Posted 10 years ago
clay.lady
(9 items)
UNKNOWN SET OF 3 ACRYLIC PIECES IN LEATHER CASE ???
WHAT IS THIS??
COULD IT BE HUNTING/RIFLE RELATED
OR PERHAPS BAR WARE
OR OPTICIANS DEVICE
OR A GAME?
UNMARKED AND MEASURES JUST OVER 4"
THE PIECES ARE SOLID ACRYLIC
LOOKS LIKE IT SHOULD ATTACH TO A BELT....
PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY CLUES
Maybe it's Lucite by Daisyglas. They made similar shapes as paperweights, usually with decorations or dried flowers on the inside. Not sure of the purpose of your set but that may help you with a maker. Thanks for posting and sharing.
LOL, I found a set just like these back in the the 80's. Thinking it was unusual and somewhat valuable, I kept it. Unsure of it's purpose, the set has plagued me for years. I always thought it was a part from some kind of game that never popularized. Alone, the cubes don't seem to offer any practical use. Too light to be a paperweight. Doubtful of use for medical purposes. After little ponderance, it may be possible for Archery related use. Absolutely no markings on mine. Nothing to indicate origin or use. Three solid acrylic cylindrical cube-like pieces, ranging in size from large to small. Each cube has a curved divot machined on top. The details in the leatherette case indicate quality and a precision like protection for the cylinders, preventing little to no movement when the cubes are in the case. The case does appear to have a belt slot. When worn on the belt, the case can be rapidly opened to deploy all cubes. But, why would anyone carry this on their belt?? With convenience of the internet, this is the fourth set I have encountered. So, not rare or a one off item. In conclusion...after 36 years, I'm still clueless. I appreciate any additional ideas you may offer.
Great! Now I'm gonna what it is endlessly! Very curious objects...are the groove the same size in all 3 pieces? I was thinking a rifle barrel rest, but doesn't seem practical.
A Google image search did nothing..I found a icemaker that makes ice in a similar shape. So then I was thinking it might be a servicemen tool to compare, but that's a stretch. I looked at the manual and it shows how to adjust the freezer to get the shape, but why would you need 3 of them?
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://t2.gstatic.com/images?q%3Dtbn:ANd9GcTgHWG4dflpL2WUGbJzeDLOIdHKv32ytnntfL1HO76ihMXfIEhf&imgrefurl=http://www.scotsman-ice.com/service/Service%2520Manuals/cu50_service_man.pdf&h=411&w=747&tbnid=BoVygfBfLLSo7M&tbnh=166&tbnw=303&osm=1&hcb=1&source=lens-native&usg=AI4_-kQle9RQPruVoUleToZgEb7psLT8Xw&ved=0ELLNBQgAKAAwAA&docid=sHAyQdvW78W2IM
Hopefully others join in the search...I'm intrigued now..
Durn y'all, now I'm wondering what these are. >8-0
https://www.scotsman-ice.co.uk/products/cube-ice-machines
"The Supercube is the most popular type of ice cube – ideal for restaurants, pubs, and clubs. Made in the famous Scotsman thimble shape, they are available in four different sizes.
Their clarity makes them the perfect choice for drinks presentation whilst their purity ensures that they are slow melt. Their unique shape means that these cubes are less prone to sticking together in the ice bucket as well as being easier to handle than the more traditional square cube.
Supercubes are made by spraying water upwards into an inverted mould. Inverting the mould means that any sediment or impurities in the water fall back down, leaving only pure water to form the cube making these cubes very hard."
The "Thimble" design is a pretty good description/explanation for the shape. Salesmen Samples - why you're carrying lucite supercubes in three sizes around in a belt?
Next.
OK dav2no1 and gillian, I think you're onto something. :-)
Hi Guys.
Thanks for the link. The pictures are pretty close to resembling our mystery item. There's one picture showing three cylindrical shaped ice cubes ranging in size from large to small. While not identical to ours, oddly enough, each cube has that strange curved divot on top. Very telling! I must say, Dav2no1 and Gillian's description is probably the most plausible conclusion as to what these things are. Certainly, the best explanation i've heard in 36 years! It makes sense that a traveling salesman, working for Scotsman Gourmet Ice Machines (an expensive brand I might add) would need samples of his/her product. Lucite demos (samples) would be the most obvious material for a salesman's set. After all, carrying REAL ice cubes wouldn't be very practical. I'm still open to any more ideas or suggestions. Thanks to all!
Yes a salesman sample would seem to make sense, now that I saw this line.."Models can be specified to produce different cube sizes".
Check out this picture:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/621356079825749407/
That's the closest representation of our mystery item i've seen so far.
One of the Scotsman articles says that this type of ice cube comes in 4 different sizes? Only three in the leather case?
FYI: Found this on ebay last night (by accident). This is what started my whole exhaustive search.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/143940741135?hash=item218389680f%3Ag%3AZYoAAOSwOEZgGEyv&nma=true&si=oEwivXt6RI0DCbMUx40K0F1uisA%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
I'm actually leaning towards some kind of tool for service technicians in the field, perhaps only because in my mind a salesperson would have been wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase or sample case. It's the service technician who would have been more likely to wear something like this on a belt.
It might have been that it wasn't so much a tool for the technician to calibrate a machine as it was a tool to convince the customer that their machine was indeed making the correct size ice cube.
As to three lucite cubes as opposed to four, perhaps the company added a size to the range after this set was created:
https://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Article/2013/12/12/Hubbard-Ice-Systems-unveils-Scotsman-Super-Supercube-ice-machine
One of the things that needs more resesrch...although the company has been around for a long time, when we're these machines introduced? Can we put this item in that time frame?
Additionally I often find the direct approach works best. Let's contact them and ask if they used these.
Here you go:
https://www.albertleatribune.com/2014/06/the-legacy-of-scotsman-ice-machines/
https://www.scotsmanhomeice.com/about/
https://www.scotsmanhomeice.com/contact-us/