What is it? CLXXIV

1007 Gunpowder proof tester... Load and touch off, indicator shows quality of powder.

1008 ? Some form of climbing kit. (tree or telephone pole)

1009, 1012 ? Astrological instruments. They include sundials, but it isn't likely that other objects could cast usable shadows, so the other gnomon-like objects must have other functions, such as impressing the gullible.

1011 Ckearly a press... but... lacking parts that would make it a printing press, lacking drain passages that would make it a fruit or olive press. Perhaps some sort of embossing press.

1007 - an eprouvete, or black powder tester. A known quantity is fired off and the dial records the strength of it.

This one's intended for measuring the strength of black powder and is ignited with a slow match. It probably came from a powder mill. The more common sort with a carefully constructed and semi-calibrated lock is intended for measuring the ease of ignition. They were used for testing old powder in storage, to check it still worked.

1008 - Linesman's pole climbing spurs

1009 - pretentious sundial. Although it doesn't actually appear that useful, it seems to incorporate all the various sorts of sundial construction.

1012 - more useful sundial. The various faces mean that you can (usually) get a "clear signal" at any time of day or year.

1010 - Stanley collectors' hammer. By this time they'd given up making the useful tools, as they'd realised that if fools would pay $500 for a #102, then they'd buy this piece of junk. Only three were ever made and they sell for $1000s.

1011 - bookbinder's press, with quick toggle action for rapid use. People round here who use the slow screw-only sort would kill for one of these.

1011 is a copying press.

Tom

Eprovette?

Wes

I've heard them called "letter presses".

IIRC they predated carbon paper. You'd handwrite something with a pen and slow drying ink on some kind of porous paper and then use that press to squeeze the wet copy against a blank page.

I'm not sure how the "mirror image" thing was handled, maybe the receiving paper was very thin and you read "through" it. Anyone know the answer to that?

Jeff

1007 Photogrpher's flash gun 1008 Lineman's pole climbing gear 1009 Inter-space-time navigational device for finding one's way through "The Twilight Zone"......eh....donno 1010 A hammer 1011 Printing press 1012 Time-space warp generator for entering "The Twilight Zone"........no?

Sorry about the mis-post..hit the wrong button. Dave

1010--Stanley _OA_ could be one of the following: BOAT COAL COAT COAX FOAL FOAM GOAD GOAL GOAT HOAX LOAD LOAF LOAM LOAN MOAN ROAD ROAR SOAP TOAD.

So it could be to coax a goat or a foal, as with a goad. It may not be real--it may be a hoax.

I think it is for breaking up lumps of coal in a boat.

Jeff, Don't know if this is a copy press or a bookmaker's press. A "letter press" usually refers to a press with movable type. I believe that the receiving paper was very thin and you read "through" it. A web site with more info:

... or a locomotive or a kitchen. When you tell the little lady to cook you up some grub, you don't want to wait all day for the coal stove to get hot. So you get her a coal hammer and teach her to hold it:

"E Z Peaces" wrote: So you get her a coal hammer and teach her to hold it:

that I put together as an exercise, using Photoshop Elements. I would love to for you to see it, but your e-mail address is "invalid." If you will send me an e-mail with address, I will send it to you.

Thanks for the link in which those presses seem to be most frequently called "Letter Copying Presses", but I'll agree that "Letter Press" is more often associated with a movable type press.

I was fascinated to learn that they could use a stack of sheets of receiving paper to copy onto (20 sheets was mentioned.) and the wet ink penetrated through all of them at once to create multiple copies of the original.

Jeff

1007. my guess would be a device to check the quality of gunpowder 1008. could it be used for, like climbing telephone poles? trees? more likely something with a standardized diameter, telegraph/telephone poles. 1009. wow huh? must be some kind of sundial. 1010. lol. my guess would be "(C)OA(L)? maybe for busting up big chunks of coal? (that one might be able to tell a story huh?) 1011. doesn't have much of a throw. i could only guess like a printers proof press? 1012. i'd guess another (unique) sundial.

1010. A set to countersink boat spikes.

Gunpowder testing tool. Put a uniform volume of powder and patch in the little barrel, flash it and see how far it turned the wheel. Sounds good anyway..

Very Bogus Climbing Spikes.

Astronomical tool. Second guess, old German silver and brass thing. Third guess, astrological tool.

Toad hammer.

Bookbinding press.

Astrological tool.

According to R.H. :

I'm a little late with this one, but still posting from rec.crafts.metalworking.

1007) O.K. -- First off it looks to me as though the flat spring is incorrectly positioned. I think that it should be contacting the teeth closer to the bottom of the post.

Anyway -- I *think* that it is a test device for the quality of gunpowder (the old black powder, not modern smokeless powders).

As I see it, you depress the spring towards the stock, rotate the disk with the cover plate to clear the vertical barrel, fill it with a pre-measured amount of powder, add a little in the tiny bowl adjacent to the hole going into the barrel, close the lid over it, and holding it at arm's length, reach out with a "slow match" to the bowl and light the powder.

This will blow the lid upwards against the ratchet, and you can measure the quality of the powder by how high a number you reach (read either at the spring, or by the post.)

1008) This looks like something which I have read about used as punishment in the prison colony days of Australia. The ring was mounted around someone's neck, clamped to a bar, and strapped to an upright so they could not sleep without the spikes sticking into their neck. 1009) An intersting device. Part of it appears to be a sundial, complete with compass for proper orientation.

I think that the rest of it is used for determining latitude based on where shadows of the spikes intersect the curved lines.

1010) At a first guess, it is a hammer for chipping away slag from welding. 1011) Looks like a bookbinding press to me. The wheel and leadscrew adjust the final thickness, while the hand lever uses compound leverage to reach a high compression force. 1012) Another form of navigational instrument, similar in function to the one in (1009) above. Some of the spikes (on both) may be for sightings on various stars in selected constellations.

Now to see what others have guessed.

Enjoy, DoN.

I don't have any more information on them but I'll ask the owner and will post his reply if he knows more about them.

Somehow I posted the answer link to the wrong thread, it's below if anyone hasn't seen it.