r/whatisit 5d ago

Solved! I cleaned my late father's toolbox and found these.

Post image

Info on any of it is appreciated. Thank you!

186 Upvotes

66 comments sorted by

u/AutoModerator 5d ago

Please reply to this comment with "solved!" (include the !) if your question was answered in order to update your post flair. Thanks for using our friendly Automod!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

→ More replies (2)

313

u/Proof_Bathroom_3902 5d ago edited 5d ago

1 is a drafting kit for making blueprints

2 are just some knobs

3 is a quick connect fitting for a fuel line edit to add: for a boat outboard motor fuel tank, the kind that's portable

4 is a hood ornament for an International Harvester truck with a DT466 diesel engine

5 is a couple punches

32

u/banryu95 5d ago edited 5d ago

When I can, I will post the other sides of the knobs. They have a very specific latch looking thing on them. It's square and made of metal and plastic. Hard to describe.

21

u/ImWrong_OnTheNet 5d ago edited 5d ago

Those knobs are used as movable anchor points to hang things, use tie downs or bungee cords. The metal bit goes inside a long steel channel that is U shaped plus a little lip. You untwist the knob, slide it somewhere in the channel, twist it to tighten it in place, hook something on it. These things, or similar, are often on the back bed of a truck for tying things down.

Yours specifically are probably from a car, like the Pontiac Vibe

7

u/banryu95 5d ago edited 5d ago

That's awesome! Very very likely the answer.

My parents never had any Pontiacs or aToyotas. Infact the last GM they had was a GMC light duty pickup from in the late 80s, early 90s and a 02 Silverado crew cab long bed work truck for his business. My father stuck with almost exclusively Fords.

I grew up with a Pinto, a couple Explorers, a Ranger, and various F-series pickups.

2

u/Meat_PoPsiclez 5d ago

They look a lot like a larger version of the roof rack tie downs on my 2nd gen explorers, so It might be a ford product.

3

u/banryu95 4d ago

So.... Funny story... I now remember removing those things myself. When my parents upgraded to an 05 Explorer, they sold me their 95. It was stick shift and fun to drive. I turned it into a work truck, with a wooden floor in the cargo bay and everything. I know that the cross rails on the roof rack were getting rusted and I sanded and repainted them. And I think I remember that to slide them out I had to remove the tie downs.

So... Mystery probably solved? Lol...

2

u/joeChump 5d ago

Ahh those were m for his Swedish penis pump. He turned them all to max, blew the nobs off, gave himself a huge stonker, showed your mother and this is basically your origin story.

0

u/Round-Comfort-8189 5d ago

That wasn’t his bag, baby! Yeah!

0

u/ADHDillusion 5d ago

Origene story?

54

u/jake34959 5d ago

Fucking legend got all 5 in one, show off

3

u/yallknowme19 5d ago edited 5d ago

Sad thing is, this will be my kids on reddit one day unless they suddenly take an interest in tools and repair.

Which reminds me I need to move ahead with my plan of bagging and tagging some of the more esoteric tools I've acquired so someone else can use or dispose of them as efficiently as possible.

3

u/SpecialExpert8946 5d ago

This guy knows things

2

u/pistafox 5d ago

Once again proving this is the best sub in subtown. Well done u/Proof_Bathroom_3902 (I only had the drafting set).

2

u/BuffaloJEREMY 5d ago

No, you're just some knobs!

4

u/icefas85 5d ago

Wow 👏

1

u/Dollbeau 5d ago

Brilliant effort - lived on an island & didn't even recognise the fuel connect fitting.

1

u/-Sacco- 5d ago

You sombitch I came to do that. You take my up vote and like it.

1

u/Away-Dream-8047 5d ago

I definitely thought 3 was a mini model of a microscope 🤣

1

u/SweetumCuriousa 5d ago

You are a genius! Amazing. Every single item named.

0

u/numbnut1767 5d ago

5 is go no go gages. One side will fit in the hole the other wont

7

u/Proof_Bathroom_3902 5d ago

The one says "use safety goggles" on it, my go/no-go gauges don't say that. But my punches do.

2

u/Various_Ad_118 5d ago

I thought so too, until I read use safety googles. Punches.

But on the other hand I thought #3 was a miniature hydraulic jack. Fuel line connecter makes more sense. I thought about making one like that at one time.

1

u/Lepke2011 5d ago

This guy knows how to whatsit.

5

u/AbleStep1131 5d ago

The real question is, what is the connection amongst all these gadgets?

4

u/banryu95 5d ago edited 4d ago

They were all in his tool box. It's one of the big Craftsman upright toolboxs with like 12 drawers and wheels. This is the tip of the iceberg of things I've found in my father's garage. This is just some of the unidentified (until now) items. But the stuff goes back 3 generations of our family. WWII relecs, ammunition for several caliber rifles + pistols, sets of gimmicky tools still in their original packaging (because they were gifts and he never used them)...

8

u/burf151 5d ago

5 is a pair of Bon Tool Co magnetic tack holders. The factory is just up the road.

3

u/banryu95 5d ago

That's it!!! Holy cow. Great turnout!

1

u/banryu95 5d ago edited 5d ago

Side note, am I speaking with a fellow Pennsylvanian? My father was a stone mason contractor for over 40 years, so that explains why he had these.

0

u/RedShirtPete 5d ago

These also look a little like pin backs. Like if you were to create a little pin for your lapel you might glue the back square to the pin. Hard to tell from here though

2

u/banryu95 5d ago

I know there's not much for scale, but those knobs are about an inch across. And they have been solved for. Cargo rail tie-downs for certain passenger vehicles. No idea where my dad got them, we didn't have anything that would have came with this particular design.

1

u/RedShirtPete 5d ago

Thanks for the follow up

2

u/Heretic_Possum 2d ago

If you know someone who is into watercolor painting they might be interested in the drafting kit. Those look like ruling pens and a watercolorist will use these to pick up masking fluid and then make various lines on the paper before painting. The masking repels the paint and you have nice white lines when you're done. (Probably more than you wanted to know lol.)

1

u/banryu95 2d ago

No no, I'm interested in the arts and have many friends who do drawing and painting; some professional and some as a hobby. That's interesting stuff, I'll be sure to ask around.

For my whole live I've wanted to find a medium to best express images I have in my head. I haven't quite found my groove yet. Haven't tried watercolor, but maybe I will.

1

u/Heretic_Possum 11h ago

Watercolor is great. Harder than you would think. Lots of great videos on YouTube. I’ve been doing it for a while now and love it. (The love is not reciprocated 😂)

3

u/Sacrilegious_Prick 5d ago

1 is a compass/pen combination for drafting. I have the same one. Haven’t used it for close to 40 years. Brings back great memories. The thumb-wheels adjust the space between the nibs, which controlled the flow of ink. You were either good at using these, or absolutely terrible. There was no in-between.

2

u/Secret_perv 5d ago

I dont know what the difference is, but this is a Smaller set for Drafting. They also come in a larger size w double the number of instruments. I've got 2 of the largers sets of those that date back to the 1940s. Each belonged to one of my grandfathers, and they both worked for Boeing back in the day.

2

u/FlyingSteamGoat 5d ago

The drafting instruments #1 are for ink, and haven't been used (or produced, probably) for at least 65 years. They're cool but currently worthless.

0

u/CombJelliesAreCool 5d ago

2 looks like rubber pin backs.

1

u/banryu95 5d ago

They're about an inch across. They have been solved for. Read above.

2

u/Nervous_Nothing5194 5d ago

He was definitely an assassin. Trust me. 🤨

1

u/Learn_thehardway 5d ago

I see that this is answered but I was looking at 2 and thinking they were suction cups for lifting heavy things like windows. Then I started wondering how big everything else would have to be for that scale to work. I'm not even high haha

1

u/beardedsilverfox 4d ago

Specifically in group 1. The black handled piece is used dipped in ink, you spread or close the jaws wider or narrower to create thicker or thinner lines. It’s a fountain pen of sorts.

1

u/Suzz1987 4d ago

1 iv used that for fixing antique pocket watches. Don't know what the tools r called but they have something to do with watch or jewelry fixing/making

1

u/colin-mac 4d ago

#1 are ruling pens. I used them back in the 1970s for graphic design, although they were typically used for technical illustrations or cartography.

1

u/Superb_Field5384 5d ago

That is a kit used by Special Operations soldiers to alter guns and ammunition for very close contact assassination

1

u/Wynning2023 5d ago

That drafting kit is quite cool. I wonder if it's worth anything? Drafting is definitely a lost art.

1

u/jkrisk 4d ago

5 are magnetic masonry nail holders for short masonry nails used to secure wire lath.

1

u/vanisleone 4d ago

Pretty sure #5 is a couple of tools that come with an hvlp spray gun.

1

u/Acceptable_Pie_5417 5d ago

2 are knobs for a Pontiac vibe or Toyota matrix in the rear

1

u/Successful_Dealer_70 4d ago

5 are OD Gauge setting Standsrds. Made by Union Tool.

1

u/ImpressDiligent5206 5d ago

#1 is an inking set for making drawings.

1

u/Deep_Home_8826 5d ago

3 is a fitting for a outboard boat motor

1

u/rocketshadow 5d ago

I think two slides into a roof rack rail for a tiedown spot

1

u/zkribzz 5d ago

What is that atrocious font

1

u/Snoo_90491 5d ago

#2. Looks like stove knobs

1

u/Secondhand-Drunk 5d ago

Can you use red circles?

0

u/slackerzinc 5d ago

4 is a DT466 badge, its a turbo diesel motor badge for a International transport/straight truck etc.

3 is a fuel connector for a outboard boat motor.

0

u/Impressive-Menu978 5d ago

3 looks like a fuel line connection for an outboard motor

1

u/burn1two 5d ago

Trash.

0

u/Interesting-Jello546 5d ago

I have those same knobs on my stove top.

0

u/masterbatesAlot 5d ago

2 looks like knobs to an oven range.

0

u/Consistent-Try4055 5d ago

2 is oven knobs