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Antiques! => Antique Questions Forum => Topic started by: buzzell360 on July 06, 2009, 05:44:11 PM

Title: what is this?
Post by: buzzell360 on July 06, 2009, 05:44:11 PM
i found this in my grandfathers house upstairs and i have no clue what it is anyone have an idea?
Title: Re: what is this?
Post by: regularjoe2 on July 06, 2009, 05:52:48 PM
I'm betting your Gramps was a golfer .

It's a ball retreiver ( from water ) .
Title: Re: what is this?
Post by: railman44 on July 06, 2009, 05:55:16 PM
It's a grabber of some sort.  I have my doubts it was for submerged golf balls.   ???
Title: Re: what is this?
Post by: talesofthesevenseas on July 06, 2009, 06:06:47 PM
I am betting that it is for agricultural use, picking walnuts from trees, or maybe fruit or nuts from some other kind of tree? Did he have trees where this might have been used?

You might want to contact these guys to see if they know, there are some sort of similar tools on their Web site:
http://www.antiquefarmtools.info (http://www.antiquefarmtools.info)
Title: Re: what is this?
Post by: talesofthesevenseas on July 06, 2009, 06:27:38 PM
Here's a photo of a modern fruit picking tool in use. Is there enough space between the tines to do this?
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/510GBKNMF9L._SL500_AA280_.jpg)
Title: Re: what is this?
Post by: buzzell360 on July 06, 2009, 06:30:36 PM
Here's a photo of a modern fruit picking tool in use. Is there enough space between the tines to do this?
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/510GBKNMF9L._SL500_AA280_.jpg)

it closes if you push in the middle of it then it snaps shut then i have to open it by hand
Title: Re: what is this?
Post by: regularjoe2 on July 06, 2009, 07:13:34 PM
Next guess - a frog , fish or eel gig .
Title: Re: what is this?
Post by: KC on July 06, 2009, 07:31:50 PM
Wouldn't have been for citrus - the last thing you want to do is pierce the rind (my family has owned groves for 6 generations).

Title: Re: what is this?
Post by: ironlord1963 on July 06, 2009, 07:35:25 PM
I'm not exactly seeing the Mech for closing it.  Maybe I'm blind or just too modern thinking.  ;D  Does it slide, or do you have to manually squeeze the grabber?.  I'll go look again cause I'm starting to taste crow here  :P
Title: Re: what is this?
Post by: ironlord1963 on July 06, 2009, 07:40:06 PM
Maybe a landscaping tool, would work really well on the blackberry bushes here.
Title: Re: what is this?
Post by: railman44 on July 06, 2009, 08:57:37 PM
Looks spring loaded.  Maybe a fish or varmit grabber??  You open it like a trap and when it hits something it snaps shut.  The hooks make me believe whatever it grabs it's not too gentle... ???
Title: Re: what is this?
Post by: buzzell360 on July 06, 2009, 09:18:48 PM
yea its not friendly when it closes haha i can tell you that much and it is spring loaded.
Title: Re: what is this?
Post by: luxetveritas on July 06, 2009, 09:20:38 PM
I agree with Regularjoe2, I think it is a golf ball "grabber". My father had one.
Title: Re: what is this?
Post by: KC on July 06, 2009, 10:36:25 PM
That or they have devices similar to these for picking up trash and leaves!  Did he have a hard time bending over to pick up things? If so could have used it in the house as well1
Title: Re: what is this?
Post by: regularjoe2 on July 06, 2009, 10:49:49 PM
So ... 1. how long is it's handle ? 2. Are the tines sharp (they look it to me)? 3. What part of the world did your grandfather live ? ... can't really tell any scale or the actual size of this thingie ...

And by the way , buzzell360 , thanks for posting it here .... it's kinda a fun one to figure out .
Title: Re: what is this?
Post by: luxetveritas on July 06, 2009, 11:05:34 PM
He didn't necessarily have a hard time bending over, but it was useful, especially in age, to get a ball under a bush, that sort of thing. I don't think it was nearly as old as this one though.
Title: Re: what is this?
Post by: cogar on July 07, 2009, 07:48:08 AM
Right on Regularjoe, it is a fish gig (or grabber). When one strikes the fish with it, it will spring shut impaling the fish. Most assuredly used in small streams or rivers at night time via use of a “carbide light”, or a lantern or whatever. Either wading or in a boat, if one is careful enough, one can easily get close enough to “spotlight” and “gig” just about any night feeding or spawning fish. 

And ps, that is why it is now illegal most anywhere to "gig" freshwater fish.

Check this newer version out, to wit:

http://itemlistings.ebay.com/sdcsrp_imsxf?fl=320376697935&sconstraints=PriceMin.Value%3D85&xm&IMSfp=TL090528153002r36919

Title: Re: what is this?
Post by: KC on July 07, 2009, 09:20:59 AM
Great going Cogar....You beat me to it!!!!!!!

Was going to ask if he was a fisherman!

https://www.swordfishingcentral.com/images/store/230342135307.jpg (https://www.swordfishingcentral.com/images/store/230342135307.jpg)
Title: Re: what is this?
Post by: buzzell360 on July 08, 2009, 10:02:55 PM
So ... 1. how long is it's handle ? 2. Are the tines sharp (they look it to me)? 3. What part of the world did your grandfather live ? ... can't really tell any scale or the actual size of this thingie ...

And by the way , buzzell360 , thanks for posting it here .... it's kinda a fun one to figure out .
1.The handle is 24inchs, the whole thing its self is 38 1/2 inches long 2. There pretty sharp 3. He lived in Hallowell,Maine
Title: Re: what is this?
Post by: buzzell360 on July 08, 2009, 10:09:23 PM
it may look like the gig thing, but i don't think it is cuz it takes a lot to shut this. its not like you poke the middle and it shuts. you have to push then it shuts on its own
Title: Re: what is this?
Post by: dontbe on July 08, 2009, 11:11:32 PM
Wouldn't have been for citrus - the last thing you want to do is pierce the rind (my family has owned groves for 6 generations).



Come on KC! It would pick the fruit, AND juice it at the same time! ;D
Title: Re: what is this?
Post by: KC on July 09, 2009, 06:23:22 AM
Dontbe...you are so right....it would save on the weighing, washing and sanitizing processes that cost more to do these days.

I have let the years of food administration requirements warp my brain!!!!!!  AAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!  :)
Title: Re: what is this?
Post by: cogar on July 09, 2009, 10:43:15 AM
it may look like the gig thing, but i don't think it is cuz it takes a lot to shut this. its not like you poke the middle and it shuts. you have to push then it shuts on its own

I'm pretty sure that if the mechanism was cleaned and shined up it would work much easier. And am also pretty sure if one struck the dorsal (back) area of a 12" to 20" fish hard enough that it would snap shut impaling it.

If one is gigging fish it is best to do it at night in shallow water, 10" to 18" deep, because that is where they come to feed, so it is no problem plunging the gig downward trapping the fish between the gig and the creek/river bottom and thus the mechanism would trip/shut. It would never work in deep water unless it was a big fish, 30" to 50" in length.
Title: Re: what is this?
Post by: regularjoe2 on July 09, 2009, 10:09:37 PM
O.K. then ...maybe a sleepy lobstah giggah .