flint ignition.
A bit bulky but no fumbling for matches, a striker, or a failed piezeo sparker.

News:

Author Topic: Old School Tools (Read 21645 times)