Antique-shop.com

Antiques! => Antique Questions Forum => Topic started by: Molly2mcb on July 07, 2009, 05:58:37 pm

Title: Does anyone know what this was used for or what it's called?
Post by: Molly2mcb on July 07, 2009, 05:58:37 pm

I bought this mechanism at a flea market for five dollars but I have no clue as to what it's original purpose was or what it is called.

Title: Re: Does anyone know what this was used for or what it's called?
Post by: luxetveritas on July 07, 2009, 06:12:28 pm

Haha, it looks like one of those rolling claps that you find at an aquatic centre to wring the water out of your clothes  :D Accept a 70 year old one :)

Title: Re: Does anyone know what this was used for or what it's called?
Post by: talesofthesevenseas on July 07, 2009, 06:13:36 pm

I think it is a clothes wringer, but I haven't seen one that has an open end like that. When folks did their washing by hand, you squeeze the water out of the clothes by running them through a device simiar to this one. There are lots of different versions of them. To see bunches of them, you can run a Google image search for antique wringer and all kinds of interesting wringers come up. I think your patent date says 1874, right?

Title: Re: Does anyone know what this was used for or what it's called?
Post by: luxetveritas on July 07, 2009, 06:15:45 pm

Oh cool, I was right  :D Well, maybe ;)

Title: Re: Does anyone know what this was used for or what it's called?
Post by: talesofthesevenseas on July 07, 2009, 06:18:30 pm

I'm just a antique junkie, so we should let the others weigh in with their two cents worth!  ;D

Title: Re: Does anyone know what this was used for or what it's called?
Post by: Molly2mcb on July 07, 2009, 06:19:24 pm

The two rollers are rather small, about 7 inches across and can be separated as they are in the photos but they fit back together. What confused me was that the rollers are crimped not smooth and I'd never seen a clothes wringer like that before.

Title: Re: Does anyone know what this was used for or what it's called?
Post by: Molly2mcb on July 07, 2009, 06:21:24 pm

Pat. Oct 19 1875

Title: Re: Does anyone know what this was used for or what it's called?
Post by: luxetveritas on July 07, 2009, 06:24:09 pm

I really have no idea, just a guess. I, like talesofthe7seas, am an antique junkie, simple as that. I collect, find out info about what I collect, and then move onto a new interest in the broad, broad field of antiques :)

Title: Re: Does anyone know what this was used for or what it's called?
Post by: ironlord1963 on July 07, 2009, 07:32:49 pm

I never fair well in these guessing games, but I would have to say that given the heavy duty looking construction of this item, it would be a metal press of some sort, like making grooves into tin sheets, looks a bit too beefy for everyday laundry.  I would say it is a metal press, or maybe to put grooves into wood.   What goes well with crow stew  :P

Title: Re: Does anyone know what this was used for or what it's called?
Post by: regularjoe2 on July 07, 2009, 08:22:42 pm

Hello Molly2mcb ....

It looks as if the two rollers are adjustable ....is this so ?
Do the teeth & grooves mate with eachother when turned ?
Last question - what's (roughly) the gear ratio ( how many turns of the crank-handle does it take to rotate the roller one time ) ?

Preliminary guess is a stove-pipe crimper .

Title: Re: Does anyone know what this was used for or what it's called?
Post by: cogar on July 08, 2009, 05:16:04 am

I found a similar one on an auction site.

(http://www.dargate.com/225_auction/225_pics/85.jpg)

VICTORIAN CRIMPING MACHINE. N/R. Metal mechanical crimping machine with table clamp and crank, black with gilt and red decoration. Marked: PENN Pat. Nov.2, 1876 July 3, 1877 Reissued March 25, 1888. Condition: good. Sold as is,
http://www.dargate.com/225_auction/225_pics/225catalog.htm

Title: Re: Does anyone know what this was used for or what it's called?
Post by: KC on July 08, 2009, 09:12:16 am

Way to go Cogar! 

Title: Re: Does anyone know what this was used for or what it's called?
Post by: dontbe on July 08, 2009, 11:19:53 pm

Its not a mangle.

What would a Victorian crimp? 4 inches into the edge of a really fancy pie? ;)

Title: Re: Does anyone know what this was used for or what it's called?
Post by: KC on July 09, 2009, 06:26:52 am

don't be is on a roll........dontbe it would actually make a very interesting pasta press! Homemade pasta!!!!!

Title: Re: Does anyone know what this was used for or what it's called?
Post by: cogar on July 09, 2009, 10:56:29 am

A solid ribbed lasagna pasta?

Good idea, that would keep the meat sauce from sliding off. ;D ;D ;D

Title: Re: Does anyone know what this was used for or what it's called?
Post by: KC on July 09, 2009, 02:17:25 pm

Found another idea....crimpers were used for clothing in 19th Century....

http://www.gtj.org.uk/en/small/item/GTJ31051/ (http://www.gtj.org.uk/en/small/item/GTJ31051/)

Title: Re: Does anyone know what this was used for or what it's called?
Post by: talesofthesevenseas on July 09, 2009, 03:25:11 pm

Oh that's interesting KC! It looks a lot like this mystery crimper.

Are the crimpers solid or are they hollow tubes? The Web site at KC's link above says that hot irons were placed inside the crimping rollers.

Title: Re: Does anyone know what this was used for or what it's called?
Post by: regularjoe2 on July 09, 2009, 10:05:43 pm

A few weeks back , on about.com's forums (in the 'mystery item' heading) , was a small version of a 'ruffler' , with a horizontal iron 'rack' and a small metal hand-held brayer as the 'pinion' for doing the same sort of thing .

Title: Re: Does anyone know what this was used for or what it's called?
Post by: KC on July 10, 2009, 08:28:00 am

Wow, I will have to look at that.  I haven't seen one of these in years.  Remember all of the old curling machines and dryers my relatives had (beauty shops) and the clothing crimper.

Title: Re: Does anyone know what this was used for or what it's called?
Post by: rrdd123 on July 11, 2009, 03:18:20 am

I believe you are correct ii is a crimper but I think it was used to crimp hair either the real thing, on the head or in wigs. The rollers are probably removeable so they can be heated.

Title: Re: Does anyone know what this was used for or what it's called?
Post by: KC on July 11, 2009, 09:48:39 am

Don't believe it was used on hair - at least on the head.  Really leaning towards the clothing crimper.

I know there were crimpers for hair. hey were handled with wave plates, but they didn't look so different than the ones we have these days. However...finally found a couple of pics of the electric curler machines I remember seeing in the old shops where I grew up at (they didn't use them - just had them because who would want to buy them??!?!?)
[url]http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1168/1162222982_d3a607ffb6.jpg%3Fv%3D0&imgrefurl=http://flickr.com/photos/42411496%40N00/1162222982/&usg=__nrZVcduYQU3zz7rF92JGSaieVx8=&h=500&w=375&sz=169&hl=en&start=11&um=1&tbnid=j2fDHMmO-6x_SM:&tbnh=130&tbnw=98&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dantique%2Bhair%2Bcurler%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den-us%26sa%3DG%26um%3D1/url]

[url]http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.digapixblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/antique-hair-dryer-original.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.digapixblog.com/category/critiqued/color-color/absrtact-color-color-critiqued/&usg=__35dr_C7yyy9KlFLiiLrZd7pjtIQ=&h=650&w=431&sz=83&hl=en&start=18&um=1&tbnid=2-_lYAt3hBqw4M:&tbnh=137&tbnw=91&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dantique%2Bhair%2Bcurler%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den-us%26sa%3DG%26um%3D1/url]