MYSTERY OBJECTS

[PanBiker]

A rope guide?

[chinatyke]

An old cannon barrel?

[Tizer]

You lot are just too clever! Panbiker and China are both right!
I thought the first response would probably be `bollard', and then someone would point out the nearby canal and say the worn slots resulted from years of canal barge ropes passing against it. I was going to then say "Ah, but there's more to it than that!" and ask for further comments. Well, Panbiker got the first part right and China followed up with `old cannon' which I'll accept as close enough as the answer to the second part. The canal is in South Wales and passes a foundry that produced cannon. The object is believed to be a reject cannon from the factory.

Next please!

[Stanley]

CDs was right.....
I like the rope guide. The modern imitations we see in our streets always annoy me because the representation of the cannon ball they cast on top as a finial is the wrong size ball for the cannon! But then, in these matters I am a purist.... Try this one....

[Tizer]

Part of an acetylene lamp?

[chinatyke]

Pure guess: does it contain the mainspring for an old clock?

[plaques]

A street light timer mechanism.

[Stanley]

Curses, P has got it. It's an eight day clockwork gas lamp timer. Instead of a man going round lighting the lamps at night and turning them off in the morning they just needed to wind the clock once a week.... Tens of thousands must have been made but how many survived?

Next?

[Marilyn]

So was that for street lamps, Stanley?
What years would they have been in vogue and where on the lamp did they sit? Up inside the glass?
Amazing!
(So did they trigger a spark that lit a wick or something?)

It's a wonder things didn't go "BANG" more often if it was the case of a friction apparatus being near fuel...were street lamps ever known to explode?

[Stanley]

Gas lamps Maz. In the old days the lamp lighter used to have to open a valve by pulling on a ring on the end of the chain and lighting the gas with a flame on the end of his hooked pole. Then pilot lights were introduced, this was a small permanent gas flame that played on the mantle and all the lamplighter had to do was pull the chain to open the valve to the supply. This clockwork motor operated the valve at pre-set times without any intervention. All that was needed was to wind it up once a week, it is an 'eight day' clock.
Very safe and standard until electric street lights took over....

[Marilyn]

So pre 1910? Pre 1900?

[Whyperion]

Probably depends when the gas lamps actually came out of service ( we still have them in some parts - St James' Park over the bridge and walkway to the The Mall is one example in London ).

[Stanley]

Could be as late as immediate Post War period Maz. Electric street lighting in Barlick was coming in around then.
Try this one....

[Marilyn]

A self flagellation device? ( )
Or a drain cleaner?

[Cathy]

A tassel to hold your curtains back...
no, I didn't think so

[Stanley]

I can see where you are coming from but you are on the wrong track.... Sorry!

[PanBiker]

Spare lengths of plug chain.

[plaques]

I'll go for a bundle of ladies chain bracelets. Can't understand why you should have so many, must be one of those fetish things.

[Whyperion]

Looks like something for teasing out fibres

[Stanley]

Nobody is there yet. You need a clue.... Let your minds wander round a weaving shed.....

[Marilyn]

For de-fluffing/collecting fuzz

[Stanley]

Ingenious and they certainly did collect dawn. You are on the loom now, stay there!

[Big Kev]

Is it for dipping in a pot of oil and lubricating something?

[Stanley]

Sorry Kev, no. They were used individually in the loom. It's a difficult one, think about connections in the mechanism of the loom. If you don't get there I will knock it on the head tomorrow. The answer is very simple....

[chinatyke]

I think we've seen this before. From memory it was something like the linkages on Jacquard looms.