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Mystery items
Posted: September 25th, 2017, 6:18 pm
by jfgw
1. What is this garden ornament?
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/629HhLk.jpg)
2. Another garden ornament here but do you know what it
really is?
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/MfhXIZB.jpg)
3. What is this piece of plastic for?
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/Kl2Ckbi.jpg)
4. Needless to say, these are needles but what are they for? ("Stitching" is not specific enough an answer!) Note the triangular hole left by one of them.
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/3FrGgAL.jpg)
5. Not chopsticks for westerners!
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/gPTU8JW.jpg)
6. A useful tool if you have a use for it.
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/3eE6yIw.jpg)
7. You have seen this but you might not recognise it.
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/1BGXNIx.jpg)
8. What is this?
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/zIDOG6P.jpg)
9. And this?
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/vkJJ1LI.jpg)
10. Who would use one of these?
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/7u0wsjY.jpg)
(Copyright note: all photos are mine.)
Julian F. G. W.
Re: Mystery items
Posted: September 25th, 2017, 10:06 pm
by staffordian
No 8 - objective lens from a microscope?
No. 10 - Carpenter? It looks like the blade from a plane to me.
Re: Mystery items
Posted: September 25th, 2017, 10:45 pm
by jfgw
staffordian wrote:No 8 - objective lens from a microscope?
No. 10 - Carpenter? It looks like the blade from a plane to me.
No. 8 is correct, it is an objective lens from a microscope.
No. 10 is not to do with carpentry, however.
Julian F. G. W.
Re: Mystery items
Posted: September 26th, 2017, 7:45 am
by panamagold
4) Leather stitching ?
6) Pipe or tube scriber/cutter ?
Re: Mystery items
Posted: September 26th, 2017, 8:09 am
by Gengulphus
3) Looks like a gauge to check whether letters meet the size requirements for 'standard letter' and 'large letter' postage. Knew I'd seen something very similar in action but took me a while to recall when - it was when posting a 'Signed For' letter at the Post Office counter...
Gengulphus
Re: Mystery items
Posted: September 26th, 2017, 8:44 am
by Gengulphus
9) A piece of old-fashioned metal type, used for manual typesetting before the introduction of more mechanised methods? The right hand end looks as though it would produce a letter 'C', and the groove in the middle would be part of the system for locking together all the characters so that the character-printing surfaces are all coplanar and so all do actually print when pressed against a flat sheet of paper.
Alternatively, possibly a metalworking stamp for impressing a letter into a piece of (reasonably soft) metal. I think that's less likely because I see no very obvious function for the groove, but that may just be a lack of imagination on my part!
Gengulphus
Re: Mystery items
Posted: September 26th, 2017, 8:45 am
by AleisterCrowley
7) looks like a mangled stapler
Re: Mystery items
Posted: September 26th, 2017, 9:38 am
by UncleIan
I think (4) are needles for whipping rope, or sailmakers needles.
Re: Mystery items
Posted: September 26th, 2017, 10:53 am
by ReformedCharacter
No. 10 Would be used by a beekeeper. It is a hive tool used for lifting frames out of hives and a few other tasks.
RC
Re: Mystery items
Posted: September 26th, 2017, 11:24 am
by ReformedCharacter
6. I think must be used for scribing lines around pipes, possibly to cut them.
7. I think this must be part of a window stay although I'm not sure!
RC
Re: Mystery items
Posted: September 26th, 2017, 12:53 pm
by jfgw
Answers so far,
1.
2.
3.
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)
Correct answer Gengulphus, it is a "Helix Pricing in Proportion Ruler HP5" viewed from the back. I see that they are still available:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Helix-HP5010-P ... B000PIZAHA .
4.
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)
Correct answer UncleIan, those are sailmakers' needles.
5.
6.
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_e_sad.gif)
Nothing to do with scribing pipes.
7.
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_e_sad.gif)
Nothing to do with staples. Not a window stay but getting warmer.
8.
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)
Correct answer staffordian, it is a microscope objective.
9.
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)
Correct answer Gengulphus, it is a piece of type. I believe that the groove is purely to indicate which way up it goes otherwise letters such as "s" and "o" could easily be set upside-down, and "m" and "w", for example, could be confused. Type is mirror image so typesetters had to "mind their 'p's and 'q's". It is cast from a lead-based alloy so would be too soft for use as a metal stamp.
10.
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)
Spot on ReformedCharacter, it is a hive tool.
Julian F. G. W.
Re: Mystery items
Posted: September 26th, 2017, 1:43 pm
by paullidd
7. Looks like the lead for stained glass windows.
Re: Mystery items
Posted: September 26th, 2017, 2:30 pm
by jfgw
paullidd wrote:7. Looks like the lead for stained glass windows.
Correct answer paullidd, it is a piece of lead came.
Julian F. G. W.
Re: Mystery items
Posted: September 26th, 2017, 7:30 pm
by jfgw
Let me know when you want some clues.
No. 5 is probably by far the most difficult if you don't know what it is. You may not even know that such a device is needed. Note that it springs open when released.
Julian F. G. W.
Re: Mystery items
Posted: September 26th, 2017, 9:25 pm
by AleisterCrowley
Is #6 some sort of 'opener' ?
Looks to heavy to be a wine foil remover!
Re: Mystery items
Posted: September 26th, 2017, 10:05 pm
by staffordian
jfgw wrote:Let me know when you want some clues.
No. 5 is probably by far the most difficult if you don't know what it is. You may not even know that such a device is needed. Note that it springs open when released.
Julian F. G. W.
A small slice of toast from toaster removing tool?
Re: Mystery items
Posted: September 26th, 2017, 10:25 pm
by AleisterCrowley
It looks a bit food-related.
Snail eating implement?!
Re: Mystery items
Posted: September 26th, 2017, 11:10 pm
by jfgw
staffordian wrote:jfgw wrote:Let me know when you want some clues.
No. 5 is probably by far the most difficult if you don't know what it is. You may not even know that such a device is needed. Note that it springs open when released.
Julian F. G. W.
A small slice of toast from toaster removing tool?
The plastic might melt.
Note that a key feature is that it springs open. It is not used like tweezers or pliers.
Julian F. G. W.
Re: Mystery items
Posted: September 26th, 2017, 11:30 pm
by jfgw
AleisterCrowley wrote:It looks a bit food-related.
Snail eating implement?!
Not food related. Not snails, not any sort of fish, nor any other kind of food.
Julian F. G. W.
Re: Mystery items
Posted: September 27th, 2017, 12:26 am
by PinkDalek
jfgw wrote:Let me know when you want some clues.
No. 5 is probably by far the most difficult if you don't know what it is. You may not even know that such a device is needed. Note that it springs open when released.
Julian F. G. W.
Looks a little like a glove stretcher.