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Post by spence on Jul 9, 2022 13:55:41 GMT -7
Sugar in the day was frequently in the form of solid blocks or cones, which required breaking off pieces as needed. A purpose-built tool for doing that was the sugar nipper. They were around early on. The Pennsylvania Gazette October 17, 1765 THOMAS SAVADGE, Has removed next door the Mrs. Magdalen Devine…. beef steak tongs, pistol tinder boxes, powder triers, brass sconces, watch stands, sugar nippers, pocket steelyards, house bellows, fire shovels and tongs, Here's one, with a sugar cone.  Because they were spring-loaded to open, they had a latch to keep them closed when not in use.   Spence |
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Post by brokennock on Jul 9, 2022 17:59:18 GMT -7
Great example Spence. I think what I love most about the ads and other similar texts you provide, is that while they do an excellent job of demonstrating the topic at hand, they bring up so many other interesting items we may not often think about. "...pistol tinder boxes,,, powder triers..." How about, "...beef steak tongs.."  |
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Post by spence on Jul 9, 2022 18:21:01 GMT -7
I very much agree. A large part of the stuff I've learned about life in the day came about chasing down those unexpected, puzzling things. In the day a common cooking item was called a gridiron, some of which were made to rotate. They sat them down on a bed of coals on the hearth, put on the steak, then rotated the gridiron to even the cooking. I would imagine those "beef steak tongs" must have been what they used to flop the steaks over, wouldn't you think?  Pistol tinder boxes were usually a container to hold charcloth with a small flintlock mechanism on top. Put char into the pan, snap the lock and bob's your uncle. Powder triers came in different versions, but all had some way for exploding powder to move a dial, lift a weight, or some such. You put a standard, measured amount of the powder to be tested in it, fired it off, checked how far the dial or weight moved and compared it to other powders. Spence |
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Post by brokennock on Jul 10, 2022 3:27:00 GMT -7
Nice gridiron, have you used it?
Sometimes, such as in the examples above, I know what the item is, they just don't seem to be discussed much.
How common were powder triers? Was it just something a merchant would have to check his product when inventory came in?
How many people actually had and used pistol tinder boxes? Where and when did they use them, most common in homes of the upper class? Maybe mostly inn-keepers?
Did your average household buy cones of sugar and have their own nippers, or could they buy chunks and lumps from someone?
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Post by spence on Jul 10, 2022 16:30:39 GMT -7
Nice gridiron, have you used it? No, don't have an appropriate fireplace. I generally don't plan to use such antique items, it is said to decrease the value. I'm tempted, though. Jon Townsend had a recent episode making waffles on very old, maybe 17th-century, waffle irons. I have a couple of those, and have always wondered if I could make good waffles on them.   [/url] Same thing with a rotary toaster.  Spence |
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Post by brokennock on Jul 10, 2022 19:22:55 GMT -7
Personally, I'd use them. Despite my financial troubles, the experience of using things like those, and the feeling of holding a connection to the past in the items themselves, is worth more to me than the monetary value.
Maybe if I knew for a fact the the piece had never been used, was "new, old stock," from 200 years ago, then I might agree that the value could be decreased. Or if using it would decrease its lifespan.
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