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What is This?

05/18/2016 1:52 PM

Ok, Fredsky! I've been meaning to give you a run for your money for quite a while.

This is hanging on my wall at home. The loop is roughly about 1 foot in diameter depending on the angle chosen. Overall length is about 4 feet. What is it?

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#1

Re: What is this?

05/18/2016 1:59 PM

Excuse my rhyme: "It's a snare for a grizzly bear!"

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#2

Re: What is this?

05/18/2016 2:30 PM

That wouldn't be one of Hooker's kinky whips would it?

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#3
In reply to #2

Re: What is this?

05/18/2016 2:36 PM

It's a buggy whip for a flea circus. Or a widget catcher for an obsolete widget factory that is redundantly obsolete.

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#5
In reply to #3

Re: What is this?

05/18/2016 3:25 PM

Buggy whip?

Why would you whip a buggy?

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#7
In reply to #5

Re: What is this?

05/18/2016 3:34 PM

The buggy whips you...

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#26
In reply to #7

Re: What is this?

05/19/2016 9:26 AM

This is a vinegarroon, found in desert areas. Very common in SE New Mexico. They get to be 6-8" long with the tail; eat bugs; look nasty but are harmless. They excrete a vinegar fluid when you mess with them.

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#33
In reply to #26

Re: What is this?

05/19/2016 1:25 PM

While you think they are harmless, do not let them bite you. You may find out otherwise. It is said do not allow the bite victims to fall asleep, as they may never re-awaken.

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#10
In reply to #2

Re: What is this?

05/18/2016 10:40 PM

I don't seem to have one of those in my collection.

Whatever it is??!!??

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#4

Re: What is this?

05/18/2016 3:13 PM

It's a lizard loop for catching Iguanas....

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#6

Re: What is this?

05/18/2016 3:31 PM

Dog catcher?

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#8

Re: What is this?

05/18/2016 6:15 PM

Jumbo cable tie?

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#9

Re: What is this?

05/18/2016 10:25 PM

A heart surgery catheter loop

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#11

Re: What is this?

05/19/2016 1:07 AM

You use by placing the loop over "it" and tightening the loop of course.

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#12

Re: What is this?

05/19/2016 1:28 AM

Your old dog 'Blues" first collar.....

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#13

Re: What is this?

05/19/2016 1:47 AM

A tail rope for shark fishing.

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#14

Re: What is this?

05/19/2016 4:29 AM

An external diameter tape measure.

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#19
In reply to #14

Re: What is this?

05/19/2016 6:14 AM

Opps, it's a circumference measure tape.

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#34
In reply to #19

Re: What is this?

05/19/2016 1:26 PM

Hold that joke up for pi day.

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#36
In reply to #14

Re: What is this?

05/19/2016 2:21 PM

I'm sure that's not the answer, but yours is a "girth tape."

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#15

Re: What is this?

05/19/2016 4:30 AM

It is the first belt you had as a young man to hold up your zoot pants...

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#16

Re: What is this?

05/19/2016 4:32 AM

I dunnow!

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#17

Re: What is this?

05/19/2016 4:49 AM

It was used when you strapped the mouth shut of gators you use to wrassle for a living years ago when you were known as Crazy Joe...

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#18

Re: What is this?

05/19/2016 5:16 AM

Is it something to do with lassoing/capturing an animal?

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#20

Re: What is This?

05/19/2016 6:24 AM

This hoop was used by your great great great grandfather to measure head size for fitting hats, he was known as the original mad hatter....they called him Mad Joe...

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#21

Re: What is This?

05/19/2016 8:18 AM

Clue please.

Is it hanging on your wall to be handy for quick use, or is it an ornament, or memento of a past life, or lost youth.....??

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#23
In reply to #21

Re: What is This?

05/19/2016 8:57 AM

OK, time for a clue. It was used extensively before wireless communication became available. I recently saw an example of its use in an old movie.

It is made of bamboo and it is tied together with some fairly heavy wire that also provides the functionality of the device.

It was used for communication but has been replaced by radio.

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#35
In reply to #23

Re: What is This?

05/19/2016 1:31 PM

It is part of a semaphore paddle without the colored cloth. Maybe you used to "call the ball" on a flight deck?

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#22

Re: What is This?

05/19/2016 8:38 AM

It used to be mine... How did you get that????

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#24

Re: What is This?

05/19/2016 9:06 AM

Bag holder for train mail. Squab wrangler. Whomppin' stick.. ?

It's a funny looking pen . meh

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#25
In reply to #24

Re: What is This?

05/19/2016 9:20 AM

Close, but not quite right.

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#28
In reply to #25

Re: What is This?

05/19/2016 10:30 AM

I'm curious why you have got one on your wall, but in absence to an answer to my previous request, I guess it has some historical value to you, and if before radios could it be to do with communication -perhaps pigeon post - a pigeon snare?

Or is your clue cryptic. Designed to throw me off the track.

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#30
In reply to #25

Re: What is This?

05/19/2016 11:03 AM

Loop for grabbing dispatches from a moving train?

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#40
In reply to #30

Re: What is This?

05/19/2016 8:31 PM

Yes, you are correct. Solar Eagle really nailed it as usual, but I hope my clues had something to do with it.

We inherited it from my mother-in-law but weren't really sure what it really was until we saw it used in "Shanghai Express" (film, 1932).

So, it really is a piece of technology, just very old. Telegraphs were passed to passengers on board as well, but it was probably more often used to pass information to the train operators.

It might not look like technology, but it was for its time.

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#41
In reply to #40

Re: What is This?

05/19/2016 8:41 PM

Never seen one before but I'd heard of them, just crossed my mind as soon as I read JE's post.

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#31
In reply to #25

Re: What is This?

05/19/2016 11:29 AM

A Pony Express riding crop?

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#27

Re: What is This?

05/19/2016 9:33 AM

Telegraph loop. used for a portable telegraph between Stations.

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#29

Re: What is This?

05/19/2016 10:37 AM

Oh my, I didn't know that the OP was into S&M.....

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#32

Re: What is This?

05/19/2016 1:11 PM

I'm thinking from your one clue that it is the loop used to pull telegraph (and later, telephone) wires down to the level where they could be clipped into by a portable send/receive set. I still have a homemade telephone "butt-set" which I used to use while troubleshooting telephone installations. Allowed me to clip onto an unused (at least for the moment) telephone pair and dial out (Not in, cause I was on it now. Think extension phone the owner doesn't know he is hosting.) on to talk to the maintenance operator. Yes, it was also usable by 2600 hackers. Of which I was not (at least, not publicly) one.

We'd use it to pull the lines down to where we could reach them, knowing that when we released them, they'd spring back to nearly their original hang, with no one noticing any new "slack" in them, due to the strength-member pulling them back into place.

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#37
In reply to #32

Re: What is This?

05/19/2016 2:31 PM

Sounds sorta plausible, but telephone lines don't have that much stretch.

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#42
In reply to #37

Re: What is This?

05/20/2016 1:22 PM

Early (50's and 60's) back country lines often did. Not installed to the specs of today (Nor, probably, even the specs back then. I doubt they had specs when country phone lines were all Party Lines, which is what we had.), but I pulled them down while standing on the top of my Dad's car. Only had to pull them down a foot. I was a kid, so I had no reason to do it, other than that I could. But I'd read and seen stories about it, so, being a kid, I had to try. Yep, it could be done, 45-55 years ago, in the country.

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#38

Re: What is This?

05/19/2016 3:12 PM

Ah ha ! It's used for passing paper orders from the ground to a moving train...

"From the Patent Application: It is the custom in transferring orders from the ground to a passing train to clip a piece of paper bearing the orders to a. suitable holder which is held to be easily grasped by a trainman as the train passes by. The paper containing the orders is detached from the holder, which is then tossed from the moving train to be retrieved later.


Such hard usage renders the life of ordinary holders short. It is usual to provide a clip on the holder for frictionally retaining the order of up to 25 sheets. In wet weather the paper becomes damp and tears easily and the trainman must use great care in removing it from the clip.
This is particularly the case when the engineer who usually is further handicapped by wearing gloves. It is therefore an object of my invention to provide a train order holder which is sturdy and which will stand considerable rough usage.
Another object of my invention is to provide a train order holder from which the train orders can readily be detached. An additional object of my invention is to provide a train order holder, which can easily be operated by trainmen wearing gloves.

The "Flying Hoop" concept was improved upon shortly thereafter in this 1934 patent application. High technology was applied in the form of two battery-operated lamps, (#7) illuminating the paperwork a night, suspended in a triangle of twine. If all went as planned, the hoop stayed with the operator.

From the Patent Application: The primary object of the present invention is to provide a train order hoop having associated therewith means whereby the order carried thereby may be illuminated so that the picking up of the order at night by a trainman will be greatly facilitated. "

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#39
In reply to #38

Re: What is This?

05/19/2016 4:19 PM

..."Such hard usage renders the life of ordinary holders short"...

...not to mention the life of ordinary trainmen. LOL

But that is how things used to get done.

Nice work finding the patent, old chap.

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#43
In reply to #38

Re: What is This?

05/21/2016 3:11 AM

Your research is impressive GA.

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#44

Re: What is This?

05/21/2016 5:22 AM

If SolarEagle has not given the right answer, you have got some serious explaining to do.

...and I am still puzzled why you have one hanging on your wall......why?

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#45
In reply to #44

Re: What is This?

05/21/2016 10:24 AM

You have to have one ready to grab in case a train comes by and you have an urgent message to send!

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#46
In reply to #44

Re: What is This?

05/23/2016 1:20 PM

He was right! And I have no idea why it is on my wall. You would have to get that answer from my wife! I don't do decoration!

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#47
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Re: What is This?

05/23/2016 3:51 PM

" He was right! And I have no idea why it is on my wall. You would have to get that answer from my wife! I don't do decoration "

That's OK. Can you pass a message on to your wife...to say a CR4 reader is curious....

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