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Tools and Hardware3526 of 10112My mystery toolLick found beach combing
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    Posted 7 years ago

    deestuff
    (1 item)

    This wonderful item is one of our favorites because it is mechanical and we have no idea what use it had. We took it to the Antique Roadshow and was told it was for toasting bread... We don't agree. The item has a handle and a folding stand. There is a lever on the back which controls the front curved arms and there is a moveable screwed down rotation dial type thing in the front that allows small movements of a pair of flat arms to be manually lifted. We would love to know its purpose. We have many ideas and nothing concrete. What do you think? Thanks

    Unsolved Mystery

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    Comments

    1. Peterdrury Peterdrury, 7 years ago
      i dont know.
    2. Horseradishman1 Horseradishman1, 7 years ago
      Welcome to CW, deestuff. Beautiful item! I will ask the obvious. Any numbers or letters? Good luck
    3. deestuff, 7 years ago
      Well this might help! It says: The Powers Invention Company, 53 Blenheist St., London ESW, patent Patent numbers 25779/04 & 96720/07 My husband said the patent office in England burned at one point and he attributed that issue with our inability to find out what this item is!
    4. deestuff, 7 years ago
      Blenheim St. Thank you Horseradishman! (I grew up in the horseradish capital of the world. Or at least that is their claim to fame. Any ideas about where that might be?!!!)
    5. Horseradishman1 Horseradishman1, 7 years ago
      Absolutely! Collinsville, Il. I have been to the horseradish festival! Love it. I get most of my roots frin there...
    6. deestuff, 7 years ago
      Yes!! I remember all the boys taking summer jobs in the fields to pick horseradish. Well, then it really is true!
    7. Watchsearcher Watchsearcher, 6 years ago
      I was just looking at older posts during a little bout of insomnia.
      I MAY be able to help.
      I think it's to twist 2 strands of yarn or cord together to make 1 stronger strand of yarn or cord.
      The U-shaped stand-looking thing fits over a seated person's thigh.
      With the 2 different containers of cord on the floor in front of the person, thread a cord thru one of the lovely brackets and then thru one of the eyelets. Repeat on the other side --that brings the 2 separate cords together at the main part of the device.
      I can't tell the exact mechanism from the picture, but I think that the device is then activated so that the 2 cords get pulled together and twisted together forming a ball of a stronger 2-ply cord.
      There may be a mechanism there to control tension as it twists the cord (or thread or yarn).
      i hope this idea leads you to an answer!

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