No...its not a cherry pitter

[lumbercamp]

No...it's not a cherry pitter

I found this at a lumber camp a few days ago. Starting at the top is a large thumb screw that screws onto a cap that has holes in two sides. The base consists of two feet that would have been screwed onto something to hold it firm. There is a bowl beneath the cap which is 1 3/16" in dia and 7/8" deep. The cap would swivel on the bowl and screw tight on it. I knocked some of the rust off with a propane torch and what appeared to be tiny beads of solder ran from different parts of the item. Fully extended it would be 7".

 

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[lumbercamp]

Re: No...it's not a cherry pitter

My first picture disappered. Heres another, but not as clear.

 

[DCMatt]

Re: No...it's not a cherry pitter

It looks kinda like a bottle capper to me. Place a cap on the bottle and screw down the "bell" until it crimps.

I have two that I use for capping beer bottles (home brew), but they have a lever to force the caps into place, not the big wing bolt.

DCMatt

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Re: No...it's not a cherry pitter

I'm missing something. The shot up into the cup looks solid, but the side shots show the cup with side holes

Does the part below the wing screw just dead-end up against the curved inner cup?

If so, it appears to be designed to press something small and flat into a dished shape, like for leather washers in an old bicycle pump or a domed washer to take up slop in a loose connection (like a wheel hub).

 

[EDDE]

Re: No...it's not a cherry pitter

olive pitter i think DC got it

 

[jglunt]

Re: No...it's not a cherry pitter

Nutcracker?


Jim

 

[Jeffro]

Re: No...it's not a cherry pitter

No its not a cherry pitter , it looks like a retort. Used to burn the mercury off of gold. That may have been mercury that ran out. Dig up the spot where you dropped the merc and put it in a plastic gold pan and pan it out.

Mercury isn't as dangerous to handle as most people believe, but you definately don't want those loose beads in your house or any building where the fumes can accumulate over the years.

Once you recover the mercury, put it in a glass vial and cover with water. Then look into disposal, if you don't want to keep it.

If there's a shiny, spongey looking mass still in the retort, that would be gold and mercury sponge.

Are you sure it was a lumber camp and not a mining camp? Is there gold in this area?

 

[Gypsy Heart]

Re: No...it's not a cherry pitter

Its not a bottle capper. I would assume it was bolted to something. Which means there wont be any leverage other than the screw down and tilt ball cup on top. Hmmmmmm.....Time to put on the thinking cap....

 

[EDDE]

Re: No...it's not a cherry pitter

this picture reminds me of something look real hard for it ..........

 

[Gypsy Heart]

Re: No...it's not a cherry pitter

Would it be something like a early ball hitch ?

 

[lumbercamp]

Re: No...it's not a cherry pitter

The cup is solid, it's the cap that has the holes in it. Looking at it again the screw would not go all the way down to the cup. I'm wondering if something was placed in the holes on the cap and then tighened onto the cup. I didn't notice before that the holes are rounded on top and flat on the bottom There is no gold at all in this area. The beads were not mercury as there are still tiny, solid beads attached to the metal. Some of them show on the 2nd photo. Thanks for all your help.

 

[Functional]

Re: No...it's not a cherry pitter

Would it be something like a early ball hitch ?

Could be, but its hard to tell while the rust is still there and you can't see how the screwed down part looks when moved clear of the curved "dome" part.

I think Charlie P. had the right idea. From what I can see, it could be used for a variety of things. Even for pressing tin into a half moon shape, to make sleigh bells.

F.

 

[dg39]

Re: No...it's not a cherry pitter

this picture reminds me of something look real hard for it ..........

One of those Star War robots?
DG

 

[kenb]

Re: No...it's not a cherry pitter

"this picture reminds me of something look real hard for it"

OUCH!!

kenb

 

[Green1]

Re: No...it's not a cherry pitter

i see it kalb.... but then again,, i'm twisted too.....

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Re: No...it's not a cherry pitter

Can the "Liberty Bell" shaped piece (see red arrow below) with the holes be flipped around over the cup? I like the notion that a cast sleigh bell was dropped in, a ball added and then the bell was swaged closed to trap the ball. So that this item was attached cup-up under a table edge and the screw bail was flipped over and then screwed downwards.

Naw, scratch that. But, some bells were formed in two pieces and soldered together according to the following ling. Maybe it's a clamp to hold the halves in place for soldering

http://classicbells.com/info/BellDesign/Crotal/Crotal.htm

 

[lumbercamp]

Re: No...it's not a cherry pitter

Yes that part does flip over onto the cup. Also the cap is hollow. Evidently when it was in use the thumb screw would be down towards the feet.