Hazard A Guess – Week of Nov. 16, 2000

Hello from Hazard!



OK, Item No. 606 has us totally confused. More readers weighed in on the side of the sock darner: Victor Summers of Newell, W.Va., and J.L. Betz of Library, Pa. But the head part is really too big to shove in the sock for darning without stretching it to bejeebers.



You’ll remember Item No. 606 was the barbell-looking thing. Well, Shirley Rydzinski of Newburgh Heights, Ohio, says that’s exactly what the thing is: a barbell. She says she had the same item marked “Spaulding” in 1/2-, 1- and 2-pound sizes.



The well-worn item did have a faint “one-half pound” marking, so maybe she’s right. Charles Forsythe of Salem, who shared the item, found at least three boxes of the wooden things. Maybe they came from an old gym (although a one-half pound barbell doesn’t do a whole lot for your muscles). I dunno. Isn’t there anyone out there who can help? Shirley’s guess may be the closest to the mark.



We’re not faring any better with Item No. 607. Joe Betz thinks it’s a die for turning threads on a dowel rod or brush handle (the article is hinged so that the die can be changed). But he doesn’t think it looks heavy enough to thread pipe.



On the other hand, David Gauch of Garrettsville, Ohio, offers his best guess at Item No. 607 (although he prefaces his response with “I can’t be sure of the use of this item with any certainty… .”) He thinks it may be some sort of wire-twisting tool for making cable or wire rope, maybe with some sort of core. The tool could be clamped around the core and other pieces of wire or cable could be put through the smaller outer holes and the tool would rotate around the core to cover it with the outer wires. Not a bad guess.



I guess we’re forced to show it one more week. Anyone know what it is?



Send your ideas to: Hazard a Guess, P.O. Box 38, Salem, OH 44460; or via e-mail to: editorial@farmanddairy.com. This week’s early deadline is 1 p.m. today (Nov. 16) for The Antique Collector section, so you’ll have to wait another week to see more responses (other than the speedy e-mailers).