MYSTERY OBJECTS

[Stanley]

You'll kick yourself comrade! They are Persimmon wood dowels used as the the pivot for the shuttle peg. Try this one.....

[Stanley]

Come on! Use your heads!

[Pluggy]

seen 'em before but I can't remember where or what for..........

[Bodger]

Tile spacers, pre plastic ?

[Anderoo]

Bit of a guess, wooden teeth for a comb of some sort...?

[Stanley]

I think I ought to tell you... In the old days when you were repairing your clogs the old nails left holes in the sole when you took them out. These small pegs were used to fill the holes before you put the new irons on.

This one should be easy....

[Steeplejerk]

Carpet tacks !

[catgate]

Clog iron nails.

[PostmanPete]

Nails for securing roofing slates?

[Anderoo]

Horse or cow shoe nails?..they used to shoe cows when droving them a long way, does anyone know if they used a full horse shoe, or a half shoe for each cleat?

[Stanley]

Half shoes for cattle. Look for drovers in the site search, should take you to the articles I did on transport, there's an account in there.
Catty was right, clog iron nails. Ian the best slate nails were copper and about 3" long, cheaper jobs used galvanised but they didn't last as well which caused what slaters call a 'nailsick' roof where slates start coming loose and slipping.

Try this one....

[PanBiker]

It's some form of clamp for a 2" mast or scaffold pole, can't see exactly what the use would be as it has no associated bracket or ancillary fixing. Not unlike the myriad of similar brackets used in aerial rigging.

[Pluggy]

Exhaust clamp.

[Stanley]

Pluggy has it right. Used to join two sections together. I don't know whether they exist these days. Can any of you remember the sticky exhaust bandage that you could wrap round a leaky exhaust? It baked solid with the heat and could postpone the evil day when you had to pay out for a new system.



Try this one.....

[PanBiker]

AVO Model 7/8/9 at first glance but the knobs are in the wrong place. It looks like some breed of analogue meter, the photo angle is obviously so as not to give the game away. The carry handle doubles as a prop when on the bench but for a normal meter this is at the wrong end. You can see that it can be locked into position. It looks to have a reset push button in the middle which were common on a decent meter to protect the mechanism from overload. It is definitely a test meter of some sort but I don't recognise the brand.

[Pluggy]

Can any of you remember the sticky exhaust bandage that you could wrap round a leaky exhaust?

Gun Gum Bandage, Still sold.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_255217

Also available as a putty

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... zone=PDPz1

Modern cars don't eat exhausts like they used to. My Skoda, approaching 8 years old is still on its original (battery too, but that was showing signs of struggling towards the end of last winter).

[Stanley]

Ian has it right. Can't find a model number but on the dial it reads 10619-675. The name on it is Avo Heavy Duty Multi-meter. You may wonder why a bum like me has a meter like this.... In 1973, after a spell firing the boiler, I got the job of engineer at Bancroft Shed and started a steep learning curve. One of the problems I had (but didn't recognise at the time) was that because the job was so sought-after, my appointment was a disappointment to many long-laid plans. I came under attack.... The man who ran the Barber Knotter in the warp preparation department wouldn't give me any peace, he said that I was running the engine too slow because I was frightened of it and in consequence his knotting machine, which ran on 110V DC through a rectifier was running too slow and he couldn't keep up with demand. This got really bad and in the end I told him that the fault had been there long before I took over because I hadn't altered anything but that I would address his complaint and put it right. I had a mate in the Midlands who knew about these things and I told him that I suspected the problem was with the voltage my alternator was turning out. According to the meters on the distribution board it was OK, 440V AC at 50 cycles. He got me this meter, I think it cost me about £30, a lot of money but I was mad. When I checked the voltage on the alternator the Avo said it was 350V not 440V so I got a competent sparks in and he soon found the problem. The voltage was regulated by a rheostat for fine adjustment but fixed resistances for the coarse adjustment in the circuit that fed the exciter which controlled the output voltage. It was this fixed resistance that had deteriorated over the years so he replaced it with one that gave a true 440V at mid range on the rheostat. Problem solved! I went up to the man on the knotter on the first day we ran after the adjustment and found him in a hell of a mess! He blamed me of course but I told him what the problem had been and that he was now getting his full 110V DC, his problems were down to bad maintenance of his machine and it was up to him to sort that out. He'd neglected the machine over the years and in the end I think they had to get Barbers man in to overhaul his knotter. The weavers were delighted because the lights were brighter in the shed and in the office the old electronic calculator was working properly again. I was flavour of the month but the man on the knotter never spoke to me again. One small problem was the number of 250watt bulbs that blew in the shed but luckily I had bought a lot of bulbs from the fairground men who had changed voltage and had a lot of 250V Edison Screw 250watt bulbs spare. The meter was expensive but did its job and as far as Bancroft was concerned it saved them a lot of money. So that's how a bum engineer like me has such a good meter. I've looked after it and it's still in perfect condition. I wonder what it's worth now?
Now I'll have to put my thinking cap on again.... it's getting harder to keep you going!

[Whyperion]

Probably somewhere between a fiver and £30 ( the price is a function of supply and demand , there are more around than buyers for them ) . The internal battery might need changing after 25 years. More useful to retain and save spending £20 on a present day model of reasonable quality.

The 10amp current is a bit of a limiting factor though , AVO made some meters for automotive use up to cover the 35/70 amp ranges. I think additional resistances though could be added to one side of the probe inputs to increase the current measuring range ( thinks back to O level physics practicals ).

Try this , an internet search might help , but if anyone has first hand knowledge it might be interesting:

[PanBiker]

Well, trust you to have the odd one out! This has taken some finding but it is a derivative of the Model 8 and is known as the Heavy Duty AVO Meter. It's a cut down version produced in 1971. Smaller than the standard AVO's and with only one range selector and one set of terminals instead of two. It is ranged for general purpose servicing.
It was something to aspire to when in the electronic servicing trade to own or be issued with an AVO Model 8 or indeed it's predecessor the Model 7. I earned my living with a Model 8 as part of my test equipment for twenty years. The Model 7's and early Model 8's were ranged for servicing valve based equipment having DC voltage ranges of 2.5v/10v/25v/100v/250v/1000v the later models were re-ranged to suit transistor based equipment. They all had two range selectors one on the left for the DC ranges and the other on the right for AC ranges and Ohms. The common (black) and range selector (red) input terminals were at the bottom. Another set of terminals at the top were for 2500v AC/DC input. There was an electronic cut out between the terminals at the bottom to protect the meter movement in an overload situation. Below the meter movement there were three potentiometers for zeroing the meter between the various resistance (Ohms) ranges.
Information is a bit thin on the ground for your model Stanley but decent Model 8's are going for anything between £20 - £70 on Ebay. Not a fortune but still a reasonable price. As a comparison, I have a Beckman Digital Bench Meter that I paid £450.00 for when I was servicing computer equipment to component level. Last time I looked I would be lucky to get £50.00 for it . So the AVO analogue meters have held their value better than more recent digital test equipment.

[Whyperion]

I found a AVO MkIII which didnt have any leads , a garage sort out found some leads and they seem to fit. Just that the meter is is very dirty and all the little numbers unreadable , it probably wont work and when I tried selling if for a fiver about 4 years ago got no enquiries. I will get around to seeing if it works , it doesnt have the solid handle though, but it still might come in handy.

[Stanley]

That figures Ian. The bloke who got it for me knew my problem and level of expertise and doubtless got me the one that would be most useful. I'm not bothered about the value, it's worth nothing because it is mine. No problem about battery corroding, I don't keep the battery in it because it lies fallow for long periods. The reason it's in new condition is that shortly after I got it I happened to be next to a dustbin in Gargrave and spotted a splendid solid aluminium case that was originally for a Ferrograph recorder. I was told it was built for marine use and wall-mounting and was perhaps something to do with an echo-sounder. The lid is waterproof and secured by four wing not devices. I lined it with foam rubber cut out to accept the Avo and it's slept in there ever since, perfectly protected.

Haven't the faintest idea what Whippy's object is. It reminds me of the alien architecture you find in places where they have accepted Transcendental Meditation and the like. Was it Milton Keynes that used to be the UK centre?

[Bodger]

Haven't the faintest idea what Whippy's object is.

Anything to do with resistance, ie it reminds me of resistor colouring !!

[Whyperion]

It should have strong links to many of the interests on this site , ( the background buildings give away a little of where it is ),

[PanBiker]

I know what it is an where it is but I had to Google it to find out.

[Whyperion]

Thought that would be needed , but you could guess , if well travelled, from its shape and styling what it is , and maybe some viewers here might have family or remote friends involved in its design or construction as in part its a bit of a world wide collaboration.