"What Is This Thing?" Running Thread

British Steel said:
View attachment 127696 View attachment 127695It *might* be marine / military-related as it was in a box of tools with War Department stamps on 'em!
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I worked in a business depot that was previously a defense depot. One day the warehouse manager was clearing out a section of old junk in the warehouse and put a large pallet of stuff by the dumpster that anyone could pick through before he threw it out. I grabbed a bright green 55 gallon drum to be my new dust collection receptacle in my shop. I threw it in my truck and didn't open it for a week or two. Inside was custom-fit foam in a distinctive shape, with a certificate from the contractor who made and shipped the item declaring that, while it is a warhead, it is not radioactive or in any other way immediately hazardous, short of controlled detonation.

I thought it was nice of them to include such a thoughtful note. :)
 
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<speculator>

It's a device for retrieving a permanently anchored sonobouy or other anchored submersible monitoring equipment like temperature or current. The anchor can remain in place and the equipment can be retrieved for maintenance like battery changes and returned to the same exact spot. The device has an additional rope or cable attached to it and is clamped around the pendant that is attached to a float. The device slides down the pendant and the 3 fingers engage the equipment.

</speculator>
 
Many many years ago I used a device similar to that to retrieve a submersible well pump and length of pipe from the bottom of a well. The fingers grabbed the inside of the pipe and locked it in place as long as there was tension on the line.
 
Wouldn't there have to be two lines, one to haul the device up with its load and one to release the fingers to retrieve the tool?
 
I used to work slickline, wireline and was gonna say it looks like a tool to retrieve something from a hole, although it looks nothing like wireline tools, wireline or slickline tools feature a pin that holds "fingers" in place, the tool usually gets set down onto a plug or standing valve or what have you, and then hammered down on a little to make sure its seated, they have springs and such, but while trying to retrieve the plug or whatever it is, if its stuck u can hammer down on it breaking a pin causing the fingers to retract so you can pull out of the hole.
 
It does kinda resemble a down hole fishing tool. I think it it a one way tool for use on a rope. Replacing nots. Using a collar type tool to release the fingers.
Jack

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk
 
Thanks gents, looks like it's destined for the "yellow metals" bin for later melt and cast then!

Dave H. (the other one)
 
Found this at an estate sale.
I was told that the once owner made pacemakers and defibrillators.
It looks to me like a some sort of high class indicator holder with micro adjustments.
Any better suggestions on its identity, value, or how I might best list it?

Daryl
MN
IMG_0718.JPG IMG_0719.JPG
 
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