Mystery Tools September 2022

The genius of pioneer inventors can confound us. Countless contraptions that revolutionized farming in the 19th and early 20th centuries have become contemporary curiosities, or even mysteries.

By Staff
article image

Here are six mystery tools sent in by readers. Do you know what they are?

Answers to the September 2022 items will appear in the November 2022 issue.

Answers for new items in this issue must be received by Sept. 9, 2022.


A. Overall length, 20 inches. Prongs, 3- 1/2 inches apart. Pusher, 2 inches. No markings.USA100639521

Machine for attaching pickets to fence wires, commonly used in the early 1900s, when the majority of roads were lined with wooden-slat snow fence. Identified by Randy Winland, Prospect, Ohio, and Robert Scholz, Elmo, Mo. “This is especially useful in replacing snow fence pickets,” Randy says. “The user would open the handles and put the hooks over the fence wire, thereby creating tension. Then the wire was pulled around the slat by pulling the handles back together.” See patent No. 639,521 for a similar tool. Photo submitted by Gene Stuckle, Davenport, Wash.


B. Tool measures 10-1/2 inches high and the base is 9 inches wide. The metal width is 3/4-inch wide and the clamps on top measure 2-1/2 inches in length. Both clamps flip over toward the top.

Unidentified. Photo submitted by Dan Hanson, Sturgeon Bay, Wis.


C. Item is heavy with a threaded hole in the base. Marked PAT 1918.

Unidentified. Photo submitted by Mike Elton, Wakefield, Neb.


D. Rod measures about 36 inches long.

Boiler tube scraper. Identified by Larry Kinnison, Bucklin, Mo.; Vern Notestine, Frankenmuth, Mich.; and J. Mike Bozich, Fond du Lac, Wis. See patent No. 423,128. Photo submitted by Robert Scholz, Elmo, Mo.

USA100423128


E. Piece stands 46 inches tall. Has holes for additional pieces. Top swivels; bottom has clamp-like objects that slide up and down. Marked Baker Mfg. Co., Evansville, Wis.

Main frame from an Original Monitor Vaneless Model A, the first windmill made by Baker Mfg. Co. Identified by Neal Yerian via email, and Robert Scholz. Photo submitted by Roy Townsend, Washta, Iowa.


F. Some kind of cutter/counter. Big wheel causes arm to move back and forth. Razor blade is attached to the end of the shaft.

Unidentified. Photos submitted by George Yaple, Taylors Falls, Minn.


To submit photos:

Send prints to Farm Collector, 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609. Send digital images to editor@farmcollector.com.

  • Photos should be taken in a well-lit area against a plain background. Include dimensions and any markings on the piece. We cannot guarantee every photo will be published, nor can we respond to inquiries regarding when photos will be published. No photos will be returned.
  • Digital photos should be sent as .jpgs at a minimum of 300 dpi.

To identify an item:

Send answers (with your name and address) to Farm Collector, 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609. Email responses may be sent to editor@farmcollector.com.

Answers for new items shown in this issue must be received by Sept. 9, 2022.

  • Updated on Aug 4, 2022
  • Originally Published on Jul 20, 2022
Tagged with: implement, metal implement, metal tool, mystery implemet, what is it
Online Store Logo
Need Help? Call 1-866-624-9388