> originally i assumed this was a guessing game, where anyone who wanted to
> participate could send in their guesses as to what the objects were, and
it
> was fun, a brain teaser, then i started to wonder if this was actually
> something where the only acceptable responses were if you ACTUALLY KNEW
what
> the objects were, now i'm back to thinking it's just a fun guessing game,
> but of course it's better if you KNOW what they are. it is fun to see
these
> weird objects and try, from a photo, to guess what it may have been used
> for, also fun to make an ass of yourself with an incorrect guess, and fun
to
> see others that make an incorrect guess too. there have been a few weeks
> where i'd puzzle over the picture for tens of minutes and wonder about it
> during the course of my daily life.
>
> 484. originally i also thought it was a pipe from a pipe organ, but when
> someone guessed something for sampling i started to wonder if perhaps that
> may be what it is, because a few weeks ago there was a long thin grain
> sampler. huh. curious that it has a metallic tip, seems like it may have
> been built that way to prevent abrasion of the tip, used for plunging into
> something to sample it? with that german sounding name makes me wonder if
> it has something to do with BEER.
>
> 485. huh. hinged in such a way that it opens (instead of closes) when
> pressure is applied to the handles. and spring loaded so it opens back up
> on it's own. i have no clue. and why does it have those little grippies
on
> the handles?
>
> 486. it does look like some sort of fishing harpoon. weird though that
> center tang huh? looks like it would perforate the poor little fishy so
> badly he'd be cut in half.
>
> 487. my first thought was a hand held corn cob kernel remover, but...
that
> seems like a awful lot of work to make such a thing out of cast iron.
>
> 488. THAT looks like an abacus.
>
> 489. first thought was an ice cream maker but second thought, i'd agree
with
> another poster, old fashioned washing machine. that's funny huh? an
> oscillating motion instead of a rotary motion on the handle.
>
>
> last weeks' was fun. the falconry hood was a brain tickler. i got the
> bowling pin but the shaving cream dispenser was driving me nuts. i
thought
> it was an OLD car horn (for some reason the sound came out both ends).
the
> ice pike didn't surprise me (there used to be a thriving ice harvesting
> industry near me here in kingston ny, supplied ice to nyc in the old days)
I agree that it's more fun when people post wild guesses, or even not so
wild ones, it would be a lot less interesting if only correct answers were
posted.
Rob
I thought that I had a couple of difficult ones this week, but they've all
been answered correctly:
484. Organ pipe
485. Brake safety gage
486. Eel spear
487. Corn sheller
488. Soroban abacus
489. Clothes washing machine
Two new photos and a few links have been posted on the answer page:
http://pzphotosan87ul.blogspot.com/
Rob
In article <[email protected]>,
R.H. <[email protected]> wrote:
>Just added another set of photos:
>
>http://puzzlephotos.blogspot.com/
484: Some sort of sampling instrument
485: Wire gauge caliper
486: Gardening tool
487: Torture device
488: Foosball arms
489: Churn
On Thu, 20 Oct 2005 08:23:56 GMT, "R.H." <[email protected]> wrote:
>Just added another set of photos:
>
>http://puzzlephotos.blogspot.com/
>
>
>Rob
>
Some WAGS (Wild-something guesses)
#484: Wooden calliope pipe
#485: Appears to be some type of snap-ring pliers
#486: Dunno, looks dangerous though
#487: No clue
#488: No clue
#489: Old laundry handwash agitator
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
R.H. wrote:
> Just added another set of photos:
>
> http://puzzlephotos.blogspot.com/
>
>
> Rob
>
>
487 I'll make a WAG this devicce has something to do with rolling up
newspapers and maybe binding them with wire so they can be burned like
"logs" in a fireplace?
489 Butter churn?
Jeff
--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
"Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented."
"DoN. Nichols" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> According to R.H. <[email protected]>:
> > I thought that I had a couple of difficult ones this week, but they've
all
> > been answered correctly:
>
> [ ... ]
>
> > 488. Soroban abacus
>
> [ ... ]
>
> > Two new photos and a few links have been posted on the answer page:
> >
> > http://pzphotosan87ul.blogspot.com/
>
> O.K. Looking at the overall photo, it is *only* a Soroban, not
> an abacus. There are too few beads on each section for it to be an
> abacus.
>
> And -- in either case, the photo shows it upside down. The
> single bead (Soroban) or double (Abacus) should be on the top. These
> have the higher value, so convention has them in the upper zone.
>
> And I have one of each (Neither nice metal construction like
> yours, but I've had the Soroban since about 1962 or so, and the Abacus
> since perhaps about 1990-1995. (The latter was picked up at a hamfest,
> while the former from my parent's trip to Japan, so I have the better
> feel for the date of acquisition for the former.
Thanks, good thing that you're here to keep an eye on me.
Rob
484 Organ pipe
485 Thickness caliper of some sort. However, what I don't get is why there
are notches on the ends of the handles, as though it's meant to closed by as
rubber band.
486 Gaffing hook (?)
488 A miniature or novelty abaccus. Sometimes these are used as belt
buckles or paper weights.
489 Washing machine conversion of a metal pail.
"R.H." <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Just added another set of photos:
>
> http://puzzlephotos.blogspot.com/
>
>
> Rob
>
>
484 Looks like an old organ pipe to me.
485 Caliper of some type.
486 Reminds me of a fish or frog spear minus the handle.
487 ?
488 ?
489 Very early washing machine.
--
Nahmie
Stupidity is not considered a handicap, park elsewhere.
According to R.H. <[email protected]>:
> Just added another set of photos:
>
> http://puzzlephotos.blogspot.com/
O.K. Posting from rec.crafts.metalworking again:
484) A wood "pipe" from an organ. Obviously this one produces
the note of "A", though I'm not certain in which octave. I
think that is is a fairly high one, given the size of the stem.
The "handle" at the top moves a felt-covered square wooden plug
to fine tune the pitch.
I used to have a few of them, from when the organ at the chapel
at school was replaced.
I don't remember the metal bit at the bottom of the stem,
however.
485) A thickness gauge. Probably for some specific trade, but
I'm not sure which trade. I can't easily make out the markings
on the scale, or the word in the box under the pointer, but I
suspect that it indicates a "good" range.
486) Nasty looking thing. It is obviously designed to go on the end
of a long pole.
At a guess, it may be for pulling the strip of blubber off a
whale as knives on other long poles cut it free.
487) It looks as though it is intended to splice two objects
together. The fingers on the inside grip the two objects, and
the two notches perhaps serve for a winding to pull the two
sides together, prior to winding around the whole length.
488) Some of the counting beads on either an Abacus or a Soroban.
I can't tell which, because you only show four of them. A
soroban would have only four in the lower section (worth one
each) and one in the upper section (worth five each). An abacus
would have five in the lower section, and two in the upper one,
allowing acumulation before carry. Both were simple
adding/subtracting machines.
489) I *think* that this was meant to attach to a wooden bucket, not
the galvanized steel one shown.
It could either be a butter churn of an interesting design, or
an ice cream maker (with a secondary bucket full of ice. If a
butter churn, I would expect a leadscrew turned by the central
gear to run a plunger up and down. If an ice-cream maker, I
would expect it to turn paddles instead.
Enjoy,
DoN.
--
Email: <[email protected]> | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---
"R.H." <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I thought that I had a couple of difficult ones this week, but they've all
> been answered correctly:
>
>
>
>
>
> 484. Organ pipe
>
> 485. Brake safety gage
>
> 486. Eel spear
>
> 487. Corn sheller
>
> 488. Soroban abacus
>
> 489. Clothes washing machine
>
>
> Two new photos and a few links have been posted on the answer page:
>
> http://pzphotosan87ul.blogspot.com/
>
>
> Rob
Just goes to prove we're a bunch of ANCIENT old farts here.
--
Nahmie
Stupidity is not considered a handicap, park elsewhere.
According to R.H. <[email protected]>:
> I thought that I had a couple of difficult ones this week, but they've all
> been answered correctly:
[ ... ]
> 488. Soroban abacus
[ ... ]
> Two new photos and a few links have been posted on the answer page:
>
> http://pzphotosan87ul.blogspot.com/
O.K. Looking at the overall photo, it is *only* a Soroban, not
an abacus. There are too few beads on each section for it to be an
abacus.
And -- in either case, the photo shows it upside down. The
single bead (Soroban) or double (Abacus) should be on the top. These
have the higher value, so convention has them in the upper zone.
And I have one of each (Neither nice metal construction like
yours, but I've had the Soroban since about 1962 or so, and the Abacus
since perhaps about 1990-1995. (The latter was picked up at a hamfest,
while the former from my parent's trip to Japan, so I have the better
feel for the date of acquisition for the former.
Enjoy,
DoN.
--
Email: <[email protected]> | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---
On Thu, 20 Oct 2005 08:23:56 GMT, "R.H." <[email protected]> wrote:
>Just added another set of photos:
>
>http://puzzlephotos.blogspot.com/
>
>
>Rob
>
#488 looks like the beads on a nice abacus. Or something else...
489 is an ice cream freezer
"R.H." <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Just added another set of photos:
>
> http://puzzlephotos.blogspot.com/
>
>
> Rob
>
>
On Thu, 20 Oct 2005 08:23:56 GMT, "R.H." <[email protected]> wrote:
>http://puzzlephotos.blogspot.com/
484 Doorbell
(yes, I know what it used to be too. I have two of these as part of my
aeolian-hydraulic doorbell project. A bucketful of water flushes down
into a sealed air chamber and plays notes on each in turn. When I have
it finished and tidy I'll post pictures)
486 Eel spear
Worth serious cash these days - watch out for modern forgeries (yes,
really - there's a market in faked fish-hooks)
487 Dr Foster's Patent Anti-Wanker
488 Abacus beads ?
489 Ice cream maker
There should be a wooden inner bucket too, traditionally applewood.
Cream goes in the middle and is churned. Ice and salt mixture goes
outside the wooden bucket and inside the metal bucket.