Featured Mystery Item??? Please Help

Yes! I thought those looked familiar. I was thinking some sort of adjustable spacers, but these are SO specialised! Rayo's suggestion looks convincing, but the closest thing I know to machinist's tools are a guy I used to date.

 

You are fantastic, I have been looking for days and seen nothing like it, I knew if I posted them here someone would find out what they are, The Sherlock Holmes of the antique world...............Thank you very much

 

Not sure these are wavy machinist parallels now I've looked up their use, it says they are used in a vice but if you were to put mine in a vice they would just straighten out and never return to the wavy shape as they are made of brass?

 

Some info:
https://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/forum/general/48909-wavy-parallels-what-for

They are not meant to be used as a spring in a vice. Just to support the piece you are milling.
http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?t=107423

 

Yep I just tested them to see if they are indeed made from brass and they are not. They are made of spring steel and have a brass coating. Thank you again

 

https://www.glue-it.com/wp/tools/milling-machines/wavy-parallels/

 

Good to hear..........

 

They do sort of look like wavy parallels (which are not very specialized) but if that was the case, each different numbered pair would be a different height. That's the way they work, two of then support the work piece at a specific height. Dennis

 

I did think of that but after thinking about it for a while the parallels are only there to prevent the cutting head from fouling the vice, if these are at the right height to only allow a minimum clamping area at the top jaws of the vice then they need not be of different heights. I will admit the different heights on others I've seen has bothered me but being in pairs and numbered and parallel I can't think what else they would be? They are made of spring steel and coated in brass, they would have been bent into shape then hardened, they only vary in length really not much play in depth and none in height? perhaps they were made for a special machine or process?