Purpose of a 2 inch piece of copper/brass tubing with wire? (Update-2nd Tube)

[Don in SJ]

Over the years I have found a few of these, mostly at homestead from the 1800's era. It looks like all the ones I found are the same, 2 inches in length, with wire wrapped around the center of it.7 Found this one this morning near the hem weight. Usually at homesteads, but this one was associated with an early 1800's Iron Forge and Sawmill, occupied till about Civil War period.
Don

 

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[bradyboy]

Re: Purpose of a 2 inch piece of copper tubing with wire?

wire used to hang / support the copper water line in the house

 

[truckinbutch]

Re: Purpose of a 2 inch piece of copper tubing with wire?

Slides on a wire or rope line maybe? Mountain people would stretch a wire line across a valley from a hillside corn patch to a barn lower down on the other side to expedite getting the corn shocks to the barn for husking the corn and feeding tie fodder.

 

[Hemisteve]

Re: Purpose of a 2 inch piece of copper tubing with wire?

Half of a Garrote?

It could be half of a wire cutting tool for clay. Was there a pottery or clay company nearby?

 

[Michellets]

Re: Purpose of a 2 inch piece of copper tubing with wire?

I would agree with Hemi. It appears to be a wire cutting tool of some kind. Two wires would be twirled together and then wrapped around a handle at each end. It could also have been used to cut cheese, clay (potters tool), bricks (to cut the excess clay before they were pulled from a brick mold), or any other soft block type of substance. Was it found near any brick making or pottery manufacturing areas?

 

[Shortstack]

Re: Purpose of a 2 inch piece of copper tubing with wire?

There's one problem with the "handle for a wire cutter" idea. Two inches makes an uncomfortable handle; for anything. Since the wire is wrapped around the tube twice, it most probably was used to hold something vertically, with the tube meant to slide on a length of rod or wire. The ends of the tube are cut clean, even, and 90 degrees to the centerline. I wonder if it could have held up curtains and made it possible to slide the curtains opened and closed. But, tin would be cheaper in cost to manufacture than copper for curtain hangers. So, back to step 1. Since you've found several at different locations, they must have been in pretty common use. Maybe a local "Old Fogey" will know. (he suggested respectively. )

 

[EDDE]

Re: Purpose of a 2 inch piece of copper tubing with wire?

poor mans button/s

 

[trikikiwi]

Re: Purpose of a 2 inch piece of copper tubing with wire?

poor mans button/s

I quote,
"Hem weight, Homestead."
I guess
Clothes line, line guide

Mike

 

[ivan salis]

Re: Purpose of a 2 inch piece of copper tubing with wire?

copper pipe / shine still? --- wire to hold pipe up.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Purpose of a 2 inch piece of copper tubing with wire?

Pipe used to come with a twist tied tag attached to it for ID and/or price. It possible that instead of untwisting the wire it is simply cut off and discarded. Just a thought.

 

[vhs07]

Re: Purpose of a 2 inch piece of copper tubing with wire?

This looks about the same size as a 30 amp fuse. When electricity was first brought to homes, fuse boxes were used. If a fuse blew and you didnt have another ( or couldnt afford one )
a piece of copper tubing was often used. (The old round "plug" style fuses could have a penny inserted behind them with the same result.) The twisted wire would of made it easier to pull out when a replacement fuse could be bought.
Just my thought..
Charles

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Purpose of a 2 inch piece of copper tubing with wire?

This looks about the same size as a 30 amp fuse. When electricity was first brought to homes, fuse boxes were used. If a fuse blew and you didnt have another ( or couldnt afford one )
a piece of copper tubing was often used. (The old round "plug" style fuses could have a penny inserted behind them with the same result.) The twisted wire would of made it easier to pull out when a replacement fuse could be bought.
Just my thought..
Charles

Good idea but the wire sticking out would be dangerously close to shorting out when you shut the box in some situations. (60 amp "fuses" pictured) Also once you put them in there you would only remove them once or never.

 

[Don in SJ]

Re: Purpose of a 2 inch piece of copper tubing with wire?

I think I would discount anything to do with electricity, since it was not anywhere near this area until the 1990's, and the site found, had no modern trash in the immediate area. LOL, for the replies on the Hem weight, ah, I mentioned it was a Hem weight in my original post.

Don

 

[ivan salis]

Re: Purpose of a 2 inch piece of copper tubing with wire?

humm was the mill steam operated? --- copper pipes don't rust like iron

 

[craig_t4]

Re: Purpose of a 2 inch piece of copper tubing with wire?

Well as far as i know copper pipe wasnt around until the 20's. so you can count out the 1800's. Also i would think it would be for something of importance at the time as it was costly to produce. so curtain hangers or what not would still be wood as were most things. as well with the thickness of that particular pipe count out anything high pressure. about 150 psi maximum. so no steam of any kind. this after its original use was probably used for cinching wire around something to get it nice and tight.

 

[Don in SJ]

Re: Purpose of a 2 inch piece of copper tubing with wire?(Update)

I was going through my junk boxes today and did find one of the other two inch tubes I found previously and this one has a lead slider inside it, that was attached to a wire also (a piece of rusted wire still attached). The lead piece easily moves up and down inside the tube.

Maybe this will help in solving what the purpose of this piece was. The lead piece looks homemade.

Don

 

[trikikiwi]

Re: Purpose of a 2 inch piece of copper/brass tubing with wire? (Update-2nd one)

You enjoy confusing us don't you Don?

 

[NGE]

Re: Purpose of a 2 inch piece of copper/brass tubing with wire? (Update-2nd one)

I was thinking homemade turnbuckle, but then you had to come up with one with da lead in it.. Could have been an afterthought of what to do with that dang piece of lead that kept rolling off the bench and onto the floor, just stuff it!

 

[ivan salis]

Re: Purpose of a 2 inch piece of copper/brass tubing with wire? (Update-2nd one)

cleaner for a steam tube ? pull thru them to clean out the lines? just a WAG

 

[NGE]

Re: Purpose of a 2 inch piece of copper/brass tubing with wire? (Update-2nd one)

I was just picking my brain a little more here. Could it be possible that the wire was much longer, say 6 to 10 feet? The short tube with the lead weight in it could be lowered from top of stove pipe and rattled around to knock creosote and soot loose from inside and down into firebox for removal. El Cheapo chimney sweeping device. Just my WAG........NGE