What is this and WHAT do I do with it?

[Ron Z]

I've had this one simmering in the back of my brain from the time of the first "what is this....." post. I know that we have a box of these, but they're in a very full attic. I found a box down at our church last week and snapped a picture with my cell phone camera, which is why the rather crummy picture.

 

No right answer, as usual. Some of the uses are obvious, but I bet that you guys have some very creative ideas for the items pictured. Whacking someone on the head or throwing them at David Isaacson don't count (though you may be tempted!)

 

Have fun! I'll show you some of my uses down the road.....

 

[kirchh]

Here's a shot of me using two wood blocks to protect a custom pen repair tool during installation of the handle; the business end of the tool would have been damaged by a metal surface, but the wood was soft enough to conform to the tip of the tool without distorting it, and the wood handle of the tool was similarly protected by a block beneath.

 

--Daniel

[Johnny Appleseed]

What - dont you use them to give the barrel of celluloid Wahls a few whacks to loosen the section, like it says in the repair manual?

 

I made a nifty knock-out block out of a piece of wood like that. . .

 

John

Edited January 29, 2008 by Johnny Appleseed

[playpen]

I had this very same box of blocks and I used it to fashion several altars for my adorable Zuni fetish collection. I colored it with a very expensive set of markers and used the redwood color. I used black to draw outlines of some of the fetishes. It looks so professional, I can't believe it!

[girlieg33k]

I had this very same box of blocks and I used it to fashion several altars for my adorable Zuni fetish collection. I colored it with a very expensive set of markers and used the redwood color. I used black to draw outlines of some of the fetishes. It looks so professional, I can't believe it!

You are much too clever, playpen. I was thinking "firewood." I am but a simpleton...

[Breaking100]

As a little tike, a box like that held my attention for hours. They used to sell those and I used to make the greatest buildings and skyscrapers.

[Ron Z]

 

How do you use this for PEN repair??? Ya know, fixing pens?

[Johnny Appleseed]

Ron,

 

Like I said, you use them to whack celluloid barrels to get the section out, like the old manuals suggest.

 

Then you can router little grooves in them and use them to hold the broken barrels while you fuse them back together.

 

Lets see - probably too soft to carve out for a nib block, but I have used a chunk of maple for that.

 

You could cut a few blanks and lathe out inner caps to replace warped wooden inner caps - but why would you want to?

 

I can't think of much other than Kirche's examples of pads and holders.

 

John

[Ron Z]

Then you can router little grooves in them and use them to hold the broken barrels while you fuse them back together.

You're getting warm!

 

Lets see - probably too soft to carve out for a nib block, but I have used a chunk of maple for that.

Not an ideal material, but maple and oak are pretty tough! Jewelers use wood blocks and metal punches as dappling blocks.

 

You could cut a few blanks and lathe out inner caps to replace warped wooden inner caps - but why would you want to?

Do you know what pens do in fact have some wood inner caps? Common pens by a well known manufacturer. Hard rubber towards the opening, wood farther in. BTW, some restorers will make a wood replacement inner cap if the originals were wood to keep the pen authentic.

 

I can't think of much other than Kirche's examples of pads and holders.

Think a bit harder then! I have a whole host of items that started out as kids blocks. Ink stained an everything from years of use!

 

Consider a few the properties available:

 

1] They're hard wood, so the surface can be pretty tough.

2] They can fairly easily be made into a variety of shapes

3] They can absorb blows and won't mark metals.

 

Don't think of them as just wood blocks - look at the material, look at the shape (and how you can change the shape) to your advantage.

Edited January 30, 2008 by Ron Z

[SMG]

Knock out block

holder for all my different dental picks and scrapers, and scissors, and tweezers

block to hold all of my different punches for the knock out block

block to hold all of my hole punches

split clamp to help wedge nib/feeds back into sections.

section block for gauging nipple sizes for correct sacs (drill a bunch of holes which correspond to standard sac sizes and it's like a go nogo gage).

handles for tools (though dowel is way easier to use for this)

block to hold all of my riffle and needle files

 

that's all off the top of my head for now.

 

Cheers,

Sean

 

 

[George]

De-ding 51 caps?

[Ron Z]

Knock out block

holder for all my different dental picks and scrapers, and scissors, and tweezers

block to hold all of my different punches for the knock out block

block to hold all of my hole punches

split clamp to help wedge nib/feeds back into sections.

section block for gauging nipple sizes for correct sacs (drill a bunch of holes which correspond to standard sac sizes and it's like a go nogo gage).

handles for tools (though dowel is way easier to use for this)

block to hold all of my riffle and needle files

 

that's all off the top of my head for now.

 

Cheers,

Sean

 

Any pictures?

 

[Deirdre]

Future jigs (speaking as a woodworker).

[SMG]

Knock out block

holder for all my different dental picks and scrapers, and scissors, and tweezers

block to hold all of my different punches for the knock out block

block to hold all of my hole punches

split clamp to help wedge nib/feeds back into sections.

section block for gauging nipple sizes for correct sacs (drill a bunch of holes which correspond to standard sac sizes and it's like a go nogo gage).

handles for tools (though dowel is way easier to use for this)

block to hold all of my riffle and needle files

 

that's all off the top of my head for now.

 

Cheers,

Sean

 

Any pictures?

Ron your'e assuming that I have actually made those things. Nope, just a small chunk of 2x4 with some holes in it that I put my dental picks in to hold them. If I get off my butt and get busy though I could have some images in the next couple of days. The items above were just ideas that I though I could make out of those blocks.

Oh, I did use dowels for handles on a couple of parts, a wire coat hanger that I have cut round at the bottom for inverting diaphragms etc, and a pellet pusher that I made from a chunk of coat hanger wire as well. I use the blue ink stain on the handle of the pellet pusher to ID them when they are sitting in the 2x4 rack.

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2188/2229362251_cf7ba88e66_b.jpg

Cheers,

Sean

Edited January 30, 2008 by SMG

[david i]

I've had this one simmering in the back of my brain from the time of the first "what is this....." post. I know that we have a box of these, but they're in a very full attic. I found a box down at our church last week and snapped a picture with my cell phone camera, which is why the rather crummy picture.

 

No right answer, as usual. Some of the uses are obvious, but I bet that you guys have some very creative ideas for the items pictured. Whacking someone on the head or throwing them at David Isaacson don't count (though you may be tempted!)

 

Have fun! I'll show you some of my uses down the road.....

 

 

I like to build castles.

 

Now... who, i say WHO, would be tempted to wing wooden blocks at my head

 

-david

 

 

[SMG]

Now I don't think you want to start that list there David. Might get a tad long.

 

Cheers,

Sean

[Gerry]

Knock out block

holder for all my different dental picks and scrapers, and scissors, and tweezers

block to hold all of my different punches for the knock out block

block to hold all of my hole punches

split clamp to help wedge nib/feeds back into sections.

section block for gauging nipple sizes for correct sacs (drill a bunch of holes which correspond to standard sac sizes and it's like a go nogo gage).

handles for tools (though dowel is way easier to use for this)

block to hold all of my riffle and needle files

 

that's all off the top of my head for now.

 

Cheers,

Sean

 

Any pictures?

Ron your'e assuming that I have actually made those things. Nope, just a small chunk of 2x4 with some holes in it that I put my dental picks in to hold them. If I get off my butt and get busy though I could have some images in the next couple of days. The items above were just ideas that I though I could make out of those blocks.

Oh, I did use dowels for handles on a couple of parts, a wire coat hanger that I have cut round at the bottom for inverting diaphragms etc, and a pellet pusher that I made from a chunk of coat hanger wire as well. I use the blue ink stain on the handle of the pellet pusher to ID them when they are sitting in the 2x4 rack.

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2188/2229362251_cf7ba88e66_b.jpg

Cheers,

Sean

 

Sean,

 

From the evidence I see here, you use the stand for punching leather or rubber gaskets / holes too!

 

 

Gerry

Edited January 30, 2008 by Gerry

[rlukcs]

You could also turn some very nice wooden pen barrels out of some of the wood pieces.

[SMG]

Actually they were Sheaffer plunger fill washers. I use a brass plate now as my base for punching those. The wood was way too soft, ended up with splinters in the washers. :embarrassed_smile:

 

Cheers,

Sean

[Gerry]

Actually they were Sheaffer plunger fill washers. I use a brass plate now as my base for punching those. The wood was way too soft, ended up with splinters in the washers. :embarrassed_smile:

 

Cheers,

Sean

 

Hey, we all gain from the experience Sean. Although I should have thought of the soft metal solution, I have to admit that in my punching experiences, I've merely looked for harder wood. Thanks for the idea...

 

Gerry