Thursday, May 27, 2010

Set 338

For first time visitors I recommend this archive for some of my best posts.



1939. Approximately 4" long:

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1940. This was sent in by a visitor who is looking to find its purpose, it was discovered on the beach on Inis Mór, Aran Islands, Galway Bay, Ireland, the longest piece is around 8" in length:

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1941. 32" tall:
































1942. 1/2" diameter:




The rods are 6-1/2" and 8-5/8" long:


































1943. About 30" long:









































1944. 8" long, there are five lines of text on this item, the last one reads "Upon Penalty of Death", take a look at Neatorama for more guesses on this one and a chance to win a prize:

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Answers:


1939. A Bencher Iambic Paddle for transmitting Morse code:

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1940. Haven't been able to verify any of these suggestions:
-Trivet
-Animal poke or collar
-Hay tool
-Part of a sailboat
-Holder for something
-Strainer frame
-Simple puzzle
-Noise maker

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1941. A Franklin chair stepladder:



































1942. The stylus from an Etch A Sketch:






































1943. These are called hames, they were used on work horses:
A horse collar is a part of a horse harness device used to distribute load around a horse's neck and shoulders when pulling a wagon or plow. The collar often supports a pair of curved metal or wood pieces, called hames, to which the traces of the harness are attached. The collar allows a horse to use its full strength when pulling, essentially allowing the horse to push forward with its hindquarters into the collar rather than to pull with its shoulders as it would be required to do if wearing a yoke or a breastcollar.










































1944. This is a message vial from the Civil War for carrying top secret plans, text on it reads:
43rd Virginia
Partisan Ranger Battalion
Not To Be Opened By Any Soldier With
Less Than Field or Staff Commission
Upon Penalty of Death


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Last week's set is seen below, click here to view the entire post.








More discussion and comments on these photos can be found at the newsgroup rec.puzzles.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Set 337

For first time visitors I recommend this archive for some of my best posts.



1933. 8" long:

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1934. 36" diameter:

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1935. 11" long:

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It's around 2-3/4" deep:





























1936. The points are 2-1/2" apart, take a look at Neatorama for more guesses on this one:


































1937. 7-3/4" long, an unidentified piece of hardware:

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1938. 18" long:









































Answers:


1933. A clamp for use on snow skis:





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1934. A Pontiac weather vane from a car dealership:

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1935. A barber's bowl that was used back when they were also surgeons, the bowl was held against the neck when shaving and was also placed against the arm, just below the cut when a patient was undergoing a blood letting procedure:

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1936. A can opener, it could likewise be used to close the openings by placing the points in the holes when putting the can in the refrigerator, patent number 1,037,541:


































1937. This is part of a 'three ring serreta' that is for use on a horse, it's missing its leather cover, lots of examples on this site.

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1938. A picket from the Civil War for use with a horse, it was pounded into the ground and the horse was then tied to the ring:
















To submit photos, send them to the address in my profile.















Last week's set is seen below, click here to view the entire post.








More discussion and comments on these photos can be found at the newsgroup rec.puzzles.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Set 336

For first time visitors I recommend this archive for some of my best posts.



1927. 7-1/2" long:





































1928. 9" tall:





































1929. Approximately 5" long:
































1930. The idea here is to state the purpose of the objects in this field:

































1931. 10" long, 12 pounds, take a look at Neatorama for more guesses on this one and a chance to win a prize:









































1932. 7" long:












































Answers:


1927. A Disston combination saw set and raker gauge or saw jointer, the saw set is the slot in the round part on the end. This tool is missing its file that would have been used as a saw jointer to level the teeth of a saw prior to sharpening.





































1928. An anchor plate or bearing plate, it's connected to a through bolt, which ties the wall and floor systems together to give extra support to the wall. In earthquake zones they are sometimes called earthquake bolts, though they are also used in many areas that are not prone to quakes.











An S-brace that was used in the same manner as the star:





































1929. This was made to hold a long piece of leather that was used to strop a straight razor:





One of the best money saving ideas that I've heard in the past few years is to strop your own razor at home, disposable razors used to last me only a week but since I've been stropping them they last at least five times as long. I use a pair of blue jeans for a stropper, as seen in this video.

From further research I've learned that keeping the razors dry is equally important to stropping, since oxidation can dull the blades.
































1930. Two years ago I drove past this field and wondered what the plastic cylinders were for, a couple weeks ago I saw them once again but this time I pulled over for a closer look. Turns out that they are hutches for roosters.




































1931. A naval bar shot, it was fired from a cannon and was designed to rip away an enemy ship's rigging, similar to chain shot.









































1932. A beekeeper's wire imbedder (sic), it was used to embed wire into a comb foundation to give it strength, as seen on page 366 of 'The Beekeeper's Guide'.


















To submit photos, send them to the address in my profile.















Last week's set is seen below, click here to view the entire post.








More discussion and comments on these photos can be found at the newsgroup rec.puzzles.