Monday, October 29, 2007

Vintage 8-In DRAW KNIFE Drawshave Spoke Shave Old Tool! - (eBay item 290176040530 end time Nov-05-07 17:37:47 PST)

Vintage 8-In DRAW KNIFE Drawshave Spoke Shave Old Tool! - (eBay item 290176040530 end time Nov-05-07 17:37:47 PST)

Are you into vintage woodworking tools?

This two-handled draw knife or draw shave is unmarked. It's sturdy and sharp even with the heavy patina. Hone it up a bit and it's good to go. The blade edge is 8 inches wide and has no nicks or chips.

The handles are wooden, firmly attached and show many scuffs, scrapes and wear. One handle rotates about halfway around, the other turns easily. It might be very old as there's no maker's mark or name on the draw knife anywhere, but it's not home-made.

This tool is great for making furniture, used to shave off surfaces by drawing it toward yourself. A draw knife is also known as a draw shave, drawing shave or spoke shave.

Click the link to see more photos.

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Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Civil War Forged BULLET TRIMMER Smooths Round Ball Seam - (eBay item 290174045373 end time Oct-30-07 17:56:45 PDT)

Civil War Forged BULLET TRIMMER Smooths Round Ball Seam - (eBay item 290174045373 end time Oct-30-07 17:56:45 PDT)

Are you into vintage hand-forged tools?

My man in the field tells me this is a Civil War-era blacksmith-forged hand tool for trimming the rough seams off round lead bullets. I don't quite understand how it works, but maybe you do?

There's no maker's mark or name on it, but lots of evidence it's hand-forged. Besides small irregularities, there's an irregular groove down the back of one arm, like the metal creased as it was hammered into shape. When I took photos, the arms only opened partway, but now it opens out flat.

There's a tiny notch in the open circle on the outer side of the tool. The business end is carefully made with a precise circle and excellent hinge.

It's a peculiar and mysterious tool to me. I was thinking the ledge part was meant to trim off the roughness, but maybe the part below the ledge is supposed to flatten the roughness?

See more photos on eBay.

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Sunday, October 21, 2007

Vintage TOM THUMB TYPEWRITER, Orig Box, Booklet, Works! - (eBay item 290173329723 end time Oct-28-07 18:59:01 PDT)

Vintage TOM THUMB TYPEWRITER, Orig Box, Booklet, Works! - (eBay item 290173329723 end time Oct-28-07 18:59:01 PDT)

Are you into vintage typewriters?

This Tom Thumb typewriter is so like a real typewriter in weight and function that it's almost wrong to call it a toy. It comes complete with the original box and instruction booklet.

The box says it's Model 449E. Someone stamped the box several places, "February 34, 1957" and "Paid." While there aren't 34 days in February, I can believe the year is right.

The logo on the front says, "Tom Thumb Typewriter, Made in U.S.A., Patent No. 2,705,553, Western Stamping Co., Jackson, Mich." The lever on the right front is labeled, "Ribbon Reverse."

The ribbon box has a used ribbon in it and says, "Ribbon-Rite Ribbon for Ribbon-Rite Marking Machine for Dry Cleaning and Laundry Use. Re-order No. 1022. Textile Marking Machine Co., Inc., 2204 Erie Blvd., East. Syracuse 1, N.Y."

The original booklet says, "Tom Thumb Educational Toys" and shows the Tom Thumb Cash Register and the Tom Thumb Typewriter. Inside the booklet are the operating instructions with a diagram of the parts and another to show where to place your fingers on the keyboard.

It types upper and lower case letters, and the keyboard is a little different than a regular typewriter. The bottom row has fractions you can type by pushing the Figure Shift key which raises the platen very high to type them.

The top row keys are QWERTYUIOP and "#$%_&'()-.
The middle row keys are ASDFGHJKL and 123456789.
The bottom row keys are ZXCVBNM,. and 1/4 1/2 3/4 @ cent sign ?;:/.

Did you know there's a site on-line for fans of portable typewriters? Visit http://www.geocities.com/wbd641/toys.html to see many old models.

The typewriter measures 11" wide by 5" high by 10" thick. It weighs 7 lb. 1.4 oz. Original cost: $12.95 See more photos on eBay.

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Saturday, October 20, 2007

Vintage RCA VICTOR 8X681Tube Radio, Black Case, Works! - (eBay item 290172964679 end time Oct-27-07 19:10:41 PDT)

Vintage RCA VICTOR 8X681Tube Radio, Black Case, Works! - (eBay item 290172964679 end time Oct-27-07 19:10:41 PDT)

Are you into vintage tube radios?

This table model tube radio is RCA Victor model 8X681. It's an AM/FM in a black metal case with a dial that lights up when plugged in and turned on. It works!

The label on the bottom says, "Model 8X681 Superheterodyne. Range: 540-1600, 9400-12,000 Kilocycles. Serial No. B 003667. Rating AD/DC, Volta 115, Cycles 50-60, Watts 30."
There's a Guarantee and a Notice in tiny print.
"For Finest Performance Use Only Genuine RCA Radio Tubes. RCA Victor, Trade Marks Reg. U.S. Pat Off, Radio Corporation of America, RCA Victor Division, Camden, NJ,. U.S.A."
It shows the "His Master's Voice" icon.

The diagram shows the Location of Tubes:
  • 35C5
  • 35W4
  • 12AT6
  • 12BA6
  • 12BE6
  • 12BA6 (yes, two of these)
"To Replace Tubes and Dial Lamp, remove four screws through holes in base." The lamp part is Mazda 47. Someone's handwriting on the label says "Mrs. Ron Patton" (I think) and "28411."

The black label on the right shows a woman's head and says, "This is to Certify that this instrument includes the matched elements required in the production of 'Golden Throat' tone. D.D. Cole, Chief Engineer, Home Instrument Department, RCA Victor."

The dial on the far right selects the station. The one right beside it moves less easily and probably selects the AM or FM mode. The dial on the far left turns the radio on and controls the volume. The one beside it adjusts the tone.

Did you know there's a site on-line for fans of old radios? Visit www.radiomuseum.org to see many old models.

The radio measures 12 1/2" long by 8" high by 7" thick with a 62" cord. It weighs 9 lb. 9.8 oz.




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