Q: I have an antique sheet-metal-thickness gauge. It's stamped "Haines Gauge Co., Philadelphia, Pa." and "A 12614." Can you tell me the approximate age and correct name of this tool?

A: Robert B. Haines Jr. (1857-1932) of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, was granted a patent for this "micrometer gage" on Feb. 9, 1892. It was used in steel mills to measure the thickness of steel plate coming out of rolling mills. The gauge allowed the person measuring the thickness to stand back far enough so he wouldn't get burned by the hot steel. Haines worked at Lukens Rolling Mills at the time he invented his gauge but opened his own company, Haines Gauge Co., in the early 1900s. His sons took over the business in 1932 after their father died. The company was still in business in 1942. You have an interesting tool, but it's not very useful today--so it's priced at $10-$15.