Neat little divider/trammell thingy

old-biker-uk · Jun 30, 2017

Found this pretty little thing in a box of junk at a sale.
No maker's mark but very well made, collet slides along the bar and there is about 1/8" adjustment at the bow spring end.
Mark

SouthBendModel34 · Jun 30, 2017

old Biker,

Hey, that is neat!

My first thought would have been to clean it with electrolysis, but when you mentioned that the end is a spring, that pretty much precluded the use of electrolysis. Springs tend to get very brittle in "the tank."

There may yet be faint markings on it somewhere.

It's totally appropriate that the photo of this U.K. artifact includes a Rabone scale.

Conrad Hoffman · Jun 30, 2017

Very cute!

rivett608 · Jun 30, 2017

Very cool! Almost looks factory made, I wonder if it might of been made by Eclipse? I think they made some pretty short runs of really cool looking tools.

Are you going to make a copy of it?

Limy Sami · Jun 30, 2017

That is cute, and IMO a job for Altrans Janitol(R) Altrans ......which does a lovely job and is as gentle as a day old baby.

old-biker-uk · Jun 30, 2017

rivett608 said:
snip...Are you going to make a copy of it?

Maybe

.....
Have been woodworking lately and the metalwork has taken a back seat, but I still have that picture of the Humpage micrometer staring at me from the workshop pin board....
Re cleaning, as an ex museum conservator I have seen too much old stuff ruined by over-cleaning so I think I might just wave an oily rag at it.......

Mark

joeby · Jun 30, 2017

That is neat! Looks to be very well thought out, the points seem to be held in a sort of collet (replaceable), and the curved "spring" looks to be pinned on the left with an adjustment thumbscrew on the right.

I like seeing tools like this. They were simple and useful, but also looked "finished". Too many things today carved out enough to be usable, but never finished.

Kevin

Frank R · Jul 1, 2017

Is the pointed item made of metal or a pencil lead? It occurred to me that you could use this with a lead in either collet but one would be an unusual use of it.

9100 · Jul 1, 2017

Is there a point missing from the center shaft or whatever you call it?

Bill

old-biker-uk · Jul 1, 2017

Both 'ends' have collets, the pointy bit is steel, about the size of an old gramophone needle! (just needed a touch on a fine oil stone). The other would take about 1/8" so could be used as compass with pencil or dividers with another point bit.
Mark

L Vanice · Jul 1, 2017

9100 said:
Is there a point missing from the center shaft or whatever you call it?

Bill

Typically, the center could be fitted from a set consisting of divider points and cones of different sizes or sometimes various size hemispheres to locate off holes. My big Starrett set even has caliper points, a pencil lead/steel scribe holder and a draftsman's ink pen.

Here are two Starrett steel trammels.

Larry

jhruska · Jul 1, 2017

Nice! Add the missing point and it is a layout tool for scribing bolt hole circles.
John

old-biker-uk · Jul 1, 2017

Thanks for the pictures Larry, I should make the extra bits and a nice mahogany box for it.
Mark

duckfarmer27 · Jul 1, 2017

old-biker-uk said:
Thanks for the pictures Larry, I should make the extra bits and a nice mahogany box for it.
Mark

Mark -

Be sure to make the ink pen attachment - never know when one will need to prepare an inked drawing on linen! In high school drafting class (1965) we had to ink one drawing - and that was enough to convince me that doing inked drawings was not for me.

Dale

Spyderedge · Jul 1, 2017

SouthBendModel34 said:
old Biker,

Hey, that is neat!

My first thought would have been to clean it with electrolysis, but when you mentioned that the end is a spring, that pretty much precluded the use of electrolysis. Springs tend to get very brittle in "the tank."

There may yet be faint markings on it somewhere.

It's totally appropriate that the photo of this U.K. artifact includes a Rabone scale.

I would clean it by hand using some steel wool and WD-40.

Maybe that's just because im not on the electrolysis bandwagon?

Sent from my XT1053 using Tapatalk

44dwarf · Jul 3, 2017

I've had great luck with ultrasonic cleaners filled with "Branson Metal Cleaner #3" It will loosen the surface rust creeps in to tight spots and helps loosen them up but not harm springs etc.

old-biker-uk · Jan 25, 2019

Don't know how he got it down the chimney but Father Christmas brought me an Ultrasonic cleaner.
A minute or so in warm dilute soap solution seems to remove loose corrosion but leaves a decent patina.
Not severe stripping like electrolysis.
Experimentation needed.
Mark

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Neat little divider/trammell thingy

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