I can't imagine life without Google "Images," the key to figuring out what the heck this somewhat battered wooden object was after it emerged last week from perhaps 40 years of storage in the dusty loft above the Lucas County Historical Society Museum's replica coal mine.
The mine, built in the 1970s in a lower level gallery called, logically enough, the Mine Gallery, really hadn't been cleaned out, sorted, scrubbed and repainted since --- until Karoline and Trae came along this summer. As part of the process, Karoline clambered into the loft (ladder access only) to see what was up there --- including generations of burned out fluorescent tubes, now awaiting disposal.
This emerged from a box, most likely where it has spent the last 40 years, with its accession number intact. That allowed us to trace it to the donor, Young Pearson, among the leaders in formation of the historical society and a formidable collector in his own right.
The initial guess about identity was plumb bob --- although very large and minus any indication provision had ever been made to attach a plumb line.
We then turned to the catalog and discovered that it had been identified by Mr. Young as a "plumber's form," progress but still mystifying.
Google "Images" took us the rest of the way after some rummaging around --- to giving the object a name, "plumber's turnpin," and a use.
As it turns out, the tunpin was part of the process used when joining two pieces of lead pipe with what is called a "wiped joint." The narrow end of the turnpin would have been driven into the end of one length of pipe to flare it, then another length of pipe was inserted into the flare and the join was welded.
It's now headed for the Bill Marner Blacksmith Shop for display with its identity restored.
No comments:
Post a Comment