Whatsit?

[88v8]

Hello Doug

Hmmm, that tape's only about 6ft long.
Why is the bob tapered... suppose it were for lowering into the end of a pipe and depending how far it want in, that would give the diameter. But then, at a distance, how would one see it. Did it come with a telescope

Ivor

 

[Gothichome]

Hello Doug

Hmmm, that tape's only about 6ft long.
Why is the bob tapered... suppose it were for lowering into the end of a pipe and depending how far it want in, that would give the diameter. But then, at a distance, how would one see it. Did it come with a telescope

Ivor

That sounds plausible, you coat the plumb boob with a colouring agent like blueing, drop it into the mystery pipe. It would leave an impression of the diameter size. You can measure both the pipe size and length at in one shot.
Now why would you need to do that, I have no idea. If building new you would already know th pipe size, if replacing a burst pipe or modifying the system you would have both dimensions from the removed pipe.

 

[DJH]

There's some interesting guesses there... The actual length Ivor is 40 feet :shock: when fully extended.
Thanks for the welcome Feltwell, I've been lurking all the time but no one seems to talk about lead anymore for me to join in 8) 8)

 

[Feltwell]

Hmmm, 40'...…..

Well it's clearly a plumb bob, but it's also clearly not for the conventional use of a plumb bob of establishing a true vertical. 40' isn't long enough for a well, but I'm going to stick to a theme of measuring liquids and say that it's for measuring the depth of a liquid in a tank - lower the plumb bob in until it hits the bottom, then reel it back in and see where the liquid came to on the tape, and hey presto you know how much liquid you've got.

But what liquid...… Could be beer - could be whiskey (with an "e" as Doug's in Ireland ;-)) - could be oil - could even be for a septic tank :shock:

I'll go with oil.

 

[DJH]

You should have stuck with your first answer Feltwell, it is for measuring the depth of water in a well How deep the water is shown by the wet mark on the tape and the well depth from reading the tape at the surface. All these measurements were important so as to calculate the length of the suction pipe needed to supply the pump above ground. These lift pumps worked by atmospheric pressure and from memory about 30/32 feet was the maximum height water could be sucked/pumped up so a tape of 40 feet in length is ideal for calculating this. If a Force Pump was used deeper wells could be used of course and longer tapes used..

This is quite an old example of the tape but I've found a more modern one (which I believe is incorrectly described for oil as how deep would oil tanks be? 8) ) ….




This is illustrated in the 1953 Buck and Hickman Tool Catalogue which at over 1200 pages long and, considering it was published only about 8 years after the War in times of austerity, has an amazing amount of equipment and tools in it.

Whiskey...I remember it well. Jameson with Coke (yes I know :shock: ) was my tipple up until about 5 years ago when the medication I was taking forbade alcohol. Oh well.... :roll:

Doug

 

[Gothichome]

Well, there you have it, ant idea why there would be graduation on the bob?

 

[DJH]

I can only guess that it was to give a true reading... 8)

 

[DJH]

How about these then?

 

[DJH]

 

[Abi Cott]

Ok here's a guess.

Making lead shot for canister shot.

 

[Feltwell]

You should have stuck with your first answer Feltwell, it is for measuring the depth of water in a well

Curses!!!!! :roll: :lol:

 

[Feltwell]

Ok here's a guess.

Making lead shot for canister shot.

That's an inspired guess I'd say, for homemade production.
I seem to remember that commercially years ago they would melt lead at the top of a tower and pass it through a sieve, so it fell down the tower as round droplets which solidified as the air cooled them, before landing in a vat of water at the bottom. Not sure I would have liked the job of getting the lead up the tower though - or whatever they burnt to melt it!

 

[DJH]

Yes...there is lead involved!!

 

[DJH]

An unusual machine for printing plant labels on lead strips....

 

[DJH]

Does everyone give up on the last What's it?

 

[MikeG]

For making fishing weights/ sinkers?

 

[88v8]

Well, it looks like part and counterpart but I've no idea for what. Perhaps for use in the field rather than the workshop?
If the ladle were used as a mould it would solidify with a tail like a tadpole, then the (?) cutter could preserve the tail but it seems a tortuous means of producing a .... whotever.

Ivor

 

[Gothichome]

Does everyone give up on the last What's it?

I hate to be a quitter but i’ve Been trying the figure it out since you posted them. Every think I come up with just doesn’t work out with some hard thinking.

 

[Pennyviz]

The only other thing I could think of using lead was windows, maybe a way of holding and positioning the strips?

 

[DJH]

You are all correct in that molten lead is used and a clue is that the lead is poured through the small hole...

The tools are very old, maybe 19th century, and I've only seen a picture of them in a book of 1893.