October 2016 Mystery Tool A
Window sash holder. This would allow the house window to be locked at any position. Identified by Wayne Irwin, Wayne, Ohio; Nick Cerbo, Parsippany, N.J.; and Earl H. Rohrbaugh, Glen Rock, Pa. See patent no. 40,819. Photos submitted by Terri Gray via email.
Patent no. 40,819: Sash holder. Patent granted to Charles B. Clark, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, Dec. 8, 1863.
October 2016 Mystery Tool B
Fence wire twister. Identified by Duane Plummer, Bargersville, Ind., and Richard Smith, Walnut Grove, Mo. See patent no. 410,951. Photos submitted by Herm Klein, Flint, Mich.
Patent no. 410,951: Twisting wire device for fence wires. Patent granted to William H.H. Yount, Troy, Ohio, Sept. 10, 1889.
October 2016 Mystery Tool C
Tool for a Superior grain drill. Tool was original equipment with the drill, used to adjust openers. Parts no. A994. Identified by Glenn Lofdahl, Strong City, Kan.; Dennis Bryant, Weston, Mo.; Dick Kates, Oakland, Iowa; and Dean Delavan, Cincinnatus, N.Y. Photos submitted by Mike Intlekofer, Bellevue, Wash. We are grateful to Jim McGhee, Hollandale, Wis., for his assistance with identification of this item.
October 2016 Mystery Tool D
Used to remove links from roller chain (like bicycle chain) by pushing the riveted pins from the links. This size tool will remove the pins through no. 60 chain. Identified by Wayne Schoer, Holstein, Iowa; Richard Willems, New Windsor, Ill.; William Evans, St. Joseph, Mo.; Duane Plummer; Gene Williams, Piedmont, S.D.; Virgil Koci, Topeka, Kan.; Larry Elgin, Burlingame, Kan.; Jim Baltzly, Beach City, Ohio; Glenn Lofdahl; Jim Bolt, Corsica, S.D.; Jim Eastman, Eskridge, Kan.; Larry Burkholder, Myerstown, Pa.; Joel Mosher, St. Clair, Minn.; Dallas R. Thimlar, Grabill, Ind.; Leonard Keifer, Gaithersburg, Md.; Gary Branham, Cumming, Ga.; Matt Ebert, O’Fallon, Ill.; Jim Cornell, Bedford, Pa.; Charlotte Spurgeon, Cuba, Mo.; John Whitcraft, Bellingham, Wash.; Kevin Duntley, South Dayton, N.Y.; Gary Wiese, Mankato, Minn.; David Belter, Pickett, Wis.; Gary Hoffman, Monroe, Wis.; James A. Thom, Minot, N.D.; Danny Sanderson, Sardis, Tenn.; Stanley Cross, LaMar, Neb.; Albert Hochstetler, Topeka, Ind.; Gary Wettschreck, Stacy, Minn.; Dean Delavan; Richard Bader, Middletown, N.Y.; Leigh Arnett, Lane, Kan.; Harry Jones, Brookings, S.D.; Michael St. Hilaire, White Swan, Wash.; William Thomas, Mankato, Kan.; Kenneth Waits, Rushville, Ind.; John Bikowsky, Madison, N.Y.; Melvin Evans, Truman, Minn.; Marlin Herbst, Merrill, Iowa; Jim Koltes, DeForest, Wis.; William A. Pass, Jordan, Minn.; Dan Chambers, Hammond, Ill.; Devern Linkugel, Marysville, Kan.; Donald Vollmer, Abbeville, La.; Paul Kiessling, Ceresco, Mich.; Gary E. Neuschafer, Lindsborg, Kan.; John S. Rauth, Ridgely, Md.; John Haynes, Brownsville, Ky.; Ralph Billings, Westminster, Md.; Norm Hays, Vernon, Colo.; Michael Taylor, Millersburg, Ind.; Nick Cerbo; Al Angus, Fairmont, Minn.; Earl H. Rohrbaugh; Lyle Schwarzrock, Poplar, Mt.; Gary E. Miller, Sandusky, Ohio; Dick Kates; Dean Howe,
Genoa, Colo.; and Mike Prieb, Buhler, Kan. See patent no. 2,671,310. Photos submitted by Sam Schoenhals, Ridgecrest, Calif.
Patent no. 2,671,310: Rivet remover for chains. Patent granted to Gust C. Noack, Valley City, N.D., March 9, 1954.
October 2016 Mystery Tool E
Tractor steering gear, likely from a Moline Universal Model D tractor. Identified by Jerry Dekan; Robert Christie, Williamsburg, Kan.; Aaron Woker, Pearl City, Ill.; and Harris Saele, Devils Lake, N.D. Photos submitted by Steve Pavelsky via email.
Steering gear on a Moline Universal tractor. Photo courtesy Jerry Dekan.
October 2016 Mystery Tool F
Thatching rake used to remove thatch from lawns. Identified by James F. Doetsch, Lachine, Mich.; Richard Willems; Gene Williams; Jim Bogardus, DeSoto, Iowa; Harry Jones; Bill Bracy, Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Fred Yutzy, Vermontville, Mich.; Arthur Kallstrom, Kent, Ct.; Dick Kates; Nick Cerbo; and John Nagyiski, Felton, Del. Photo submitted by David Friedly, Blairsville, Ga.
Remember this?
July 2016, Item F: Orvie Wideman, Wallenstein, Ontario, Canada, believes the piece to be a potato planter meter wheel. A needle at the end of each arm picks up a piece of seed potato. The short extension closest to the center of the four arms strikes a spring-loaded roller, and pieces are stripped from the needle and deposited into the furrow.
John Bikowsky and William Dykhuis, Hallock, Minnesota, concur. “I have a 1-row horse-drawn potato planter made by Eureka Mower Co., Utica, New York, which has two of these side-by-side, mounted on a shaft. It allows eight potato slices to be picked up in one revolution and dropped in a furrow and covered by coulters on the planter.”
August 2016, Item F: Bob Gordon, Wellington, Ohio, believes this to be a tool used by a shoemaker to hold a wooden shoe form. “Leather could be wrapped and molded around the form and held tight to enable stitching or tacking the sole in place,” he says. “The shoe forms came in a variety of sizes.” Photo courtesy Bob Gordon.
