Is this a band installation tool? It's made of brass. I picked it up at an auction today.
looks like a band clamp. Pretty cool. I'm a sucker for tools like this...neat find.
Those go for big bucks on ebay. I can't see how they would be useful for actually installing bands, though. It would be right in the way while replacing the hogshead, which is when you need the bands to be held in place. Even the C-shaped tool sold by all the vendors gets in the way and won't let the hogshead settle into place.
I use plastic zip-ties (8" long), as suggested by Unca' Stan here on the Forum a while back. They work great if you don't get them too tight for the springs to fit between the band ears. (It took me a few band jobs to figure out that part.)