One single handled rolling pin? Or what?

inspectorgadget

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This was a freebee & I first thought it was missing a handle but upon further inspection I don't believe there was ever another handle. It doesn't appear to have been cut off from the look of the wood & the patina. The handle it has does spin (has a wood rod with an end cap & a wood handle spins on that wood rod between the roller & the cap on the end of the rod). Is this not a rolling pin or just some strange version of a rolling pin? I have seen single handled ones that were one solid piece of turned wood. I can't find one like this one with only one handle. I'm thinking it's pretty old or at least more than 60 or so years old. I tried to get a good angle to show the center rod on the side without the handle is actually lower than the wood right around it thus I can't see how it could have been cut off if it once had one.

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could be a rug beater,this is the way they started some had a fixed handle that did not turn and you can imagne how many women had spraind wrist
 

Think I recall seeing one of those used to run grapes through a cone shaped thing that had holes to get the juice and or pulp.
 

Think I recall seeing one of those used to run grapes through a cone shaped thing that had holes to get the juice and or pulp.

A mill. You use it to make applesauce, or stuff like that.

I still think it looks like a rolling pin with one side missing. Could it be that it got broken and someone cut it off, then sanded it?
 

I still think it looks like a rolling pin with one side missing. Could it be that it got broken and someone cut it off, then sanded it?
I agree. If it never had a handle on that side, there would be no reason for a center rod on that side to begin with..
 

digg I agree except that the rod you speak of is actually recessed about 1/32", not much but it is recessed & lower than the surrounding wood. There is no hint of it being cut & I can't see how it would have been cut off lower than the surrounding wood. I was sure it was a rolling pin missing a handle until I really examined it. Not only that but the end missing the handle has taken some abuse. The patina on the wood is old & if it once had a handle it was removed or broken a very long time ago. Breaking the other handle off wouldn't be all that easy, sure not that hard if thats what your intentions are but to do it by accident would be pretty hard. Possibly an early steampunk type device? A rolling pin someone converted or repurposed to do another job with?

I also just noticed it is sort of stained on the end without a handle. Looks like it was dipped into liquid on that end & that stained it & changed the patina a little on the end 4 or so inches.
 

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Some evidence of smaller(shorter than normal) one handed pins but they were usually carved/inlaid for putting a decorative feature on with.
Its(yours) use would not require strength of a normal rollers purpose likely.. No idea if one follows in a pasta making to adjust a thickness or in a secondary procedure.:dontknow: Handles can cause one to touch dough with hands .The draw back being a warming affect. A one handed would keep one side untouched in a specialty before today's chilled pins or marble ones.?
 

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Again, its a pestle. Tool for grinding grain or herbs, or for pushing fruit pulp thru a sieve. Often wood, sometimes porcelain. The container is called a motar.
 

Again, its a pestle. Tool for grinding grain or herbs, or for pushing fruit pulp thru a sieve. Often wood, sometimes porcelain. The container is called a motar.

I don't discount that but I have never seen one like this. Usually pestle's have rounded ends. Tho I guess I do have some wood kitchen tools that have a flat end that i had no idea what they were actually for & they otherwise look like pestles so hmm. Got a link to any that look anything like this one?
 

There are carved,(no through rod or turning of handle) one handled Italian pins. Here's a one handled modern one.

XM Daying » Single handle rolling pin

Well I'll be! If that isn't the same thing only newer! I had no idea! Especially in old possibly nearly antique pins! Thanks! Digg you lose this one, lol, J/K but I believe releventchair is dead on here and he provided proof! The best of both worlds as no handled pins give ya the best feel but handled ones keep the pin cooler.
 

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Yeah, I was about to say that a pestle is a lot smaller. It needs to fit in the palm of your hand. Good job in finding out what it is! Now I want to know WHY you need a one handed rolling pin.
 

Yeah, I was about to say that a pestle is a lot smaller. It needs to fit in the palm of your hand. Good job in finding out what it is! Now I want to know WHY you need a one handed rolling pin.

I prolly have almost 20 rolling pins but no one handled ones until now. Guess I sort of collect these things now tho not intentionally. I might just start grabbing up unusual ones & display them somewhere. Well except I really don't have anywhere to display them right now.
 

Looks like a "Peace Keeper" to manage the kitchen with....:unhappysmiley:
 

Itis just that...a single handled roller. One hand is on the handle, and you cup your hand over the other end, and use the pressure of your palm to control the downward pressure of whatever you are rolling out. IIRC, some believe that the single handle style gives you more control of how you are working the dough.

I have had several of these in the past; not as common as a double handle, but they are out there.

As for the dowel rod in the other end, it could have easily come from the factory that way. It would be easier, production wise, to drill all the centers out of all the rolling pins. The single handle ones get a dowel rod 9 inches long, and the double ones would get 7 1/2".
 

As for the dowel rod in the other end, it could have easily come from the factory that way. It would be easier, production wise, to drill all the centers out of all the rolling pins. The single handle ones get a dowel rod 9 inches long, and the double ones would get 7 1/2".

Came to the almost exact same conclusion myself! If it is going to have 1 handle held on by a rod the best way to do that might be to drill it all out & insert a full length rod. Any other way would not be as efficient or easy or precise. One length rod for 2 handled pins & a shorter different rod for the single handled pins?
 

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My next question.. is this pin a right handed or a left handed pin:laughing7:?? I'm stumped on that one:dontknow:
 

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