MYSTERY OBJECTS

[Stanley]

No takers?

[chinatyke]

I suspect many are keeping quiet. I think I know.

[Marilyn]

For buttoning boots?

[Stanley]

Sorry Maz but no. Think more of belts!

[Tizer]

Something to do with drive belts in mills?

[Stanley]

Do we give it to him China?

[chinatyke]

I'm thinking the wrong thing. I thought it was for applying metal rivet/buttons to reinforce denim jeans on the pocket corners etc. Is this what you would use on the sectional drive belt on Johnny's lathe?

[Stanley]

Sorry no China. I think Tiz is close enough. They are part of a system for fastening leather belt joints.



Here's one of the buttons with a screwed shank that the other objects tighten up. There are different sizes but this is the only one I have.



Here's another one. Can anyone tell me what this is. Clue, it is made of very dense wood and was used with another object.

[Cathy]

Is it to do with filling some sort of fire-arm with gunpowder?

[Tizer]

Made of ebony, a dense black hardwood, denser than water?

[Marilyn]

Handy for teachers. Looks like just the thing to poke sleepy kids in the ribs...whilst being carried discreetly...

[Stanley]

Sorry Cath and Maz but no....
Yes Tiz, very heavy for it's size but then it had to be to do its job.

[Stanley]

Any takers? If not I'll come clean tomorrow. Think veterinary matters.......

[Marilyn]

Something to help with glassmaking?

[Stanley]

No Maz. Think old fashioned treatment of animals......

[Gloria]

Is it something to do with the hole in the nose of a bull, which the ring goes through?

[Stanley]

No Gloria, but you are in the right area of treatment. Used to be very common for horses..... (nothing to do with castration!)

[Gloria]

This is a wild guess.
Is it anything to do with popping medicine balls down the throats of horses??

[Marilyn]

"Medicine Balls" I remember those big heavy things on School Sports Days!

[Cathy]

Is it to do with Dentistry and horses or counting the 'hands' of how high a horse is?

[Stanley]

Nobody has got it and I think we have maybe gone on long enough. It was given to me by an old vet and he said it was a 'blood stick'. It got this name because it was used to give a smart blow to a fleam placed on a vein to cut and bleed a horse. It gave a cleaner and smaller incision.
See THIS Wikipedia article that explains the procedure and also mentions use of the stick but they call it a 'fleam stick'.
Next one?

[Gloria]

What is this in?

image.png

[Tizer]

An old Morris vehicle?

[Gloria]

Sorry no Tizer.

[Stanley]

Old, high quality four cylinder side valve about 1910.... I was tempted to say Rolls but it doesn't look like Rolls engineering. Something Like a Lanchester?