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December 30, 2007 1:28 PM Subscribe
Help me identify this vicious-looking implement.
I picked up this object (larger view) in a thrift store.
If the photo's down, the object is is solid steel, about the length and thickness of a dinner fork or serving spoon shank. It terminates in a rotating wheel with sharp 1/4 inch metal spikes projecting from the circumference.
I found it in the kitchen implement section, but it seems more like an obscure medical or dental tool or instrument of torture than a kitchen implement. Any ideas?
I picked up this object (larger view) in a thrift store.
If the photo's down, the object is is solid steel, about the length and thickness of a dinner fork or serving spoon shank. It terminates in a rotating wheel with sharp 1/4 inch metal spikes projecting from the circumference.
I found it in the kitchen implement section, but it seems more like an obscure medical or dental tool or instrument of torture than a kitchen implement. Any ideas?
It's a baker's tool for putting nice rows of holes in pie crusts, perforating sheets of dough, stuff like that. At least I think that's what it is. And I'm not saying it wouldn't make a good dental/torture implement as well, as would a surprising number of things in the kitchen implement section of your local thrift store.
posted by Naberius at 1:30 PM on December 30, 2007
posted by Naberius at 1:30 PM on December 30, 2007
Looks like some sort of pastry cutting tool.
posted by lefty phil at 1:31 PM on December 30, 2007
posted by lefty phil at 1:31 PM on December 30, 2007
I've also seen pretty much the same thing used to score fabric in a tailor's shop.
posted by heyho at 1:38 PM on December 30, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by heyho at 1:38 PM on December 30, 2007 [1 favorite]
It's a fabric tool. A baker's tool wouldn't need to be as sharp.
posted by Dipsomaniac at 1:39 PM on December 30, 2007
posted by Dipsomaniac at 1:39 PM on December 30, 2007
It looks similar to a pastry crimper, but it's not one ( <- ex pastry chef yammering ). I think vers is right.
posted by -t at 1:39 PM on December 30, 2007
posted by -t at 1:39 PM on December 30, 2007
Actually, I'm with vers on the Wartenberg thing. It's not a ravioli cutter, though that was my first thought.
posted by ReiToei at 1:46 PM on December 30, 2007
posted by ReiToei at 1:46 PM on December 30, 2007
Thirding vers...Wartenberg Wheel was the first thing that came to mind when I saw it.
posted by christinetheslp at 1:53 PM on December 30, 2007
posted by christinetheslp at 1:53 PM on December 30, 2007
It's definitely a Wartenberg wheel, and I'm guessing if you found it in a thrift store it's been used in rather a lot of sex play. S&M peeps like them.
posted by Justinian at 2:27 PM on December 30, 2007
posted by Justinian at 2:27 PM on December 30, 2007
It is a tracing wheel. My late mum had one (strictly for sewing purposes, thank you).
The idea is that you have a sort of carbon paper in between a paper pattern and your fabric. Then if you run the wheel along the lines on your pattern the little spikes transfer some pigment from the carbon paper, and you get a nice dotted line on your fabric which you can cut along.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 2:47 PM on December 30, 2007
The idea is that you have a sort of carbon paper in between a paper pattern and your fabric. Then if you run the wheel along the lines on your pattern the little spikes transfer some pigment from the carbon paper, and you get a nice dotted line on your fabric which you can cut along.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 2:47 PM on December 30, 2007
paxton wrote:
> It's most definitely a Wartenberg, or pinwheel.
Since I am my own employer, I couldn't give a damn, but that link should have an NSFW tag on it.
posted by tim_in_oz at 3:31 PM on December 30, 2007 [1 favorite]
> It's most definitely a Wartenberg, or pinwheel.
Since I am my own employer, I couldn't give a damn, but that link should have an NSFW tag on it.
posted by tim_in_oz at 3:31 PM on December 30, 2007 [1 favorite]
Yeah, that one link from paxton is for sure NSFW.
Looking at the options, my first thought was tracing wheel, but now looking at this Wartenberg thing (learn something new every day!), that seems more likely. It's pointier than a tracing wheel.
posted by Stewriffic at 3:54 PM on December 30, 2007
Looking at the options, my first thought was tracing wheel, but now looking at this Wartenberg thing (learn something new every day!), that seems more likely. It's pointier than a tracing wheel.
posted by Stewriffic at 3:54 PM on December 30, 2007
Response by poster: I agree that from the Wiki picture, my thrift-shop implement is definitely a Wartenberg wheel. It looked too serious for a kitchen implement, though I'm sure it would do the job of pricking holes in pastry. I have no plans to use it in sex play.
posted by bad grammar at 5:14 PM on December 30, 2007
posted by bad grammar at 5:14 PM on December 30, 2007
I am leaning towards a tracing, or ponce wheel, although these types of wheels are used differently than the type i_am_joe's_spleen describes.
Instead of transfer paper, you used plain or translucent paper and then score it with the wheel. Then you pad it with a chalk bag to transfer the pattern to the surface beneath the paper.
An example of a ponce wheel and bag can be seen here about a third of the way down the page. It resembles the picture you posted almost exactly, save for the color of the metal.
posted by qwip at 5:28 PM on December 30, 2007
Instead of transfer paper, you used plain or translucent paper and then score it with the wheel. Then you pad it with a chalk bag to transfer the pattern to the surface beneath the paper.
An example of a ponce wheel and bag can be seen here about a third of the way down the page. It resembles the picture you posted almost exactly, save for the color of the metal.
posted by qwip at 5:28 PM on December 30, 2007
For the record, it's not a tracing wheel. Tracing wheels do what i_am_joe's_spleen says, but are not sharp, since they don't poke holes, just apply pressure.
posted by nevers at 6:02 PM on December 30, 2007
posted by nevers at 6:02 PM on December 30, 2007
If you show it to your doctor, s/he will tell you it's used to diagnose nerve damage. The wheel is run along the side of your leg and if you can't feel it, you might have nerve issues. S/he will probably call it a Wartenburg wheel. The S/M people had to get the name from Somewhere, right?
posted by faceonmars at 6:20 PM on December 30, 2007
posted by faceonmars at 6:20 PM on December 30, 2007
Just for the record, the teeth on Mum's tracing wheel were quite sharp and did prick through the paper. Probably things are a bit different in the sewing/tailoring world.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 8:27 PM on December 30, 2007
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 8:27 PM on December 30, 2007
Response by poster: Thank you, everyone. . . if anyone needs to know why the photo link isn't working now, I have taken down that photo because I wanted to upload some Christmas pictures and not associate family members with vicious-looking implements. If you want to see what it looks like, the Wikipedia link has a picture (same model).
posted by bad grammar at 7:17 AM on December 31, 2007
posted by bad grammar at 7:17 AM on December 31, 2007
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by bad grammar at 1:29 PM on December 30, 2007