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What's this?

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mc2fool
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What's this?

#251856

Postby mc2fool » September 14th, 2019, 5:44 pm

Does anyone know what's this is? Note that the splines do not open up with pressing or releasing the plunger. It just causes the disc within them to move up and down.

Image
Image
My photos, https://imgur.com/a/CJTSaht

Cornytiv34
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Re: What's this?

#251857

Postby Cornytiv34 » September 14th, 2019, 5:49 pm

Potato masher?
Cornytiv34

jfgw
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Re: What's this?

#251865

Postby jfgw » September 14th, 2019, 7:11 pm

mc2fool wrote:Note that the splines do not open up with pressing or releasing the plunger.

Looking at the photos, it looks like they are meant to open when the plunger is released. I suspect that rust, debris or something-else is preventing the device from opening.

Julian F. G. W.

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Re: What's this?

#251866

Postby swill453 » September 14th, 2019, 7:11 pm

Possibly some kind of ballcock thing. There should be a hollow ball in the cage that floats.

Scott.

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Re: What's this?

#251871

Postby kiloran » September 14th, 2019, 7:32 pm

An animal trapper of some sort? Maybe to hold a small snake?

admission.....maybe that wee sherry I had an hour ago wasn't that wee :D

By the way.... is this a genuine DAK, or do you know what it is?

--kiloran

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Re: What's this?

#251874

Postby elkay » September 14th, 2019, 7:45 pm

Looks like it would be useful for squeezing a teabag in a cup of tea.

:)

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Re: What's this?

#251877

Postby jfgw » September 14th, 2019, 7:53 pm

elkay wrote:Looks like it would be useful for squeezing a teabag in a cup of tea.

Or bouquet garni or something similar.

Do the fingers open if you pull the plunger?

Julian F. G. W.

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Re: What's this?

#251882

Postby ReformedCharacter » September 14th, 2019, 8:05 pm

A coffee frother for hipsters.

RC

mc2fool
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Re: What's this?

#251888

Postby mc2fool » September 14th, 2019, 8:29 pm

Cornytiv34 wrote:Potato masher?

Doubtful, it's too small and certainly not strong enough to smash spuds. It's all plastic.

kiloran wrote:An animal trapper of some sort? Maybe to hold a small snake?

admission.....maybe that wee sherry I had an hour ago wasn't that wee

By the way.... is this a genuine DAK, or do you know what it is?

Yes, I found it clearing out my mum's place and have no idea what it is. It was in a kitchen drawer, although that may not mean much as in her later years she'd tend to put all sorts of things in all sorts of places. I am however pretty sure she never had any snakes. :D

elkay wrote:Looks like it would be useful for squeezing a teabag in a cup of tea.

AHA! And a quick google image search for teabag squeezer finds https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Teatool- ... B003V53XJG. Even has the cable ties in the same place! Thank you (and why didn't I think of that!) :D

Image

jfgw wrote:Do the fingers open if you pull the plunger?

You know, I never tried that! :shock:

UncleEbenezer
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Re: What's this?

#251904

Postby UncleEbenezer » September 14th, 2019, 9:45 pm

So, the perfect gift for someone you want to annoy. Do they give it kitchen space, or do they get rid of it and risk giving offence?

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Re: What's this?

#251911

Postby jfgw » September 14th, 2019, 10:44 pm

Who designed it? William Heath Robinson? It looks a somewhat over-complicated contraption for doing something simple. What is wrong with the stainless steel tweezer type? It makes as much sense as replacing a simple, traditional, reliable toilet syphon with a modern, leak-prone push-button contrivance with more than a dozen breakable plastic parts.

The package shows the contraption with the claws open so it appears they should open one way or another.

Julian F. G. W.

mc2fool
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Re: What's this?

#251919

Postby mc2fool » September 14th, 2019, 11:58 pm

jfgw wrote:Who designed it?

Apparently "Designed by a doctor who couldn't bear the drips created when transferring a soggy tea bag from mug to bin" https://www.lakeland.co.uk/12644/Tea-To ... g-Squeezer :shock:

But what ho, I think its existence has been worth it for the entertainment value here. :D

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Re: What's this?

#251995

Postby bungeejumper » September 15th, 2019, 1:01 pm

There surely has to be a bit missing from this gizmo? If you look at the 45 degree angles on the top ends of the arms, close to where the pivots are, it seems clear that an inch-thick spacer disc on the central stem would drive them apart as the plunger was pulled outward. Possibly spring loaded?

But as to what it was intended to grab, the mid boggles. Baked potatoes or hot coals from a fire? Or is it some kind of a fiendish instrument of torture? (Shudder.) :shock:

BJ

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Re: What's this?

#252103

Postby bionichamster » September 16th, 2019, 7:29 am

mc2fool wrote:Apparently "Designed by a doctor who couldn't bear the drips created when transferring a soggy tea bag from mug to bin"
D


I squeeze the bag against the side of the mug with a spoon and slide it out still squeezed, result, no drips. God knows how much this person spent perfecting and patenting that contraption.

Bh

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Re: What's this?

#252141

Postby stewamax » September 16th, 2019, 10:01 am

At first sight is looked like something to be applied to a sensitive part of the male anatomy (one of two) by the Spanish Inquisition

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Re: What's this?

#252195

Postby jfgw » September 16th, 2019, 12:25 pm

For about half the price, you can get a stainless steel tweezer type squeezer like this, https://www.amazon.co.uk/TEA-BAG-SQUEEZ ... B001EU2FSK .

It is:
Cheaper;
Almost unbreakable;
Unlike the one designed by a doctor, it doesn't have any nooks and crannies that are impossible to clean;
It should last hundreds, possibly thousands, of years;
It is made from a material which is easily and economically recycled.

There are probably other advantages. There may be disadvantages but I haven't thought of any yet.


Julian F. G. W.

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Re: What's this?

#252291

Postby SteelCamel » September 16th, 2019, 8:12 pm

You can also get tea bags with built-in squeezers. They're tagged tea bags but have two strings on the tag - or actually two ends of the same string. You can tear the tag in half and pull the two halves apart, and the string tightens around the edge of tea bag and squeezes it.

Or you could just use a teapot...

mc2fool
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Re: What's this?

#260170

Postby mc2fool » October 25th, 2019, 3:42 pm

mc2fool wrote:
jfgw wrote:Do the fingers open if you pull the plunger?

You know, I never tried that! :shock:

Been trying to upload this to imgur for a while, finally succeeded.... :D

https://imgur.com/va8mtZo


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