MetalworkingFun Forum

It's a rare day that I don't know what something found in my dad's shop might be, but cleaning out a "home mechanic grade" toolbox tonight I found one.

This is a cast steel box base with what appear to be a chromed or polished stainless steel hinged cover. The black base has an art deco period paint stripe around it. The cover has deep fins as though it were a heat sink of sorts. Sorry, I didn't think to touch it with a magnet to see if it is a 300 series stainless.

The bottom of the casting reads "North Bros Mfg Co, Philada PA". Seeing as how they used a 2-letter abbrvation for Pennsylvania rather than the older style "Penn", it can't be all that old. I just don't know what it is. Any ideas?

You sir, are the proud owner of the original George Foreman Grill prototype.

LOL...I wish.

In looking around the 'net it seems the North Bros Mfg Co was better known for the hand tools they made. Most common were the ratcheting screwdrivers and hand drills. I could find nothing in the market looking like this.

they made a crimper, it had two rotating dies, not for metal but fabric I believe. Just maybe that was to have a heated iron?

North brothers made the original Yankee screwdriver, but this thing looks much older. Perhaps a fancy snuff box?

Tom

It's a hand fluter base for putting pleats in your dress.

http://www.wrinkledwillytreasures.com/No...p_796.html

http://collectibles.about.com/od/pricegu...Fluter.htm

Nice find Willie!

I notice that one of those doesn't have the "slug" but does have the roller, while the other one has the slug but no roller.

I imagine that the slug is something you would heat up on a stove or in a fire, insert into the base and then roll the pleats in a fabric once the top plate is hot.

This looks like it would be a nice project to make the a heater slug and the roller, rather than throwing it away. I'm going to start a big cleanout of the shop this weekend, so I'll be on the lookout for the missing pieces just in case they are there.

oldgoaly gave it away when he said it was for fabric.

That is an interesting piece though. After you find the remaining pieces (and I know you will) and get them cleaned up it would make a great conversation starter sitting on a coffee table. "What is that thing?"

I suppose once you finished putting the pleats in your dress you could still use it as a snuff box.

Nice find Willie.

That would be an awful lot of snuff!

I would say he could store his carbide inserts in there, but then it would have to be the size of a 5 gallon bucket.