Thursday, November 02, 2006. Used to signal the operator when you wanted to make a call. The remaining pictures in this set were shot at the Mid-West Tool Collectors Association meeting last week, thanks to everyone there who allowed me to take these photos of their tools.

Friday, November 24, 2006. 829 This hammer was made for use on the railroad. 830 Pond ice saw, as seen on the bottom left in this old catalog. According to the Dictionary of American Hand Tools. A saw used primarily by farmers and cattlemen for cutting holes in the ice to allow access to the water below. In cold weather the ice must be cut twice a day to allow the livestock to reach the water. Teeth of the ice saw do not have any set. 831 Probably a heavy practice piece used in place of a.

Thursday, December 14, 2006. 848 This came from the inside of a 9 volt battery. A much better idea is to make a book safe. This is a great project, I made two of them to give as Christmas gifts. For use of the photo. Oil viscosity tester, patent number 2,609,682. Larger image of the instructions. As seen in the link, Google now features a patent search.

Friday, January 19, 2007. 881 Probably a dental press. Used for compressing a mould. 882 Signal light for use on the railroad. More discussion and comments on these photos can be found at the newsgroup rec.

Thursday, February 01, 2007. 22 caliber blank, but I have doubts about whether it was really used by rail workers. A different railroad warning device is called a torpedo. And is made from a small dynamite charge.