What is this? Any Ideas? 3

[bniswonger]

Hello everyone here is a fun item for you to ponder over. I found this item in a box of old medical instruments. I am not sure what it does and there is a bustle of ideas around my shop as to what its used for. I am not sure if it is in fact a medical device but any ideas would help me out. Thanks and enjoy. Here is a link to the Pics.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.138271872927095.37554.137249466362669&type=1

 

[FeX32]

Cool.
Looks almost like a variable size wrench mechanism. Except it has 4 non-flat sides which means it really can't be one .
Possibly some way to clamp around a cylinder for it to be manipulated.


Fe

 

[bniswonger]

Thats sort of what my guys are saying. One suggested that it is some sort of braiding tool where you put some sort of core or wire in the middle and in the 4 squares you put your outer material an spin it thus braiding either wire or cord. I have no idea what it is but its really complex for the operation its performing. Thanks again for the info.

 

[Compositepro]

The device has similarities to a tube expander. When the handles are squeezed together the collet opens.

 

[ornerynorsk]

Any markings on it?

It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.

 

[prdave00]

Looks similar to a tool used to crimp metal stents onto a balloon catheter. Similar to here

http://www.machinesolutions.org/stent_crimping_device/PTA/handheld/handheldCrimpingHH200.htm.

When closed is the through hole circular? If it is a circular hole, how big?

 

[bniswonger]

That is possible I never thought of that. When the instrument is closed the thru hole is approx. .100" or roughly 2.5mm and is a cylinder.

 

[prdave00]

2.5mm is a typical crimped stent diameter (usually spec'd out in .5mm or 1mm increments), but this could just be coincidence. My imagination was a bit biased by your statement in the OP that it might be medical related. It may also be an industrial crimping or swaging tool for electrical wiring, fittings for wire rope, etc. There seem to be a million different hand tools for crimping/swaging out there with different die geometry/size, cylindrical included. It looks plastic so I'm thinking it's not for heavy duty applications.

 

[bniswonger]

Well thats kinda what I am thinking that its used for is some sort of crimping or swaging. The instrument is made out of steel so it is somewhat strong even though the material thickness is only .065".

 

[MikeHalloran]

Yeah, it has the general arrangement of a crimping tool, but the handles are reversed from that; i.e.,, when the handles are close together, the jaws are far apart, which suggests that it's a spreader of some kind.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[hydtools]

It could be some sort of gauging tool. The arc segment is slotted and there is a binding nut to be tightened to hold a setting. It appears that it can be preset for some use.

Ted

 

[vonsteimel]

It definitely doesn't look like a medical instrument. Perhaps it got thrown in the wrong box? Or was a tool used to service a machine that made medical tooling?

It looks a lot like a cheap Tap/Die holder. I've got an old cheap one that looks similar to this, being stamped out of sheet metal. Although starting threads without having 2x 180deg opposed handles would be difficult... Possibly for cleaning existing threads? Perhaps it used to remove/install some kind of specialty pushing, punch or die from a machine?