Mystery Tool

[JPigg55]

Anyone know what this is ?
Got it in a pile of stuff at an auction today.

 

[wawoodman]

Looks like a set of radius gauges to me. Are there marks on the leaves?

 

[gr8legs]

Looks like a radius gauge for measuring wire rope sheaves, pulleys and other similar items.

The sheaves need a bit of clearance over the size of the wire rope they are designed for and that's what the 'oversize' marking indicates.

 

[JPigg55]

Are there marks on the leaves?

Yes there are.Smallest marked 1/4 DIA+1/128 largest 1 1/2 DIA+1/32.
Back of the largest one also stamped "Minimum for Worn Grooves".
What are they used for ?

 

[bollie7]

More than likely to check if the pulleys or sheaves in a wire rope set up are worn past their allowable limit or not. ie cranes, lifts (elevators) etc etc.
peter

 

[4GSR]

Armco Steel Corp. was big in making and supplying wire rope for many industries back in it's day. The salesmen would give out these selling aids, like this one and many other "freebies" we use to call them. And yes, they were used to check how much a sheave had worn and also identify the size of wire rope that was needed for a given sheave. If you ran the wrong size wire rope in a undersized groove sheave or oversized sheave, it would damage the wire rope. I can recall my dad had one of the gauges in his tool box many years ago. Have no clue what happen to it over the years.