17-07-2020, 11:09 AM
253
Re: What is it - Mystery Object challenge.
Originally Posted by Muddy
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Is it to do with mining ?
It is still used all over the world in coal mining, though.
Now, what is its function?
Remember, it connects two (steel) ropes together, it is involved in lifting, and it is a safety device which is explained by its complicated structure.
Smoking? 17-07-2020, 11:12 AM
256
Re: What is it - Mystery Object challenge.
Originally Posted by Fruitcake
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That was my thought. Steam locomotives to be precise. The screw in the bottom left looks like it would be loosened, the device "closed" around two pegs or rods, or ropes on something else, then the screw tightened to lock the device in place, preventing something moving or opening.
A load safety device for a locomotive crane?
A device to tie a heavy load to a wagon?
It looks like it would be opened, have ropes fed through the two slots, then closed and clamped in place.
One rope would have to be fed through the bottom hole, but the slot in the top could be slid over a rope, or even the same rope.
Could it be used to temporarily attach one rope to another, or used to tension a rope?
Yes, a small peg below the middle axis is made of soft metal (copper, I think) which holds the device in shape, but will snap under pressure.
17-07-2020, 12:01 PM
259
Re: What is it - Mystery Object challenge.
Originally Posted by JBR
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Well done, Muddy. Yes it was used in our coal mining industry but, of course, that is now defunct.It is still used all over the world in coal mining, though.
Now, what is its function?
Remember, it connects two (steel) ropes together, it is involved in lifting, and it is a safety device which is explained by its complicated structure.
That was an interesting object JB, it got us all thinking ..... and desperate!
17-07-2020, 12:04 PM
260
Re: What is it - Mystery Object challenge.
Originally Posted by Mags
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Well done to Muddy! That was an interesting object JB, it got us all thinking ..... and desperate!
However, some people think its function has been determined, but all we have so far is that it was used in coal mining.
I'm happy to explain it to save time, if that's what people want, but I was hoping that someone might try to determine what exactly it did/does as a safety device. Personally, I found it a fascinating method of overcoming a problem.
Please let me know whether you'd like to continue to find the answer or if the general feeling is for someone to post something different.
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