Hello from Hazard!
Michelle and Renee Thomas are the only readers who’ve submitted a guess for Item No. 1285, but I think they’ve correctly identified the mystery knife set submitted by Wesley Mitchell — in fact they submitted quite a bit of research to support their response.
They believe Item No. 1285 is a set of steam-heated uncapping knives, which would have been used to remove the top layer of wax from the frame of comb honey so the honey could then be extracted from the frame. Steam would have been generated in a small boiler, such as a 1-gallon honey can. Then, it would have been passed through hoses attached to the valves near the handles into hollow spaces in the blades of the knives. The steam would then escape through the small holes in the tips of the blades.
Michelle and Renee noted the pair submitted by Wesley “are worn out.” “It looks like they have seen a lot of work,” they wrote.
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With the mystery of Item No. 1285 solved, we’re moving on to Item No. 1286.
Patrick Brown purchased Item No. 1286 at an auction, and it was listed as a yarn winder. He believes there might be a piece or two missing and cannot find a similar item anywhere online. He thinks it could have been a table top model or a salesman sample. He would like help correctly identifying and gaining insight on his find.
If you have any feedback for Patrick on Item No. 1286, let us know at editorial@farmanddairy.com, comment on this Hazard A Guess? post at www.farmanddairy.com or send mail to Hazard a Guess?, in care of Farm and Dairy, P.O. Box 38, Salem, OH 44460.
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If you have an item you’d like to have identified by our readers, please submit it to editorial@farmanddairy.com.
