MYSTERY OBJECTS

[Marilyn]

Good heavens. Who would believe you could take the window glass with you when moving house!
Reminds me of a house Febby and I bought some years ago which was sold for land value only ( it was a tip!)...and we bulldozed the place, sub-divided and built two homes and sold them on. Rescued two lovely stained glass windows from the original house...still have them! Love them, but no idea what to do with them! They don't go with anything we have, but every time Febby asks, I say I can't part with them.

[Stanley]

Maz, old stained glass windows fetch a good price these days, have a look in any architectural salvage business. When I 'won' the boiler house at the old Oldham Royal Hospital for some reason there was a magnificent stained glass window of the Oldham municipal coat of arms. We made sure it went to the local museum and they were delighted, they knew it existed but had never been able to find it. We saved the etched glass out of the board room at Ellenroad as well, I wonder what happened to them.... Try this one....

[Bodger]

all i will say is that one corner is acme

[Tizer]

It's Bob Gates' first Microsoft computer chip. The button battery goes in the centre hole and the cut-outs are to facilitate cooling.

[Stanley]

Good lad Bodge! Come on you lot he's given you a good clue... One of those simple tools that hasn't changed in hundreds of years.

[Gloria]

Thread gauge??

[Stanley]

Almost there so I will come clean Gloria. It's a gauge for setting the shape and angles of the cutting tool for various threads. Also used for making sure your cutter is square to the axis of the thread. Bodge's reference to the cut out is that it was the angle for a cutter for Acme threads which are almost square threads.

Here's my current mystery object, I've asked Mick if he recognises it in Shed Matters. I have an idea I've forgotten something!

[Stanley]

Mick solved my problem for me. No longer a mystery.
Next for shaving?

[Stanley]

Try this one....

[Stanley]

No takers? I'll leave it for another day.

[plaques]

It must be about a year ago you mentioned you had one of these but had never used it. Its for sharpening twist drills. They must be quite large drills by the look of it.

[chinatyke]

Mick solved my problem for me. No longer a mystery.

Aw, come on, Stanley! It's still a mystery to me and probably others.

Graham

[Bodger]

to me it looks like what i would call a "spot face" cutter used to create a flat surface above a drilled hole so that the bolt head tightens on a level surface ?

[chinatyke]

to me it looks like what i would call a "spot face" cutter used to create a flat surface above a drilled hole so that the bolt head tightens on a level surface ?

To me it looks like something you bolt on a door to keep it open.

[Stanley]

P is right about the drill sharpening jig and has a good memory. I never used it but am going to do it up andf use it for my big drills. The small gizmo with the Morse Taper and lugs is an arbor for the milling machine that can accept a variety of small saws and cutters that work horizontally. Found these yesterday, anybody know what they are?

[Gloria]

For bleeding old fashioned radiators??

[David Whipp]

Could be what I call bollard keys - for opening inspection plates on lighting columns and the like.

[Stanley]

I can see where you were going Gloria but they are usually a square hole. David is getting very close. Clue, think safety!

[David Whipp]

For undoing a guard rail/gate?

[Gloria]

Our electric meter on the outside wall has one of those to undo the door, but not as old looking.

[Stanley]

You're all in the right area but missing the target. They are the keys for opening fire alarm points and engine stop alarms to fit a new glass when they have been used. Always hung on the distribution board in the engine house at Bancroft with some spare glasses.

Try this one....

[Stanley]

No takers? The name suggests it came from India.....

[Bodger]

Top view of a "curry" comb

[Tizer]

Sideways view of a poppadom?

[Stanley]

You're not getting anywhere with this one are you. Time to put you out of your misery (and you will kick yourselves!). It's an India Stone for sharpening the blades on a lawn mower. In olden days if you bought a Qualcast or Webb mower you got an oil can and one of these stones as accessories. It#s a very high grade oil stone and could be used for sharpening straight edges on other tools. The stones for curved edges such as sickles and scythes were cylindrical and if you were a real expert you also used a 'strickle' which was a cylinder of hard wood with small holes pitting the surface. You rubbed bacon fat on and sprinkled carborundum powder on the fat. This was like using a strop on a razor, it gave a very fine keen edge.

Now try this one....