KS16750 Fingerwheel Releasers on Parade

[Dave F]

Here, together in one place (finally!), are all four versions (L1-L4) of the KS16750 releaser.  The L1 was a gift from an installer in 1962, and it has taken literally 50 years to ferret out the other three and complete this little collection.  The L3 still has its usually-missing protective cap.  It is interesting to see the evolution of the tool over time.   It's also interesting to see just how compulsive collecting can become once the bug bites!

[jsowers]

Dave, that's a great illustration of fingerwheel removal tools and you're right about it being interesting to see the evolution over time.  Way back in 2002 I was able to get an L2 with the cap along with the leatherette case, stamp pad, stamper and a large stack of light gray 4-number card strips. The cards dated from the 50s to the 60s. I posted a picture below. The stamp pad ink is mine and didn't come with the kit.

That removal tool is one of my favorites and really does the job well.

[Dave F]

Dave, that's a great illustration of fingerwheel removal tools and you're right about it being interesting to see the evolution over time.  Way back in 2002 I was able to get an L2 with the cap along with the leatherette case, stamp pad, stamper and a large stack of light gray 4-number card strips. The cards dated from the 50s to the 60s. I posted a picture below. The stamp pad ink is mine and didn't come with the kit.

That removal tool is one of my favorites and really does the job well.

Very nice!  The releasers are tough enough to find by themselves.  The caps, as you might expect, are even rarer -- you are lucky to have made that score.  Be gentle when you use it:  The yellow plastic handles get brittle with age, and they can crack near the tip end if bent too much to one side.  Interestingly, the L2 was the version that eluded me for the longest time.  I only recently ran across it.

[jsowers]

Thanks for letting me know about the brittle plastic. I wondered about that. I've noticed the wire is a bit loose on mine and I don't use it with a lot of force. I keep it inside a tool box, out of the light. Mine came from Kansas City, Kansas and that's where all the cards were from, going by the exchange name database.