What is it? Set 412

[Rob H.]

The latest set has been posted:

[Walter Kraft]

2383 Attendance clock, time recorder clock 2384 Condom dryer for reusable condoms? 2385 Meat tenderizer 2388 Linen-thrower gun?

Am 27.10.2011 10:49, schrieb Rob H.:

[Alexander Thesoso]

Again, I apologize for posting at the wrong place in the thread... I still don't see RH's initial post.

2386 I'll make a wild guess... The brackets are to keep the cart on a guide rail. I guess this is an assembly-line cart. I imagine something about the size of a washing machine being assembled on a line, one unit to a cart, pushed from assembly station to station. 2383 I like WK's answer, an employee time clock. The employee number, one to one-hundred, around the periphery. The wheel at 3:00 would be the day of the week.

[Rob H.]

Correct, it's from a factory in Wisconsin

Haha, I hope that's not the answer. The owner of it had this description of where he got it:

"I have about twenty of them. They were in a pile of junk at a house I'm cleaning out. I'm wondering if they're some sort of construction component. Something that gets used when building a house or fabricating something. Because there's so many of them and they're all the same, I'm thinking they are used repeatedly for some application."

Yes

[Rob H.]

I hadn't thought of the assembly line possibilty, the owner thought it looked like a mechanic's creeper with a bracket that might be for train rails but I don't know if the train mechanics used creepers or not.

[Dave Baker]

They have a vague resemblance to joist hangers but those are usually made out of galvanised steel strip.

[Scott Lurndal]

They generally drive the engine over a big pit to work underneath. An example is at the California Railroad museum in Sacto (worth a visit, just to see the SP cab-forward).

scott

[Tara Sorensen]

2384. 10" tall, this was sent in by a visitor who would like to find out its purpose:

is this a hanger holder? like retail we had something similar that held hangers in a neat pile.

kiki.sorensen @ gmail dot com

[Northe]

2385: I believe its a scarificator, used to make a series of cuts for bloodletting. The second photo shows the device for adjusting how far the blades stick out and thus the depth of the cuts.

Northe

[Bill]

To me, it looks like a desktop item--like a folder or a big paper clip, except it might occupy less desk space.

Bill

[Lloyd E. Sponenburgh]

I believe they're glove driers. (Fire station, only 20, et. al.)

LLoyd

[beecrofter]

A bolo gun for throwing a line , most of the ones I have encountered used a 45/70 blank cartridge.

[Rob H.]

Yes, inside of the large box there is a smaller closed box on the right that holds a box of .45 cal. / 70 grs. powder cartridges.

[DoN. Nichols]

2383) Looks like a target in some kind of carnival game. You hit the arm, either in the center, or near the outer end, and it pokes into a numbered hole -- presumably recording the hit in some way. There are 100 numbered holes, and two spaces where there *could* be holes but there are non, increasing the odds for the game master.o

Looking at the clock and the arm, it suggests that they move in parallel, but I would actually expect it to be a bit faster so someone would not have to wait up to an hour for a shot at a particular number.

2384) Well ... *I* would use it as a bookend when a shelf was not totally full and the end books were likely to topple over on their sides. Not a very decorative version, but it looks quite functional for the purpose. At 10" -- maybe for LP records instead of for books. 2385) I would like to see a photo which showed the blades fully extended. It looks a bit dull for cutting leather to strips, but it might work for cutting meat to thin strips, perhaps in the process of making jerky. 2386) The brackets appear to be to guide it on a a central rail, and perhaps to keep it from leaving that rail, while the rollers allow it to move along the rail with relatively little friction.

I don't see any provisions for seats or straps, so it is not likely to be an amusement ride.

So it is likely for transporting some product or other. Perhaps carcasses in a slaughterhouse?

2387) Interesting that the wire bails on the two sides are at 90 degrees to each other.

I could imagine it being applied to something like a mildly soft cheese to allow some dip or something to fill in the slots.

2388) A strange combination of pieces.

What looks like the stock and action of a rifle with a shortened barrel.

The ends of the rods are also interesting.

And a holder for a can (and two spare cans) under the barrel.

At a guess, this is intended to launch one of the rods, with a string tied to it, between two ships, or to cross some other gap which cannot be easily walked over -- like a canyon.

One end of the string is tied to the eye in a rod, which is placed into the barrel, and a blank cartridge from the compartment at upper right in the box is chambered.

In the can is string wound in a pattern so it can pay out quickly without having to spin something up to speed, so sort of a zigzag wind.

Hmm -- perhaps the wood piece is placed into the end of the barrel, and the rod with the eye is fitted into the brass ferrule in the end of the wood piece, and the combination is launched to carry the string across to the other side.

Once across, the string is normally used to pull over a stronger and heavier line, perhaps to allow a person to ride a suspended chair between the ships.

I would like to see the capped end of one of the cans to see whether it has an opening appropriate to pulling string out at speed.

Now to post this, and then see what suggestions have been made by others.

Enjoy, DoN.

[KentWalker]

2386 The heavy construction, hand holds on the sides, and cross ribs to brace ones heels on make this appear to be a small one or two person "man skip" for transporting miners down an angled shaft. The brackets would be for attaching a pair of lift cables.

[J Burns]

2386: The brackets appear to be bolted through metal straps on the top, as if to be sure they weren't torn loose.

The planks on top and bottom suggest it was made for rigidity.

The length is about the same as from a man's butt to the top of his head. The wheels would support his hips and shoulders.

What if a cable, rope, or chain ran under the cart, and a mechanism clamped it securely to each pair of clamps? If somebody was being pulled on it and the cable broke, he could still be pulled out the other way. The clamps seem well positioned to steer without putting much stress on the cart.

It might be used for access where there wasn't much height. I wonder of low passages in mines could have smooth floors.

[Kevin(Bluey)]

2384 is a chicken roaster stand the vertical part of the frame is inserted in the cleaned chicken and stood in a baking tray and placed in the oven ,all the fat collects in the oven tray instead of around your waist. Othe types have a holder for an open can of beer that goes inside the chicken while cooking

[Gunther Mannigel]

Am 28.10.2011 10:19, schrieb Kevin(Bluey):

I'd say it is a paper towel holder.

Gunther

[Rob H.]

Lots of good guesses on the two unidentified items but I haven't been able to find proof for any of them. The answers for the rest of the set along with some new photos can be seen here:

've got a couple more tough ones that were sent in to me lined up for next week, hopefully we'll have better luck then.

Rob

[Kevin(Bluey)]

Missus has a paper towel holder similar to that pic but it has a circular base , and is 13" tall , is also plastic coated . The chicken cookers are popular here ,some have grease catch trays under them some dont.