What is it? Set 262

OK, here we go!
1483: I think its either for holding lab materials (test tubes etc) or else 16 little shot glasses and four small decanters of whisky.
1484: A throwing blade
1485: Coal tongs? Probably not....
1486: This looks like a tool from the movie industry for triming the sides of movie reels to a standard width.
1487: OOh, I know this one. Its for aerating the grass on golf greens. You put these on and walk around the green. I suppose you could ruin the day of a mole or two along the way....
1488; Hmmm nice one. No idea at all...at first I thought it was some sort of device for packing the thread tight when weaving, but the threads throw me off. I look forward to discovering this one.
OK. let the games begin.
--riverman

1484 looks like a throwing knife.
1487 is a lawn aerator (I have a pair exactly like it, in better shape than that one )
-- Ed Huntress

1483 is called a Tantalus. It's a sort of Victorian liquor cabinet that is meant to keep your servants out of your Sherry. 1484 as already mentioned, is a throwing knife.
I think 1486 is a rag slitter for cutting up strips of cloth to make rag rugs.
And I believe 1488 is the squeegee that Superman uses to clean the windows at the fortress of solitude.
Paul K. Dickman

He's right, by golly! :-) How'd you know that?
(halfway down)
--riverman

He's right, by golly! :-) How'd you know that?
(halfway down)
--riverman
I repair antique metalwork for a living. The hinges on these are invariably made out of 32 ga sheet brass folded around a pin. They don't last too long.
The keys are usually missing as well.
Paul K. Dickman

Looks like one might be a fun project sometime.

Well, I hope somebody else can provide some help, as I'm fairly certain I cannot. These are my guesses, some far less educated than others.
1483 - The circular cutouts would seem to hold small bottles, and the squared sections could hold larger bottle or some sort of random implements. I'd guess that this may be for apothecary supplies, for one who might have need of compounding their own medications or have to serve as a doctor in some rather limited capacity. I'd assume a full-time druggist would have a wider selection of ingredients and require larger quantities than would fit in here.
1484 - A throwing knife
1485 - Tongs for, ummm...maybe holding e.g. a goat's horn while dehorning? It doesn't appear that the blades could possibly close together enough for crimping something.
1486 - Rotary shear, presumably for sheet metal, perhaps specialized to also put some sort of a folded edge on the metal for something like forming seams on roofing.
1487 - Shoe attachment for aerating lawns as one walks about doing chores. Probably very annoying to use, especially to one not accustomed to it.
1488 - Rather a strange implement. It may be used for some decorative application (wood graining, etc) by putting various brushes or scribers in selected holes. It does seem that if e.g. a brush with merely replaceable bristles was desired, there would be far simpler and less fiddly ways of achieving that than to have some many individually threaded holes.
Now to read the other ideas....

1483: Jewelry box
1484: letter opener
1485: Barbed wire tongs
1486: Single-slice bread slicer
1487: Glacier-walking sole piece
1488: World's most overengineered squeegee handle.

1483. Record case.
1485. Some sort of food crimper, pastry or pasta.
1487. Strap on (shoes) lawn aerator.
Wes

In article , humunculus wrote:
Almost right - I think :-0
Remember "standard 8" cine film - you ran the reel through the camera then turned it over and ran it through the other way? The film was 16mm wide with perforations down both sides and after development you slit it down the middle and spliced the two sides end-to-end.
I would have thought though it would have had reels on it to carry the film.

Thanks! I thought it was either an apothecary box or for holding alcohol but I wasn't sure which, and thanks to riverman for the link, I'll use that on the answer page.
-----
I've got a number of photos that I don't plan to post on the web site for one reason or another, and figured I would go ahead and post some of them here on the newsgroups.
A. 30" tall x 14" wide:

B. Someone sent this in looking to find out what it is, 8" long:

Rob

In article , humunculus wrote:
Lee Valley sells them:

O.K. Posting from Rec.crafts.metalworking as always.
1483) Hmm ... I *think* that there should be a balance in the housing. It looks to me like something which would be used to carry the ingredients and tools for making medications. Small glass bottles in the racks on the side doors, and packets of dry chemicals in the bottom square compartments, while the long ones under the side racks are probably for mixing tools.
If it were taller, and if the rack holders were a bit smaller, I would suggest that it was for a microscope, with the racks to hold spare eyepieces of differing strengths.
1484) I think that is a balanced throwing knife -- perhaps as used in theatrical productions.
1485) Looks like a tool made by a blacksmith. Perhaps for holding a hot piece as he works on it.
I know that I don't want it holding any part of *me*. :-)
1486) For cutting cloth to make ribbons of a constant width, I think.
1487) For traction in very muddy soil? It looks as though it straps on over the user's toe, and has a clamp in the back to hold the heel in place.
1488) I think that a series of pointed pieces screw in, but exactly what it is to comb I don't know.
Now to see what others have said.
Enjoy, DoN.

Wes wrote in news:Lpg0l.408523$ snipped-for-privacy@en-nntp-03.dc.easynews.com:
1483 - Doctor's/Dentist's medication box (vial holders for powders and a tray for making pills).
1484 - Throwing knife
1485 - Lobster/Crab tongs
1486 - Food chopper
1487 - Strap-on lawn aereator
1488 - Carpet Stretcher

The second one is an asian porcelain pillow. I haven't seen one exactly like it (with the holes) but the size and shape are very consistent. Probably this is for summertime use (the holes make it cooler). Google 'porcelain pillow' and see lots of examples.
The other seems like a display case for something...the seafaring motif makes me think of a big ship in a bottle or something. The rather dull base throws me off, though.
--riverman

I believe this is correct, and I think you are right about the holes making it cooler, though I did some searching and couldn't find any similar ones.
Rob

I also can't find any examples. But it might also be for allowing incense fumes out.
--riverman

Don't know what the first one is for, but I can tell you that it isn't old. The stand isn't from it. It's a cast iron lamp base, probably off a bridge lamp from the 20's. The top is investment cast with no chasing done afterwards and a crappy job of removing the sprues. This indicates manufacture with a high level of technical sophistication but no concept of craftsmanship. Definately post war, probably post 70's, possibly last week.
As for the second one, I concur that it is probably a headrest of some sort.
Paul K. Dickman

1483 I would guess its a box for storing pipes and other pipe smoking articles. 1484 It looks like the kind of throwing knife that the entertainment people use. 1485 obviously some kind of gripper but couldn't guess its precise use. 1486 looks like a tin cutter (I used to make something similar but without the fence) I would say from the highly polished surfaces though that its probably for cutting leather or other material other than metal. 1487 snow grip for strapping onto your shoe. 1488 no idea