Hello from Hazard!
The mail brought us three more correct responses on Item No. 613, which we unveiled last week as an oil level gauge. All three individuals – Duane Stamm of Scottdale, Pa.; Conrad Volz of Cranberry Township, Pa.; and Albert Creighton of Waynesburg, Ohio – identified it as used on Model T Ford motors.
Stamm and Volz say it was an after market product and not sold by the Ford Motor Company. The lubricating oil in the Model T is common to both the engine and transmission. Owners checked the oil by opening the two petcocks on the oil sump area of the crankcase, Volz writes. Vehicle owners using this device removed the lower petcock and screwed this item into the petcock tap. The oil level was then visible in the glass tube.
“One could check the oil without crawling under the car,” Volz adds. “Sure helped if you were dressed for church!”
Readers also quickly identified Item No. 614, which was first shown in the Feb. 15 issue. Howard P. Kasdan of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and Donn L. White (sorry, Donn, your wife forgot to put your hometown on the e-mail).
Both Kasdan and White not only knew what it was, they included the exact name and even dimensions.
Item No. 614, which was shared by Wendell Cole of Lisbon, Ohio, is a Stanley Rule & Level #88 Clapboard Siding Marker. It is used to mark clapboards used to side a house; the adjustable nickel-plated steel blade let builders adjust the depth of the cut. It was manufactured from 1884 to 1935.
And that brings us to Item No. 615, which is a mystery item shared by Wayne Cooper of Fombell, Pa. “I’ve shown this to 100 people or more and all are clueless,” Cooper writes. “I hate to tell you I don’t know what it is, but hopefully someone does.”
Well, here goes. The item is about 13 inches long and six inches wide, all wood with some brass around the springs between the two pieces. We show two angles in the two photographs.
If you have an idea what it is, send your answer to: Hazard a Guess, P.O. Box 38, Salem, OH 44460; or via e-mail to: editorial@farmanddairy.com.
