History buffs, what is this object/device?

Originally posted by rick004
reply to post by tanda7

 

I lost sleep trying to figure out what it is !! Lol ! The fishing net repair tool made most sense to me ! I love a mystery !! The rocket makes sense but if it had fins in the grooves they should be on the other end to look symmetrical ?

Not necessarily (see the photos I added). I found many examples of this configuration, I think it's more about having the heavy end in front/top.

Also, the grommets could be fitted with an eyelet so the toy could travel along a string?

reply to post by tanda7

It does resemble the toy rocket but there's only one grommet for the string and it wouldn't be balanced ? What would the purpose be for the dowel ?

reply to post by tanda7


Thanks for your input.

Both the net repair and toy rocket theories have some merits...and some drawbacks.

Like you said, a picture of a similar device would be needed to seal the deal. Is this a one-of-a-kind?

As for the net repair tool, it generally makes sense, but why would it be so large and cumbersome? It would not easily be handled with one hand. And then there's that pesky little peg sticking out of the top(?) end. Even if it could be removed for threading purposes, why is it there in the first place?

The rocket theory is maybe a little more far fetched. Clearly this has the shape of a rocket and could accommodate fins at the end, but why such a complex design? How cost effective would it be to manufacture a wooden toy with all those slats and pegs when it could be made far more simply?

If all of the slats on the shorter chamber are in place, they effectively block any access the four grooves may have to the inside of the chamber. In other words, nothing issuing from the chamber in the way of a cord or thread could be routed through the grooves. One of the photos clearly shows this.

One of my wilder ideas (yes, while I, too, am rendered an insomniac by this mystery) is that it could be a non-functional practical final exam project for a woodworking student. After all, its construction would require proficiency in turning wood on a lathe, measuring, beveling, boring, grooving, and precision cutting of parts both big and small. And then I laughed at the desperation inherent in this solution...

I even had two family members subject the photos to reverse image look-ups on the 'Net and they came up empty handed.

I appreciate your effort. Keep at it!

reply to post by GoneGrey


As far as the net repair tool the reason for it being so large is the type of net ? It's for larger fish , the holes would be the size you could put your fist through . I'm sure I have seen this on a documentary at one time . The same thing bothers me though , is the dowel at the end ! I will keep searching !!

reply to post by rick004


Thanks for helping out!

What is the likelihood of a net repair tool being stored in the attic of an older home? The only other items that were brought into the museum with this was vintage clothing.

Whenever I look up images of net repair tools, they are pretty simplistic in design. I haven't been able to find any that approach this thing in complexity of design.

I thought identifying this would have been much easier.

Originally posted by rick004
reply to post by tanda7

 

It does resemble the toy rocket but there's only one grommet for the string and it wouldn't be balanced ? What would the purpose be for the dowel ?

I'm seeing a grommet in the short section...

...and at least one in the longer section;


But you are right it doesn't seem balanced the way it's assembled in the photo (perhaps the longer slat is in backwards?) and I can't yet theorize about the dowel in the center but the dowel sticking out of the end could be part of a system used to launch the thing like with a slingshot. I've been told there were model kits of all sorts of things a kid could buy then assemble them and sand, paint and finish just like the plastic models we are familiar with.

reply to post by tanda7

The dowel would make sense if it was a toy model , it gives it another part to assemble and it would give it more strength when completed ! I'm going to feel real stupid if we find out this is an antique sex toy !! Lol

reply to post by GoneGrey
Is there any indication that the slats have specific placement? I know the slats in the short end are tapered and could only go in one direction but can you move them around to different positions?

Are the slats in the longer section reversible? Could you turn the one with the grommet around so the grommet is closer to the end rather than close to the middle? I'm also curious if the slat positions directly opposite the small protruding dowel are different in any way.

Besides having a grommet are the slats with grommets identical to the others?

reply to post by tanda7


The slats in the longer section could technically be switched end to end, but because the two ungrommeted holes in that section were also nearest the short section makes it unlikely.

Below is a re-annotated photo where I point out one of the ungrommeted holes in case you didn't notice it. They are slightly smaller in diameter than the grommeted ones. They showed no signs of wear in terms of a thread being drawn through them repeatedly.

Originally posted by rick004
reply to post by tanda7

 

The dowel would make sense if it was a toy model , it gives it another part to assemble and it would give it more strength when completed ! I'm going to feel real stupid if we find out this is an antique sex toy !! Lol

Not as stupid and disgusted as I would feel for having handled it! I think I'll go and wash my hands again just in case...

Originally posted by tanda7
reply to post by GoneGrey

 

I have not been able to confirm the "net tool" theory with either photos or professional opinions but I found someone with a fresh theory.

This person told me it is a toy rocket that is sold un-assembled. The grooves in the pointy end are where the tail fins would be fitted and glued. The grommet holes could possibly be there so you could run a string through to the center dowel and swing the toy around like a centrifuge on a length of string.

Or, the small dowel sticking out could be part of some launching system like a large slingshot?

It appears this model never got finished. so therefore none of the slats are glued into place yet and there is little wear.
If the blunt end is heavier than the pointed end, that would support this theory.

edit on 4-3-2013 by tanda7 because: photos

Thinking the same thing about an unfinished model of a rocket.
I was looking at similar rockets before I saw your post.

The grooves would seem to be a place for fins,as well as those holes in the slats without the metal for mounting them.

But,what,fill it with sand? Then launch it at your neighbor?

reply to post by GoneGrey

I now have an archeologist asking me some questions that I will pass on to you:

Can we date any of the other items in the box?

What is the age of the house where this item came from?

Where is the house? How many miles from fishable waters? (private message)

Could/Would you be willing to disclose the address? (private message) This is important because he says he can easily research the former inhabitants for clues to determine connections to industries such as fishing or textiles. Also he may be able to determine the presence of children who may have been raised there.

Can you provide photos of the other items in the box? Can we get a photo of the box?

Can you determine if the items were found together or did the new owner box it up after finding them.

He also seems to think there may be the presence of fibers inside the device in one of the photos. Do you see this also? Would the fibers match clothing found with the item?

This is like CSI!

Some other theories that have landed in my e-mail:
Primitive ballistics,
Shuttle for a vacuum/pneumatic tube communication system,
Japanese chalk line (ruled out by my own research)
A yarn dispensing device that provides two different yarns, (part of a larger machine)

Personally I'm leaning towards the toy theory.
This is a toy that was painted and finished by the user;

It was designed to travel along a string horizontally and has elements that would explain the grommets and other holes.

reply to post by tanda7


It looks alot like that model rocket ! But looking at the pictures again it seems very worn , if it was a child's toy you would think that he/she would have tried to paint it at some point ? Also if it was a model when it came time to finish and paint it the slats would not provide a very nice finished product ?

reply to post by tanda7


Those are all the obvious questions to ask, but I simply happened to be doing some research in the museum's basement reference library when this all came down. The arrival of the items occurred on the floor above me and I neither saw nor spoke to the person who dropped it off. I just happened to be in the building when the transaction took place (it only lasted for perhaps 5 minutes from the muffled voices I could hear upstairs) and I was fortunate enough that the curator brought it to the basement room that I was in, showed it to me and asked for my opinion. The curator could not have gleaned much information in that short period of time anyway. I don't even know if she was aware that the object was among the donated items before the donor left.

When I asked where this object came from, all the curator could tell me was that the things dropped off were found in the attic of a house that this donor's family member was moving into. I don't know how old the house was, where it was, what other items were in the attic (aside from the vintage clothing -- and I don't even know what era those are from). I considered myself fortunate that I was permitted to even see it and take photographs. It would have been pretty brazen of me to grill the curator with further questions since I was not a participant in this exchange of items -- and I doubt she would have known the answers anyway.

I guess fate is challenging us with this dearth of background information...

reply to post by GoneGrey

Would you be willing to at least let us know where geographically? Such as what country/ state/city?

reply to post by rick004

Perhaps the thing was intended to be sanded after it was assembled to get the rounded effect. Back then toys like this could also double as skill teaching devices, like Boy Scout projects.

reply to post by tanda7


I don't think that the slats are intended to remain fixed otherwise they would have been glued, screwed or nailed in place. In the absence of being permanently connected, there is no way this thing would remain in one piece if used in the manner of a toy rocket -- unless it's supposed to be a replica of the Challenger or Columbia, and I doubt that to be the case. Why would it have been necessary to have two chambers in the first place? Given the evidence of lathework being done on this, why wouldn't it have been shaped as a single unit like a baseball bat, for example? It's as if the chambers need to be there.

Also, the grooves are not deep at all. Perhaps 5mm (1/4") at the deepest point before it rapidly tapers off with the curvature of the end cone. Anything fin-like inserted in there would be easily jarred out even if it was glued in place.

I'm having a hard time accepting this as any kind of a toy that would be "played" with. Too flimsy.

A wooden prototype of some device, perhaps...but what?

In response to the question about where the house is:

No idea. I'm in the Great Lakes (Erie) region. The person who physically brought the items in is probably local, but not necessarily their family member from whose house the stuff originated. I can't make that assumption.

reply to post by GoneGrey

I think the toy theory would imply that this is in the un-assembled phase. Meaning that the user was supposed to assemble it by gluing the slats and other parts into place, then sand the entire thing to achieve the desired shape, then paint etc.
But yes, I agree that the fins would have been an obvious weakness in the design.

Perhaps a toy for bigger kids?
In the Boy Scouts they let the scouts assemble little cars and race them. The cars would not have survived being handled by small children but were okay for teens.
They were called Pine Wood Derbys

Also there may have been elements in the tail-fin design that we are not seeing that would have made it stronger.

I'm not heavily invested in this theory so I'm still waiting for opinions from other antique buffs.

reply to post by tanda7


The only thing about the toy theory is even if it was sanded smooth there would be gaps between the slats so You could not achieve that smooth finish like the pictures of the other toy rockets unless you applied crepe paper and varnish afterwards ?

Do You also have an idea of what type of wood ? Is it light like balsa or hardwood ?