Tweet
There was a time in the distant past that every neighborhood had a Surplus Store, they were the closest thing to a boy's vision of never-never-land that existed. Cast-off treasures of forgotten warriors littered the floor and often reached the ceiling!
My friend bought this tool at a surplus store in 1950. I figure it was part of the aircrew survival pack in a heavy bomber like a B-24 or B-29, possibly a B-36. The tool consists of three main parts; the snow shovel blade, the dual-use handle and the saw/machete blade. There is a part number stamped in the shovel. The quality of workmanship and enginering is high on this piece but it could be dupilcated in a home shop. The dual-use handle was quite ergonomic, a big suprise in a tool this old. It seems to me that this tool was intended to be used in a sub-artic enviroment hence it's deployment in heavy bombers that would fly across artic latitudes. Enjoy the pics!
My friend bought this tool at a surplus store in 1950. I figure it was part of the aircrew survival pack in a heavy bomber like a B-24 or B-29, possibly a B-36. The tool consists of three main parts; the snow shovel blade, the dual-use handle and the saw/machete blade. There is a part number stamped in the shovel. The quality of workmanship and enginering is high on this piece but it could be dupilcated in a home shop. The dual-use handle was quite ergonomic, a big suprise in a tool this old. It seems to me that this tool was intended to be used in a sub-artic enviroment hence it's deployment in heavy bombers that would fly across artic latitudes. Enjoy the pics!
Attached Files