MYSTERY OBJECTS

[chinatyke]

I've heard it called heddle but not raddle.

[Stanley]

You have it Gloria, lots of different words and like China I've never heard of raddle but there are lots of different names, we called them healds, some say heddle. No matter, I'm giving it to you but..... I want to know what's special about this one. This is the hard bit, I may well have to give some clues!

[plaques]

The healds have a much finer pitch at the edges to give a selvedged edge. A much stronger edging than the standard weave it stops the fabric from unraveling from the edges. Actually a waste product that costs money to produce and is difficult to use in practice.

[Tripps]

Two of these arrived from Shenzhen today. Took so long I'd nearly forgotten about them

mystery.jpg

[chinatyke]

Two of these arrived from Shenzhen today. Took so long I'd nearly forgotten about them

I got two 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles from Shenzhen yesterday, 45hours from ordering to receiving!

Is the mystery object a pumice stone for use on your feet?

[Stanley]

Excuse me, but I wanted the to know what was different about this, and even I slipped up when I gave it to Gloria, it's a reed and not a heald! Two different things. P got nearest to it but went the wrong way, this reed is what is known in the trade as a 'bastard reed' called that because the dents at each end are wider than the rest. This was because the warp naturally contracts at the ends when woven due to the weft dragging it in. This is restrained during weaving by a 'temple' on each side and so the extra threads in the sides are unnecessary. This saves about 6 threads in the warp which over a 20,000 yard run is a good saving. Not cheating because after side contraction the cloth still has the contract number of picks per inch.
By the way, I forgot to say yesterday that raddle is the name if the dye used to mark sheep. It is specially made to be able to be scoured out of the wool during washing.
I'll go with China on the pumice but god knows with the ruler, a rule is a rule!

[Cathy]

I think Tripps is just showing how long the mystery item is. It always helps.

[Stanley]

I hadn't thought about that Cathy. I think it was his mention of 'two of these' that led me astray. I thought he meant both items.

[Tripps]

Sorry for any confusion - it was meant to help.

China is near enough to get the prize - though I suppose it could be used for feet it's meant to be to get limescale from toilet bowls. A feature of hard water area only, and a problem here on the chalk.

I read 'hack' on the web somewhere from that cleaning celebrity lady called Aggie, who used to be an MI5 agent and unusually gave it a go. She said it was hard enough to remove the limescale, but soft enough so as not to damage the porcelain. With some surprise - it works ! - and my loo would stand comparison with any now.
Pummice cleaner

Wow - just been having a browse through Peanutjames' stock. However do I manage without a lot of them? It's like a one man Flatley Drier thread - and he's only gone and put the pummice on special offer for 9p cheaper.

[Stanley]

What can you tell me about this wall?

[Gloria]

Is it built with cobble setts?

[Stanley]

Bugger! Again! Spot on Gloria, it's the old wall that used to separate Stanley's Crumpets and the Station Garage.



What's this?

[Stanley]

This one goes down like a lead balloon. Any takers? If not I'll come clean.

[chinatyke]

It's a hole gauge. This one has a use-by date of July 2016, necessary because holes have a tendency to increase in size with age. These hole gauges have 2 uses: they can be used to measure holes or solid things like drill bits. I'm guessing this one belongs to a Polo mint quality control inspector.

[Stanley]

Sorry China but no. A clue. When in use it would be upright with the hole at the bottom.

[Gloria]

Absolutely no idea.

[Tizer]

Ditto!

[Tripps]

No idea - but it was sold for £8 in the auction. David Stanley July 2016.

[Stanley]

I think I'd better come clean. It's a plumb board. The plumb bob line was laid in a groove at the top on the centre line and the position of the bob in the hole showed if you were perpendicular or not.



One for the knitters. What can you tell me about this hand-knitted beanie?

[Cathy]

It makes a great tea-cosy.

[Stanley]

But what's slightly different about it as a beanie? The clue is in hand knitted.

[Gloria]

Knit two pearl two????

[Stanley]

No Gloria, I'm going to have to give a big clue. What other elements make it up?

[PanBiker]

Sheep and Goats wool?

[Tizer]

Alpaca and kangaroo wool?