Posted 9 years ago
lgass
(1 item)
I recently purchased this item along with several other Appalachian farm tools. Can anyone tell me what it is?
Antique Appalachian Tool | ||
| Unsolved mystery items46645 of 95751 |  |  |
Antique Appalachian Tool | ||
| Unsolved mystery items46645 of 95751 | | |
Posted 9 years ago
lgass
(1 item)
I recently purchased this item along with several other Appalachian farm tools. Can anyone tell me what it is?
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It's part of a spinner's weasel or yarn winder. As pictured it's upside-down - the part at the top in the photo would attach to some sort of base, usually a fairly substantial block of wood with 3-4 legs that would splay out below it. The other end would hold a shaft, typically of wood, that would have a worm gear cut into it. The shaft would extend out one side and have a reel - a series of arms, typically 4-6, which would end in a mallet-like head. Yarn that had been spun would be wound onto the reel and it would advance the gear, usually one tooth per turn of the reel. They usually had a somewhat flexible stick, known as a weasel, that would catch either a peg or little inclined plane (ramp) typically located on the side of the gear once per revolution. In doing so it would be bent somewhat then snap back, making a loud pop so that the person winding would know that the gear had made a full revolution.
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/156312-a-mystery-item--what-is-this
ClothoMoirai - here's another of your replies showing a different angle of a 'weasel', posted 8 months ago. Weird there should be another one and good we can see one the right way up.