Mystery Tool or Misery Tool?

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skiprat

Passed Away Mar 22, 2022
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Any idea what this little tool is? :biggrin::biggrin:
The hook operates on a cam and closes when the handle is turned:eek:

Just for fun:biggrin:
 

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snyiper

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It looks like but isnt what a plumber calls a basin wrench. No teeth short handle Im guessing something to unscrew things with out leaving a mark.
 

skiprat

Passed Away Mar 22, 2022
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One of Cav's tooth extractors for unruly inmates?

Spot on Roy!!!! ( I should have renamed the pics:wink: )

It is a copy of an 18th century dental tooth key. The dentist would use this to crush and rip out teeth WITHOUT painkillers:eek:
They came with different sized hooks for adults or kids.
The hook is free swivelling and has a pretty sharp point.

But of course this one is a pen :biggrin:. I was paired with Cav in the Aussie pen swap and as he's a dentist, I figured he'd get a kick out of this.
I sent him an email not to look if he wanted a surprise:wink:
If he uses this on his captive patients, then he'll end up on the other side of the bars!!!:biggrin:
 

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workinforwood

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That is extremely clever Steve! I saw the movie the Dentist and have a feeling that although this tool would hurt, it's got to be better than just using a pair of pliers and your knee in the patents chest.

Did you build it from scratch, or did you find one already made and modify it into a pen?
 

skiprat

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Jeff, I made it from scratch. All stainless steel except the nib which is from a kit as it needed to be screw-in to change the refill. Only the hole down the middle for the refill was done on the lathe. The rest was done by hand and lots of sand paper:frown:
 

bitshird

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Skip that is absolutely awesome; I'd try and express my amazement at your skills more eloquently, but I don't want to cause any swelling to your head.
 

wolftat

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It is for extracting information. Insert into any orifice, turn, and pull. When do they go into production?

I should have kept reading, I'll still take one, it will work all the same.:)
 
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OKLAHOMAN

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Damn lucky of me on both parts.....didn't think of looking at the photo properties. Somewhere in my previous life I must have had one used on me.:eek: You'll always amaze and surprise me
 

wdcav1952

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Spot on Roy!!!! ( I should have renamed the pics:wink: )

It is a copy of an 18th century dental tooth key. The dentist would use this to crush and rip out teeth WITHOUT painkillers:eek:
They came with different sized hooks for adults or kids.
The hook is free swivelling and has a pretty sharp point.

But of course this one is a pen :biggrin:. I was paired with Cav in the Aussie pen swap and as he's a dentist, I figured he'd get a kick out of this.
I sent him an email not to look if he wanted a surprise:wink:
If he uses this on his captive patients, then he'll end up on the other side of the bars!!!:biggrin:


Yeah, right! Like I can resist looked at this post!!! :biggrin:

WOW, Steven, this is incredible!! This will make my second dental related pen, and will definitely have a place of high honor in my display of pens!


Please God, don't let me mess up the pen I am making for Steven! I promise not to post bad things about Ed for a whole week, I mean day, I mean hour :rolleyes: if my pen works!

Thanks, Steven!!!
 

gawdelpus

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Just too darn clever hehe! Before I read the posts the thought that came to mind was a fancy toenail cutter ,I think If I had lived in those times and my teeth saw that coming they would have jumped out by themselves hehe, well done indeed , cheers ~ John :doctor:
 

workinforwood

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Jeff, I made it from scratch. All stainless steel except the nib which is from a kit as it needed to be screw-in to change the refill. Only the hole down the middle for the refill was done on the lathe. The rest was done by hand and lots of sand paper:frown:

I understand this Steve. I never did until yesterday though. I have a completely new perspective about SS pens. I think I just figured it all out..I was under the impression that you just knock out a pen with SS in an hour or two, and now I think all this time you must have been pulling my leg and succeeding!!! I made a rollerball nib, and the SS part was much more difficult to machine than the brass and aluminum, but it did machine. I haven't seen you work of course, and I'm just a newbie, but I had some small scratches on the nib from the tooling. No biggie..they just sand out right? Well the answer is of course yes, but it seems to take at least 30 minutes of sanding just to smooth and polish a 1" nib section:bulgy-eyes:. That is back breaking work and I could sure feel it in the feet. If I can pull the rest of this pen off..it's not going to be cheap for a customer to obtain it!
 

jfoh

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May 27, 2007
Messages
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Great pen. The inspiration for the pen is called a French Key or Tooth Key. While bad teeth were sometimes extracted with this device it had other uses. Decayed teeth would often shatter when this devise was used. In an attempt to make the decayed tooth stronger it was filled with metal. Not the fillings of today but metal used to fill the crown area to make getting the tooth out easier.

Many of the teeth this device removed would not be decayed. Human teeth were used in making partials and complete dentures. You were paid for each tooth the "dentist" extracted if it came out intact and could be used. This predates formal dental education so calling them dentist is not exactly correct. This was done without any novicane and was hard work for both the parties. Hence the term hard as pulling teeth. The canines were prized and very hard to get out intact due to their long roots and the term hared as pulling eye teeth was common. The money earned would be about a shilling per tooth.

The teeth would be wired into metal or wooden plates using gold wires. Gold was used because it would not rust in the mouth and gold was easily worked. Paul Revere, a silversmith by trade, made a partial for one of the first causalities of the Revolutionary War and it was used in his identification for later reburial.

Dental infections were a common cause of death in years gone by. These crude tools were the first step in a quest to deal with major health issues before antibiotics and anesthetics. Your worst day in the dental office would be any of these peoples dream come true. Glad I live now and not then.
 

RAdams

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makes me feel bad about whining when i had 13 teeth pulled in the span of 45 minutes. I can't imagine dealing with that tool and no local.
 
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