I cant even guess

[relic lover]

3&1/4" by 1&1/4" brass but has iron in the tip and the rod/pin at the tail end.

 

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[relic lover]

here is the end there is a rusty spot that a magnet stocks to at the tip.

 

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[silverswede]

I've been trying to fit this piece in with the late 1800's early 1900's era that the site seems to relate to. One possibility might be a part off old farm equipment. Early sickle mowers for example had a part called a pitman arm that was made of hard wood with metal ends and later all metal. Couldn't find a good picture on my search but maybe will stimulate some of the old guys. This picture is of a late 1800's horse drawn machine.

 

[johnnyi]

"Can anyone post a pic of a sucker rod?"

It is one hundred percent not part of a sucker rod. If I have to I'll dig through the junk yard tomorrow and find a few male and female, but it will be a fools errand. What you found is complex with internal moving parts. Now that you've posted the picture of the small end it changes things a lot, as we don't know whether that is a shaft that snapped off, or a iron surface which slides within the brass to activate the mechanism. It still could possibly be a part of the timing linkage, a contact point, to a large magneto or oscilator off an early cingle cylinder gas engine.

 

[relic lover]

"Can anyone post a pic of a sucker rod?"

It is one hundred percent not part of a sucker rod. If I have to I'll dig through the junk yard tomorrow and find a few male and female, but it will be a fools errand. What you found is complex with internal moving parts. Now that you've posted the picture of the small end it changes things a lot, as we don't know whether that is a shaft that snapped off, or a iron surface which slides within the brass to activate the mechanism. It still could possibly be a part of the timing linkage, a contact point, to a large magneto or oscilator off an early cingle cylinder gas engine.

No don't go junk digging! I agree about the mechanism I wanted to rule out the sucker rod.

 

[johnnyi]

Thanks. I wish we could rule out a snapped off iron shaft though. It looks almost like a square shaft with a slidig round end snapped off,but can't really be sure from the scans. I can't see why that little bit of surface on the round would have been squared off had it not have been a longer piece which snapped.

 

[Monty]

My first thought was part of a PTO for a tractor hook up? Monty

 

[johnnyi]

Monty, it does resemble one but it would be far too light and would break.

Another question for relic lover.... Is the head of the brass pin on the side larger than the brass housing it goes through; or does the head of the brass pin fit WITHIN the housing like a release button? Can you tap it with a wood block and get an idea?

 

[relic lover]

Monty, it does resemble one but it would be far too light and would break.

Another question for relic lover.... Is the head of the brass pin on the side larger than the brass housing it goes through; or does the head of the brass pin fit WITHIN the housing like a release button? Can you tap it with a wood block and get an idea?

It goes in

 

[johnnyi]

"It goes in "

Ah, good answer! Now we know the brass button is a release button, and we can guess the remains of the flat rusted iron at the pin's base (inside) is spring steel to keep the button out (the out position might engage the large iron piece like on Monty's larger tractor universal joint). I guess we can assume the squared off end of the large round iron is the remains of a square shaft also, such as what you'd find a universal joint attached to. Still don't know what it is or what it does, but at least you gave us another clue to what all the "complicated inner workings" are

 

[johnnyi]

relic lover, I visited a museum in penna. today to try to research an item of Buckleboy's and happened upon this hanging in a window. I was fairly certain that it was your's at first glance, but I had to confirm the existence of the button on the side of your's (a photo of which I've included in the second scan)

It is for want of a better name, the "chuck" of a sheffield brace. What I'd assumed was a broken off square rod extending out of the round iron is in fact the broken off drill bit which broke off flush.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

relic lover, I visited a museum in penna. today to try to research an item of Buckleboy's and happened upon this hanging in a window. I was fairly certain that it was your's at first glance, but I had to confirm the existence of the button on the side of your's (a photo of which I've included in the second scan)

It is for want of a better name, the "chuck" of a sheffield brace. What I'd assumed was a broken off square rod extending out of the round iron is in fact the broken off drill bit which broke off flush.

It may be.

 

[johnnyi]

It "may" be? Again bigcy, are you sure you weren't on the O.J. jury first time around?

 

[relic lover]

It "may" be? Again bigcy, are you sure you weren't on the O.J. jury first time around?

Wow great eye. Solved for sure, thanks much for not giving up! Any idea of a date-range they were made?

 

[72cheyenne]

I'm convinced. Great ID, johnnyi.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Great ID!

 

[johnnyi]

Thanks, this one was satisfying, as I never imagined I'd ever run across it "in the flesh." I haven't tried to date it exactly, but a quick search indicates "1800's". It should be fairly easy to pin down a better date by googling "drill brace sheffield"

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

here is the end there is a rusty spot that a magnet stocks to at the tip.

The pic is blurry but I believe I see the square shank of the broken drill bit.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

This is an old post already solved but I ran across another pic in my old tool book of this early wooden brace with the drill bits. I thought Id post it. It was another of Johnnyis great IDs..

 

[Monty]

Great ID! My dad had one of those but I don't know what ever happened to it. Monty