Friday Puzzle Picture

很抱歉，我沒有一個線索。

That's a very high mileage for that year, are you sure you won't take a lower offer?

Is it for splicing a loop onto the end of a piece of rope?

What a wonderful object, regardless!

Does the bit at the top (where the string is) look like it could be a ferrule for mounting it on a pole?

Aha

Quote:-

"Above all that is a "holder" like something you could put a broom handle or a pole or something."

Thought so ... sadly, it doesn't get me much further . All looks a bit too floppy for any kind of engineering ... I'm thinking along culinary lines. Some kind of spit, maybe?

If the hook rotates, maybe whatever hangs from the hook is being wrapped or coated with something.

Think maybe you're clutching at straws, there.

Maybe. Can't think of any other reason to rotate a hook. I did think of loading a spool, but a spool would be mounted on a spindle or axle.

But then, we haven't been given any dimensions, so hard to say what what would be hung from the hook. Knowing what could be hung from the hook would go a long way towards determining what this contraption is.

Judging from the crank handle, the board behind looks to be about 8" wide.

"Clutching at straws" was meant as a clue (he said, cryptically).

I think I've found the answer by searching on some of the information Randall gave. It involves straw.

As I think this is kinda cheating, I've been waiting to see whether anyone else is going to come up with the same answer, either by working it out or by finding someone who actually recognises the thing.

Could be that the answer I found was just made up anyway, but it sounds kinda reasonable.

19th century Straw Rope Twister.

Good answer - but it's not the one I have on my card .

A Waring blender, circa 800AD.

19th century tobacco twister.

Makes these prime civil war tobacco twists.

A really early one of these?

Hi Randall,

Can you let us know what is the inscription on the short arm with hook and bevel gear pls,

From Dan Pottier in the original thread:-

I forgot to mention that there is writing on the tool which looks like "Tubrok Bros." That lead didn't turn up anything that looks like this varmint. Dan P.

I was going to say some sort of twisting device for small rope or cord, but the tobacco twister looks like it might be right. What all is on the foot? Does the bottle opener looking part move?

The rope twister could be a good idea. but instead perhaps it is a stretching device. The foot is placed into what is to be stretched and a rope twisted and thus contracting to provide extreme pulling leverage. Not elegant but simplistic.

Thanks to JohnDG for taking over whilst I was "off the air". He cheated rather sensibly went and googled my quote from post #5 and found my source of the picture:-

http://www.picanswers.com/questions/199-strange-tool

One guy there: Denny claims to know what it is, but doesn't describe it very well:-

Did anyone ever work on an old fashioned cattle ranch? The tool is almost upside down from its use position. The flange hooks onto a chain suspended from a block and tackle. When an old fashioned hay bailer spit out the compacted hay, it came in layers, the bailer would separate a double arms length of layers and the wrapper would run a string of wire around the length and quickly hook it onto the hammer (that's the part that gives you a beat when you turn the crank). As the hammer moves it tightens the wire. When the wire is tight, the wrapper twists the machine to interlock the end of the wire and the feed, and clips it off. It's good to be old and remember this stuff.

If anyone can translate, I'm still keen to understand how it works.

CR4 Admin: removed broken link

So its a mechanism for tying the bales? I used to know several old men who told me stories about baling with stationary balers, none ever mentioned the tying mechanism, but did mention they used a tool to tie the bales. I assumed it was something simple like a hook for tying rebar.

A macabre story to go along with this...which shows how far we have come along as a society...he told a story of one of their "hired hands" falling into the baler and getting killed. His dad used the block and tackle (perhaps the one that works with this mechanism) to pull the guy out of the baler. They buried the servant in the plantation grave yard, said a prayer and went back to work...

In the old days that tool cold be used to make these ready made tie wraps for cotton or hay bales or even fence repairs. Even those tobacco twists.

The upper part to accomodate a stablizing pole, the bottom shoe used for holding tension on the twisted item. A pair of pliers to hold the wire end to the wire. Release the shoe pull off the product and do another one.

Jon

The bottom part (as in the picture) reminded me of baling straw from a stationary baler run by a wide belt from the traction engine that came with the contractors.

There is a handle on this one that would be gripped and rammed the spade end into the bale.

On the one I worked we had to ram a 3 sided metal (Al) section into the square section bale . A wire would be inserted in a groove in the section by a worker on the far side .

You were then required to pull the wire through, and up , and back along the top 3rd to the man on the far side, who would then twist the ends together in order to secure the bale. I can't remember how the bales were seperated.