MYSTERY OBJECTS

[Stanley]

Can anyone tell me what Jim Pollard is doing in this image?

[chinatyke]

Counting in?

[Stanley]

Explain a bit more China. What's he working with and what exactly is he doing?

[chinatyke]

Counting in was the term I knew for preparing a sized warp beam for weaving. I'm not sure of what was fully involved, but it was counting the separate individual warp threads into the required number for the fabric design being produced. It was considered a specialised job - a beam could have several hundred to over 6000 threads - and you weren't allowed to interrupt or distract the worker. I think they threaded the ends through healds during counting to control the shed in the loom, or arranged them in combs.

[Stanley]

Exactly right China, we called it drawing in. Jim was a master at it, a very complicated job especially deciding what factors were important to produce the cloth required. So many variables.
Next for shaving?

[Stanley]

Try this one......



What can you tell me about this pic? Clue, it's right up Tiz's street!

[Stanley]

The artefact they are stood next to is the valve gear off a big mine pumping engine......

[chinatyke]

Cornish tin mine drainage pump?

[Stanley]

Yes China.... Now go a bit further and take a stab at where it is......

[Marilyn]

Cornwall?

[chinatyke]

Wheal Jane tin mine? A lot of mines had seams running under the sea so I guess there was a lot of water to shift.

I was in Cornwall with my family when they were young and desperately seeking to get to a bank before 3pm closing time. I stopped my car and asked 3 men who were talking on the pavement if there was a bank nearby. They fell about laughing and joking amongst themselves and I never did get an answer, I just drove away and thought they must be part of the local loonies day release club. Later I found out that I had been in the village where Wheal Jane mine was located and it had recently closed.

[Stanley]

Sorry no. I had better come clean..... It's a scene at Harvey's of Hayle who were mine engineers and amongst other things built big pumping engines.... (LINK)
Next one anyone?

[Stanley]

What can you tell me about this?

[Gloria]

For sharpening something, maybe shovels, axes, scythes?

[Stanley]

You're right Gloria but a bit more superior than that. It's a wet grinding stone that rotated at a slow speed and the bottom was immersed in water. It was valuable because it was used for sharpening cast steel tools which couldn't stand the heat associated with a modern high speed grinding wheel. It was in Brown and Pickles' Wellhouse shop.

[Stanley]

Try this.....

[Cathy]

Looks like something from the antiques roadshow... Mmmm, Chinese or Japanese? definitely hand etched, probably from the.... era. Beautiful.... wood. I'd say it's...

Sorry, no idea. I like it tho.

[chinatyke]

....Beautiful.... wood. I'd say it's...

Sorry, no idea. I like it tho.

Bamboo!

[Stanley]

You're both partially right and yes I think it's old. But what was it used for?

[Wendyf]

A brush pot?

[Stanley]

I think so as well Wendy, of course there is no label on it saying so!

Next for shaving?

[chinatyke]

Almost definitely a brush pot for calligraphy brushes used with the black ink.

[Wendyf]

It's fairly obvious what this is, the mystery to me is how it works! Can someone explain please?

[Stanley]

You put your card in and moved the pointer round to your works number on the periphery then stamped the card with the number and the time proving that you were actually there. This machine catered for 150 workers. If there were more you added another machine and so on.

[Wendyf]

Where did the card go?