What is it? Set 337

[Rob H.]

This week's set has just been posted:

[Northe]

1934: part of a Pontiac dealer sign (?)

1935: barber's shaving bowl

1937: Some kind of spur (?)

Northe

[alex]

1934 A lamp gobo

1935 a barber's basin

[DanG]

I am a total loss for any correct answers

1933. Looks to be made to tighten a narrow ribbon or belt.

1934. A Pontiac weather vane or antenna top?

1935. Feeding little kids to catch the drips. Used by a barber to lather a beard?

1936. No idea

1937. Looks harness related, but again no idea

1938. ??????????

[DoN. Nichols]

1933) Hmm ... from the size, and the protection against scuffing my guess is that this is for doing something with skis.

Perhaps three of these -- two at the ends, and one in the middle, applying stress to them in storage to give them the right curve.

1934) Well ... it is the symbol of the Pontiac motor company, and given the offset, and the apparent mounting on a pivot, I think that it served as a weather vane -- perhaps at a Pontiac dealer's. 1935) That arc in the rim suggests that it is to be held against the throat. At a guess, it is a bowl which was used when a barber is shaving a customer with an old straight razor to protect clothing from drips. 1936) Weird!

The spikes are not long enough to allow any kind of side load if it were driven into wood.

Some clamps could hold it into harder materials (steel, iron, stone) clamping on the discs just behind the points I guess, and then it could take a respectable load.

1937) This looks as though it is intended to go around a horse's leg, with chains or ropes leading off to similar ones on the other three legs. 1938) Looks like a peg designed for supporting an antenna tower or a *large* tent in the field -- probably military, especially given the remains of color on the metal.

The attachment ring will pivot around the head to pull in the direction of the load.

Now to see what others have suggested.

Enjoy, DoN.

[Rob H.]

Correct, this clamp is for skis, I don't know for sure but you're probably right that it's to help them retain their shape while in storage.

Rob

[Steve R.]

1935 I would guess that this is a shaving bowl.

Steve R.

[--riverman]

Here is an image (bottom left) of something that is similar...ish

for keeping the camber in old wooden skis. Sounds about right...I'll keep hunting

--riverman

[--riverman]

1936: a wrench for an old fire hydrant

1937: manacles?

1938: a clampoon, or a safety pin for a fire extinguisher

--riverman

[Rob H.]

Thanks, I never looked at skis close enough to realize they had a camber.

They've all been answered correctly this week except for the piece of hardware which is still a mystery:

[Artemus]

Could #1937 be part of the rigging of a small sailing ship? It looks like it could be clamped around a mast for the attachment of stays & braces. Art

[DoN. Nichols]

I would not think so. It appears to be steel, which would die rather quickly from rust -- even on a fresh-water boat. Bronze would be the metal of choice.

And the inward facing teeth seem designed to discourage a horse or other similar beast from putting too much force on it by means of pain.

And the two side rings are attached to rigid pieces which stand out in the wrong direction for bearing the loads involved in the stays. The rings would be as close to the mast as possible, not standing straight out where the forces would quickly bend the arms.

It looks as though a lock or some sort goes through the aperture plates on the back side to clamp it in place.

Enjoy, DoN.

[J Burns]

1937: How about a clamp for hoisting a wagon axle? If an axle were 3 feet high, I imagine a jack could be unstable and in the way.

Drop the clamp over the axle with the hinged pieces down. Slide a bar through the holes nearest the hinges. If there's much wiggle room between the bar and the axle, insert a shim.

Now use a carriage bolt to draw together the two holes farthest from the hinges. Swinging the hinged pieces in will clamp the bar tightly against the axle and cause the teeth to bite. With the clamp secure, hoist from an overhead beam.

The side rings could be for chains attached to other beams. They would prevent the load from falling in case the block and tackle let go. They would also prevent the load from swinging.

That doesn't explain why the side rings are on long stems, as if to apply torque. Would a repairman have needed to apply a twist to a warped axle?

[Rob H.]

Good guess! Someone posted the answer for this on my site, it's a three ring serreta for use on a horse, as seen here: