Do you know what this tool is?

Handy, dandy, multipurpose tool

Take a closer look at it.

Patented June 7, 1882

What would I be using a tool of this vintage for these days?  Go ahead, try to guess.

Would you believe that this a useful tool for computer assembly?  Well, that’s what I used it for.

As I was assembling my desktop computer, I found that the case wouldn’t accept my two optical drives.  Metal in that area hadn’t been bent quite enough to allow sufficient clearance.  There was not room enough to insert a hammer in there, but I was able to use this tool to form the metal so that the drives would fit into the case properly.

Of course, this an old-fashioned monkey wrench.  But it can also be used as a hammer,  portable vise or a forming tool for bending metal.  It was one that my dad had, and I suspect he got from his dad–or more likely his granddad.  I’ve never used it for a wrench, but I do like to hold it in my hand.  It fits my hand perfectly and I feel like I’m holding a piece of history.