Comments on: Help identify this utensil/implement

Question: Help identify this utensil/implement

fire&wings — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 16:33:16 -0800

What is this implement?

Can anyone identify this implement? It's very well constructed, made of brass and appears to be at least 100 years old (Victorian/Edwardian.) The "claws" have sharpened ends and do not meet when closed, which leads me to think it may be a device for pressing/squeezing things against a flat surface rather than picking stuff up.

Photos: closed, open.

By: Galvatron

Galvatron — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 16:41:52 -0800

It might help if you can provide some rough dimensions.

By: fire&wings

fire&wings — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 16:43:12 -0800

Handheld, around 6" long.

By: 4ster

4ster — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 16:44:23 -0800

It looks like something that would have to do with lightbulbs, where one end could be attached to the bulb and the other to a lampshade, although it looks like it would be a bit of a fire hazzard to do so.

By: Steven C. Den Beste

Steven C. Den Beste — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 16:46:31 -0800

I wonder if it's intended for pulling corks out of wine bottles?

By: djgh

djgh — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 16:50:17 -0800

Could it be some sort of gardening implement for stirring up soil?
Or a head scratcher?

By: snsranch

snsranch — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 16:52:14 -0800

HA! I know! It's used for canning to pick jars up out of boiling water! I used to use a thing like that.

By: fire&wings

fire&wings — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 16:52:58 -0800

4ster - Nothing to do with lightbulbs, this is definitely a handheld device designed for a specific task.

Den Bese - Wouldn't pull a wine cork out, the spiked claws show it's made for gripping something other than glass and the circumference of the closed "claws" is more than double that of a wine cork.

By: Rock Steady

Rock Steady — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 16:55:01 -0800

I like S C. DB's idea, but it looks like the diameter is too big for a wine cork. Perhaps for pulling the... ahem... bungs out of casks?

The other idea that spung to mind is something dressmaker-y. Perhaps for wrapping fabric around button forms to create self-buttons (buttons covered in the same fabric the garment is made of).

By: Rock Steady

Rock Steady — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 16:56:21 -0800

Hmm. I'm too slow a typer (more Typing of the Dead for me, I guess). I think snsranch has it.

By: fire&wings

fire&wings — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 16:58:04 -0800

snsranch - great suggestion, that fits perfectly. I'll wait for any other suggestions before marking the best.

By: Brian James

Brian James — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 17:00:38 -0800

Wasn't there some contest, I recall it was affiliated with a college or university, that sought to identify the function of some mystery device? I think I heard about it through MeFi in fact. Anyway, this thing looks like what I recall that thing looking like.

By: rob511

rob511 — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 17:03:26 -0800

Either:
1) Vending machine claw or
2) Dr. Who Victorian-era robot prosthesis

By: Andrew Brinton

Andrew Brinton — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 17:05:46 -0800

I'm guessing it's a claw. How about for pulling eggs out of boiling water?

By: snsranch

snsranch — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 17:13:32 -0800

Sorry to pipe up again, but in the closed picture it looks as though it would fit very securely around a Mason jar lid. Also, canning was still very common back then.

By: nessahead

nessahead — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 17:33:11 -0800

Looks like a device to get pickled things out of jars. They sell similar devices today for things like olives and garlic: http://www.4garlic.com/grabber.html

By: cosmicbandito

cosmicbandito — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 17:36:22 -0800

is looks to me like a cleaning implement. how wide is it when you have the "fins" extended? Could it be for cleaning flues? (tie on rope, drop down flue, pull back up)

By: roomwithaview

roomwithaview — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 17:40:07 -0800

Agree with snsranch. My parents used to have a more rudimentary version (not as many claws, plastic "base") of that, which they used to remove hot bowls (full of whatever food was being cooked) from a steamer.

By: Mitheral

Mitheral — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 17:45:45 -0800

Rather than jars which are handled easily with a large plier like device it might be for extracting rubber rings from boiling water. Before self sealing lids were developed glass gars were sealed with glass lids and a rubber ring.

By: Galvatron

Galvatron — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 17:53:06 -0800

This seems completely overengineered for a jar lifter; the standard tool is just a specialized set of tongs, and it's hard to imagine why anyone would want to use anything more complicated and seemingly less effective.

Mitheral might be on to something.

By: snsranch

snsranch — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 18:23:30 -0800

I hate to say it but I agree with Mitheral and Galvatron. This must have a much more specialized use. Working on it.

By: conch soup

conch soup — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 18:38:48 -0800

You sure could beat some eggs with it. Then close it up would squeeze off all the gooey...egg.

By: needs more cowbell

needs more cowbell — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 18:40:10 -0800

A family member of mine says: brass is poisonous and not generally used with food.

I don't think that would preclude using it in canning, but other kitchen uses are probably out.

By: hangashore

hangashore — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 18:51:56 -0800

How about a device for grabbing a plate from a hot steamer? I googled "plate grabber" and (eventually) got this picture from this page.

By: Uncle Jimmy

Uncle Jimmy — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 18:52:25 -0800

Perhaps it is for moving hot coals.

By: jeremias

jeremias — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 19:20:10 -0800

You may be able to get a definitive answer from someone on the old tools mailing list

By: LobsterMitten

LobsterMitten — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 19:26:18 -0800

Brian James, maybe you are thinking of this? Which turned out to be a hat-fitter for the making of custom-sized hats.

By: comatose

comatose — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 20:40:25 -0800

By looking at the engineering of the piece it appears that step one is when it is closed and step two is when it is open. This leads me to believe that you push the larger circular disk on to something, then the teeth spread apart. It looks unlikely that it would "grab" something.

By: brina

brina — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 20:46:59 -0800

It looks like a torture device. It's creepy.

By: LobsterMitten

LobsterMitten — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 21:37:29 -0800

It looks the other way 'round to me, comatose. Looks like it would be easier to push the plunger down than to pull it up, so pushing it down is probably the operational motion. Plus, if spreading the claws is step two, it doesn't make sense to me why they would have such shallow hook ends; they should be more acutely hooked if they're going to be pulling strands of thread (or whatever) apart.

I do like the theory that it's for lifting some cylindrical thing out of a bath.

How sharp are the tine ends? Could they punch holes in paper?

By: blackbeardrrr

blackbeardrrr — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 21:55:18 -0800

Might not be big enough for my guess, but:

It reminds me of an Ice delivery man's tool, like this:

As the tool grips the ice block, the weight of the ice would cause the hooks of the tool to dig in deeper.
I agree with LobsterMitten as far as the plunger action goes.

By: LobsterMitten

LobsterMitten — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 22:09:06 -0800

Here's a picture of a Hydraulic puller along broadly the same design lines. There's a tiny little pencil-sized version of this sort of thing, for pulling little delicate things (eg chips out of a board?), which I'm having no luck getting a picture of.

So I say: it's for pulling or lifting. But what, I don't know.
Lab glass?

Alternative guess, if expansion is step 2 as comatose suggested, it could be for fitting the tines through a narrow opening and then expanding them (eg to clean the inside of a hard-to-reach space, or to hold something fast to the opening?).

By: iconjack

iconjack — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 22:23:53 -0800

This thread sort of reminds me of Liar's Club.

By: serazin

serazin — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 00:07:17 -0800

Maybe try asking the Hadley Farm Museum ?

By: serazin

serazin — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 00:10:37 -0800

Or some medical antique specialists?

Where'd you find it?

By: fire&wings

fire&wings — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 06:36:20 -0800

Thanks for all the input so far. To answer a few points -

The points are sharp, and would pierce paper.

It was found in a box of junk, mainly other kitchen stuff, cutlery, dishes etc.

The diamater of the "claw" when open is around 5"

It's probably not a medical implement.

Ideas still welcome!

By: Galvatron

Galvatron — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 09:04:15 -0800

I think the purpose can be narrowed down, at the very least. My conclusions:

The points on the hooks indicate that it is indeed intended for grabbing and pulling/lifting. (The other option is that its purpose is to make holes in something... which seems unlikely to me.)
It seems to be designed to accommodate items of many different diameters. If this were not the case, the hooks wouldn't need to be so long.
It has an awful lot of hooks. This suggests that it is designed to pull/lift something which tends to tear apart or warp easily under pressure. It must also be relatively easy to pierce the item being grabbed, as it's hard to deliver much force to all those hooks at one time.
As pointed out earlier, it's probably not for food due to the brass composition.

In other words, I don't know. But I'd be thinking along the lines of a tool for pulling large stoppers made of cork or rubber.

By: ajp

ajp — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 10:30:25 -0800

Ooh, looks kinky. But somehow I doubt it is.

By: Chuckles

Chuckles — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 14:29:10 -0800

The disk that actuates the arms goes right to the tips when it is closed, so it can't pick up anything with substantial thickness. Canning jars have a lip (even a lid), so that sounds good, but there is no way for it to pick up an egg.

By: Mitheral

Mitheral — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 17:09:08 -0800

jeremias writes "You may be able to get a definitive answer from someone on the old tools mailing list"

Even if you don't get an answer we love a good mystery.

By: snsranch

snsranch — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 17:51:53 -0800

Let's settle this already.

fire&wings, take that damnable thing and pick up a decent sized pickle jar and let us know how perfectly it fits the rim.

If it competely fails, I'll allow you to use it upon my nether regions, or something else thats fun.