# Is this unusual item related to beekeeping?



## Bear Creek Steve (Feb 18, 2009)

Rob,

Don't know if it is related to beekeeping or not. The cylinders on the side sure look like fuel tanks and the fabric on the side looks like kerosene lamp wicking. The sliding door on the end might be to regulate combustion air for a flame inside. Does it look sooty inside and does it smell of kerosene or lamp oil? My guess id that it is somekind of a heater, perhaps for bees.

Bear Creek Steve


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## beeware10 (Jul 25, 2010)

I have never seen this before. even though there is wick it could not be used lite as the fuel is above it. (how do you say bomb) must have be something else but I have no clue. really is neat. hope someone can figure it out.


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## Daniel Wasson (Jun 2, 2010)

Used for heating the old style copper soldering irons? What does the body seem to be made of? Looks like copper rivets holding the tanks to the body, with stove gaskets for insulation. Are the tanks plumbed into the main body somehow? What are the dimentions of the tanks, and of the main body? Very interesting looking device.


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## MichaBees (Sep 26, 2010)

Having the fuel on top of the flame, would not make any sense unless you are making a bomb. What if it is a feeding or a watering devise?


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## Daniel Wasson (Jun 2, 2010)

It makes perfect sense if the fuel is such that it needs heated to facilitate combustion. The fuel in the tanks is not in the direct flame, if in fact this device is some type of heat generator. Parafin fuel needs to be heated/pre-heated to get proper combustion and to allow it to flow.

It immediatly reminded me of the old soldering copper iron iron heaters. But, some things about the device don't make immediate sense. If the tanks are plumbed into the body of the device is not clear from the pictures. Do the caps come off, and is there any odor from the tanks? Like I stated before, very interesting device.


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## BoilerJim (Apr 15, 2011)

Was the man also a railroader? I've never seen one up close but folks on the RR used to have portable flame heaters they would place near the switches in the severe winter to keep them from freezing up.


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## Daniel Wasson (Jun 2, 2010)

Maybe it is just a better mouse trap.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

I can't figure this one out. Yankee Magazine would love to see this item. They have a special page for "What's Its". Least they did at one time. I havene't seen a Yankee Magazine in a long while.

The cylinders on the sides appear free and unattatched to the body, except by the hangers. So I don't get the idea that the cylinders would be getting fuel from the tank. And, curiously, the wicks don't appear to be burnt. I imagine the caps on the cylinders are removable? Right?

There doesn't seem to be any handle on this thingamajig, so, at least when in use, it probably wasn't moved around. I'm guessing.

What does the bottom look like? Is there any odor associated w/ the sliding flap? Any sign of a Makers Mark or numbers or dates?

Very interesting. Thanks.


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## slickbrightspear (Jan 9, 2009)

sqkcrk
I have no idea what it is but if it was makers mark they would have aged it 8 years and dipped it in some red sealing wax.


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## S.M.N.Bee (Aug 9, 2011)

Could be the tanks were filled upside down and then rotated upright to light the wicks?

John


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## Specialkayme (Sep 4, 2005)

I've never seen any heating devices that you guys are talking about. We don't get too creative on heat in NC, lol.

The two cylinders on the sides looked more like floats to me. But floats for what, i can't say.

Send a photo to Dr. Wyatt A. Mangum, Mathematics Department, University of Mary Washington: [email protected]. He has a column in ABJ journal, and he collects old beekeeping antiques. My guess is if it's related to beekeeping, he would probably know.


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## KQ6AR (May 13, 2008)

You could use it to heat uncapping knifes.


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## beeherder (Aug 7, 2011)

I'm not experienced but I wonder if it may be a swarm catcher? Put something in the tanks to attract the bees then they may house inside, but how to get them out, and it would actually be upside down shaped from a topbar hive, but that gives me an idea


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## New Ky Beekeeper (Jun 27, 2011)

I suggest you send a photo to Progressive Farmer Magazine. They too have section for "old unidentifiable tools." 

Good luck, 
Phil


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## beeherder (Aug 7, 2011)

Looks like a asbestos/fiberglass gasket on/under the tanks, but it does not look burned on either side, so I would assume that it was used to evaporate something. Maybe some watering type tanks, and the main housing is some type of housing for pollinators or birds, or maybe nothing of the sort  but the lack of burn on the 'wick' doesn't make me think heater, though I've seen that 'wick' as gaskets on boiler type equipment.
The shape of the hangers indicates it hangs the way you have it, being the down loop on it. 
Seems that it is set up for the tanks to swivel on the hangers though.
Did you just make it and make it look up to post on here and stump us... ?


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## Rob H. (Mar 7, 2010)

Specialkayme said:


> I've never seen any heating devices that you guys are talking about. We don't get too creative on heat in NC, lol.
> 
> The two cylinders on the sides looked more like floats to me. But floats for what, i can't say.
> 
> Send a photo to Dr. Wyatt A. Mangum, Mathematics Department, University of Mary Washington: [email protected]. He has a column in ABJ journal, and he collects old beekeeping antiques. My guess is if it's related to beekeeping, he would probably know.



Thanks for all of the replies, I just sent an email to Dr. Mangum and will post his reply when I get it. In regards to other questions about it that were posted here, it's about 12" long, the two small tanks are not plumbed to the larger one, I didn't try the caps but I would guess they could be removed. I took the photos last weekend at a friend's farm so I don't have the item in my possession to take a closer look at. The wicks appear to be attached with rivets and couldn't be easily replaced so I think that is another reason that it isn't a heater. I was thinking along the lines of the person who suggested it could be a swarm catcher with some attractant in the small tanks to attract bees. I didn't notice any writing on it at all, I'll ask the owner to see if he can smell anything inside the large part and the two small ones, and to check again for any writing on it.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

S.M.N.Bee said:


> Could be the tanks were filled upside down and then rotated upright to light the wicks?
> 
> John


Could be, but the wicks don't appear burnt and they are riveted in place. Not something one does if one is going to burn them and then extend them. We use a Kerosene stove and used to use Oil Lamps for light. One needs to adjust the wick for more or less light and more or less heat.

Maybe what was in the tubes slowly leaked out thru the wicks. But onto what and for what purpose? And, maybe it is upside down. The narrow edge should be the bottom. That way the tubes would stand out away from the body more. That little slidding door has me confused too.


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

If this is a beekeeping item it is most likely a device for capturing and releasing foraging bees in the process of beelining to find a colony in a tree or similar place. Perhaps the tubes held an attractant. The bees are captured then moved to a different spot, released and sighted to triangulate and determine the nest site location.


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

I agree Tom. "Wicks" wouldn't be lite below the fuel supply. That's Darwin Award engineering.


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

The Darwin Awards. I'm still working on getting nominated.


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## Corvair68 (May 10, 2011)

I don't think they are wicks for burning either. There is no way to replace them, and they probably wouldn't last to long burning horizontally. Also if the flame was under neath the fuel the expansion of the fuel and air in the tanks would make the flame uncontrollable. Does the bottom or back side of it open?


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## Daniel Wasson (Jun 2, 2010)

I really don't know what this device is, or is used for. But, I look forward to hopefully, eventually, finding out when and if someone does recognize it. I was fooled into thinking that the small cylindrical tanks were attached to the main body of the device in one of the first pictures I now see that it was just leaned over against the body from the tilt angle and being hung that way by the hooks. 

All of you that keep talking "bomb" can't have never used/seen a gas Coleman lantern or stove? The fuel in both of those devices is directly passed (via a tube) through the flame produced. This creates a fuel vapor, at pressure, and is very controllable. Heating or pre-heating fuel of all types is pretty common in a wide variety of applications. Engines designed to operate on parafin wax not only have to heat the wax to a liquid state, but then keep it liquid through the delivery process.


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## Gord (Feb 8, 2011)

It looks to me like the fabric becomes wetted with the contents of the reservoir; combined with the holes in the fabric, it makes me think of something like the oilers used for cattle. Maybe an old way of applying an oil or chemical to the individual critters.
Critters (bees) enter via the end and exit via the holes on the sides; they'd get whatever's on the fabric all over their feet.
Oil for varroa?


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## $Simpleman76 (Apr 1, 2011)

Just a guess maybe the tanks are for dispensing water to the bees, the wicks get soaked with water and the bees can suck the water out of the wicks. I know I have kept crickets for fishing alive for weeks using a paper towel soaked with water and folded into a square. The crickets suck the water out of the paper towel for their water source. Just a guess though.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Gord said:


> Oil for varroa?


Definitely not. That thing was built before varroa ever left its' original host. Probably before most of us were borned.

I'm going to venture a guess that it has nothing to do w/ bees or beekeeping.

I would like to see the bottom. To see if there is anything there, but also to see the tubes and wicks hanging away from the body. That might give some clue to what it is and what it was made for.

Where is it from again? What kind of a farm did it come off of? If it had been on a farm.


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## brac (Sep 30, 2009)

I got no guess. If it were near the coast, I would say it was used with whale oil.


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## Rob H. (Mar 7, 2010)

Specialkayme said:


> I've never seen any heating devices that you guys are talking about. We don't get too creative on heat in NC, lol.
> 
> The two cylinders on the sides looked more like floats to me. But floats for what, i can't say.
> 
> Send a photo to Dr. Wyatt A. Mangum, Mathematics Department, University of Mary Washington: [email protected]. He has a column in ABJ journal, and he collects old beekeeping antiques. My guess is if it's related to beekeeping, he would probably know.



I heard back from Dr. Mangum but he hadn't seen one of these before.


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## Rob H. (Mar 7, 2010)

sqkcrk said:


> I would like to see the bottom. To see if there is anything there, but also to see the tubes and wicks hanging away from the body. That might give some clue to what it is and what it was made for.
> 
> Where is it from again? What kind of a farm did it come off of? If it had been on a farm.



There was nothing on the bottom or the back of it. I shot the photos on a farm in Indiana, I emailed the owner and asked what kind of farm his father had and will post his response when I get it. As I mentioned previously the father was also a beekeeper. I posted the photos on a different forum that is frequented by farmers but no recognized it.


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## rrussell6870 (May 14, 2009)

Is that galvanized sheet on the the body? How about the bottom, is it open or does it open at all? The side rails look similar to the fasteners on harness skeps, but the body does not...


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## Katharina (May 2, 2011)

I was first thinking of some sort of applicator where the liquid must be hot, but then noticed that you cannot unhook the reservoirs. Now I think it may be some sort of humidifier. I'm intrigued.


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## rlsiv (Feb 26, 2011)

At first glance, it looks like somebody mated a birdhouse and a catamaran.


But I think maybe its a swarm trap of some kind... the sliding door to close it off for transport, and an attractant placed in the outriggers to be wicked out through the wicks which are suspended above the base to distribute on the air currents. Could possibly be used for "hunting" feral bees as well using that triangulation method.

Just my guess... it looks older than I am


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## Daniel Wasson (Jun 2, 2010)

Why make a swarm trap out of metal, and in that shape? It sure would have been nice to find out what it is, other than a curiosity.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

I Wonder if it could be something for putting insecticidal oil on the backs of sheep or cattle. You can obviously increase airflow into that chamber. A fumigator perhaps.


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## beeherder (Aug 7, 2011)

Maybe email the smithsonian institute with the pic. They have researchers and all that good stuff. They may know without doing any searches at all.


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## frazzledfozzle (May 26, 2010)

for goodness sake will someone find out what the jolly thing is it's driving me nuts not knowing!!!


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## rrussell6870 (May 14, 2009)

Are the side pieces hollow metal with the cloth protruding from the bottom? I see a lot of "wick" comments, but they appeared to me to be solid and wrapped with leather with a cloth sewn to them as if it were intended to be to prevent rubbing against something... maybe I'm just seeing it differently because of a lack of coffee. Lol.

It definitely appears to be more ornamentally designed than functionally designed judging by the thin arms welded immediately outward from the walls...

I have seen metal covered skep-like boxes that were shaped like that and had hangers on the sides so they could be suspended beneath wagons... but the bottoms would open of course and the hangers were attached by thick leather belts that were fastened to the bottom... they had small holes in the bottoms and edges for air flow and 5 -10 of them could be hung beneath the frame of a horse drawn wagon for transport... the hangers acted as a sort of suspension to keep them from jarring to badly and of course to keep them from swinging...


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## rrussell6870 (May 14, 2009)

Awww! After looking at it again, it does appear to have wicks... I'm guessing that you have it upside down and the pipes on the sides are to be filled with oil and the wicks lit so that the flames will travel up along the sides to heat whatever was inside...

Four things that I would question though...

1. It doesn't appear to have been used... no sign of sooting along the sides, and nice fresh wicks... so maybe it was a prototype, that was abandoned...

2. The copper door on the front should seemingly raise to the opposite direction if something hot were to be poured from it...

3. If it were to be used for wax melting or even heating fats for oils, the bottom (top in this case) would need to open to give access to insert, skim, and remove wastes...

4. The seams around the body appear to be sealed with some sort of sealant... in the age when such a device would be needed, I would imagine that lead would have been used or the body would have been made solid of cast iron or tin even... the seals, thin copper, and galvanized sheet metal seem to be to modern for the days of the needs of such a device... could be wrong though, please don't let me discourage your enthusiasm... by all means find out what it is! For all we know it could be a rainbow machine. Lol.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

I'm going to bet it has nothing to do w/ beekeeping. We just think so because we are beekeepers. Thinking that it has anything to do w/ bee tracking is a stretch at best.

It is an interesting thingamajig. When we find out what it is and what it was made to do or what for, we may be disappointed. Maybe no one does what it was built for anymore. Maybe it was a shop class project so one could test their skills and it doesn't have any other purpose.


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

Methinks you all are over analyzing. Dosent anyone here read Dr. Seuss? Certainly it's a "thingamajig" or possibly a "zipperumpazoo".


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## Oldbee (Sep 25, 2006)

_"for goodness sake will someone find out what the jolly thing is it's driving me nuts not knowing!!!" 

_It is a prototype of the first,.and what would later be known and called a,..."think tank". 

"A *prototype* is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from."

_"In many fields, there is great uncertainty as to whether a new design will actually do what is desired. New designs often have unexpected problems. A prototype is often used as part of the product design process to allow engineers and designers the ability to explore design alternatives, test theories and confirm performance prior to starting production of a new product. Engineers use their experience to tailor the prototype according to the specific unknowns still present in the intended design." > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prototype


_


​


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## mac (May 1, 2005)

Maybe that's not all of it. There might be another part or 2 that goes with it.


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## rrussell6870 (May 14, 2009)

Can't be a zipperumpazoo... there is no seat for the who to sit with his blusselbambussul... but maybe a whoselwhatstrumpoo???


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Oldbee said:


> Engineers use their experience to tailor the prototype according to the specific unknowns still present in the intended design."


That's our problem. Not enuf Engineers looking at this thing helping decide what this thing is. Sol!! and friends!!


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## waynesgarden (Jan 3, 2009)

I am a supervisor in an engineering department and I have only come up with a list of things that it likely is not.

First i thought it was a portable hand warmer that one would fill with boiling water and carry by the insulated handles, but it would have to be stood upside down on its narrowest surface due to the placement of the door.

Having recently examined the contents of my own barn, I can only conclude it is one of two things: a component separated from a larger system or, as more likely in my case, an unfinished winter project. Perhaps it was the beginnings of the better mousetrap?

Wayne


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## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

Did you ask the smithsonian?


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## lazy shooter (Jun 3, 2011)

Did anyone ever think that maybe this old fellow had a great sense of humor and built this thing for posterity?


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## D Coates (Jan 6, 2006)

I'm stumped. If it's a prototype, it's the finest I've ever seen. Those are custom made parts for mass production or by someone who's truly talented. The amount of well done soddering, and fabrication of parts is incredibly detailed and professional. What leaves me baffled is why there is no handle on top for carrying. Like a lunch box without a handle. It leaves me thinking it's not beekeeping related. But I don't really know...

How about hitting Randy Oliver who's got all of the antique bee related equipment he writes about in ABJ? But whatever, whomever, please find out what this is.


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

rrussell6870 said:


> Can't be a zipperumpazoo... there is no seat for the who to sit with his blusselbambussul... but maybe a whoselwhatstrumpoo???


A whoselwhattrumpoo??? Perhaps this is true. And for proof the words "Made in Whoville" would do.:applause:


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## rrussell6870 (May 14, 2009)

:applause: VERY IMPRESSIVE!! 

I must say, 
you could pass for a who, most any day. 
After three children that were a who loving crew, 
yes I concur.."Made in Whoville" will do.


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## gird123 (Jun 26, 2011)

The only way the wicks would be right side up is if it was floating?


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## chimneysweep (May 9, 2007)

Maybe the side tanks and wicks are for dispensing some sort of liquid fly killer. 
No clue as to the galvanized compartment with the copper slide door though.


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## Frankh (Aug 28, 2011)

I think it is an alien spaceship.


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## mac (May 1, 2005)

Good one


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## Oldbee (Sep 25, 2006)

_"The only way the wicks would be right side up is if it was floating?"

_Good thought about it possibly floating, [sand was added through hole for ballast?] but since the tubes are hanging loosely they would just flip around and the wicks would be "upside down" again,..wouldn't they?

I wonder if there is another piece of metal behind the sliding door that closes the hole? If this piece was removable maybe fuel, like hot coals or wood embers could be added more easily? This might explain why it is made of all metal and so durable. But where would air or smoke vent out? :scratch: Would it have to be vented? The heat from a Weber grill can last an hour or two, even with all vents closed. What about carbon monoxide if it was inside an enclosure like a room? Is the purpose of the sliding door to "adjust" the opening,.or to trap something inside? Maybe the tubes are only for water, which might add humidity [Katharina] to, or what it was used for? 

It could be a one of a kind sort of thing that was made for a specific purpose and we will never know,..for sure. Maybe not even beekeeping related.

Just thoughts,..added to the "think tank" .


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## hemichuck (Oct 27, 2009)

I dont have a clue but in the immortal words of SNL "I dont know what it is but get my picture with it"


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

A friend of mine forwarded the picture to American Pickers and someway listed it on google. Maybe he will find something out but he too wants a different picture view.


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## riverbee1 (Jul 2, 2010)

i just sent the pictures of the thingymajiggy to my bro, he's an old tinner, was in heat and air and is a bit of a picker too. let you all know his take on it. be cool to find out.


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## hotrod6779 (Jul 12, 2009)

It looks a whole lot like the foot heater in the floorboard of my chuck wagon. You know like mule drawn.


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## mrmedic (Sep 23, 2010)

I'm just adding my two cents worth to keep updated on the final outcome.


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## Daniel Wasson (Jun 2, 2010)

I saw that someone has put the pictures up on Craig's list in Spokane to see if anyone recognizes it. Eventually, maybe, hopefully........


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## Frankh (Aug 28, 2011)

I'm sticking with an alien spaceship....pre-warp-drive, obviously.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

It can't be bee related, none of the experts know what it is.


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## mac (May 1, 2005)

DUDE Why do ya do that????? Ya need a hug or something. now I'm going to get the waggy shaky finger icon


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## WLC (Feb 7, 2010)

It's a wax melter and applicator.

Get a small fire going, fill each reservoir with wax, then apply wax to a flat surface with the wick.

You could wax a thin sheet of wood for foundation that way, before you could order foundation from a catalog.

There are two reservoirs with wicks so you can alternate them as one gets cool or runs out of wax.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

mac said:


> DUDE Why do ya do that?????


It's not a logical conclusion?


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## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

WLC said:


> It's a wax melter and applicator.


You seem to be speaking with authority ... 

Is that what it is? Or is this your opinion? 

You must have a reference.


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## WLC (Feb 7, 2010)

It's what I would have bought if I had to wax up wood sheets for foundation in the shed out back, because the old lady wouldn't let me do it indoors on the stove. 

Check the length of the wicks. I bet they're the right size, 17 1/2" to 19".


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Don't ya think there would be some wax residue, even after all this time? And the door on the large resevoir, why is it on the bottom near the wide base? That's curious.


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## riverbee1 (Jul 2, 2010)

riverbee1 said:


> i just sent the pictures of the thingymajiggy to my bro, he's an old tinner, was in heat and air and is a bit of a picker too. let you all know his take on it. be cool to find out.


 so here is a tinner’s take on this thingymajiggy contraption”:

“now the trap, it's made of galvanized steel my guess 22ga. i'm guessing it was made after WII because, during the war, all steel was gobbled up by the war effort forcing light gauge steel industries to use aluminum. it looks handmade, the edge breaks are very rough and seams are lapped and soldered. this tells me they didn’t have equipment to do the work. 

They used copper rivets. copper turns green very quickly after its exposed . these are nice and shiny, probably used within a couple of years. also they used pop rivets, not blind rivets. pop rivets haven't been around that long. if a company manufactured this product it would not have used copper rivets to avoid oxidization. oxidization occurs when to unlike metals, (ferrous and nonferrous)come in contact. These rivets would be completely black if they were old!!"
"about the only thing this trap would catch is a few crickets! ":lpf:


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## WLC (Feb 7, 2010)

"Don't ya think there would be some wax residue, even after all this time? And the door on the large resevoir, why is it on the bottom near the wide base? That's curious."

I can't tell if the wicks contain any wax residue, or if there is any wax left in the two side reservoirs.

The 'large reservoir' is the stove. The heat source. You put in your wood, or coal, light it up, and open or close the air inlet. The hole is for low air inlet, while if the door was up, it would allow for full air. I suspect that there's a hole on the top back of the stove to let the smoke out.

You could tilt out the side resrvoir with a stick and coat your wood foundation sheet that way.

I kinda think that the eyelets are turned upside down since it would make removing a reservoir full of hot wax a little tricky.


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## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

WLC.... You are guessing.


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## WLC (Feb 7, 2010)

The offset from the heat source, side reservoirs with wicks, and a cap...

There's only one thing you could put in there, without blowing yourself up.

It's for wax.

Get the length of the wick, and we'll all know.


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## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

I could put water in there and not blow myself up.


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## WLC (Feb 7, 2010)

Yeah, but that's not what it's for.

It's a wax melter and applicator.


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## windfall (Dec 8, 2010)

That is all lead solder. You build a fire in there and the joints go runny.


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## WLC (Feb 7, 2010)

Lead solder? Not on the stove.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

WLC said:


> Yeah, but that's not what it's for.
> 
> It's a wax melter and applicator.


A guess? Or some good reason to think so? The resevoirs w/ the wicks are awfully small and would need refilling often, I would think. And what goes in the tank w/ the sliding door?


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## tommyt (Aug 7, 2010)

I know what it is 
I can't believe no-one has come up with it 
The new ones don't look at all the same but I bet you all
own or have seen one in use


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=angi1vwUkQc&feature=youtube_gdata_player


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## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

early bbq?


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

WLC said:


> It's a wax melter and applicator.


No. Even I could fabricate a better wax melter. Whatever goes in the side "tanks" would be liquid, not a solid, which wax is. Guess again.


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## WLC (Feb 7, 2010)

Barry:

You melt the wax first, then pour it in the reservoir and screw on the cap.

I never said that it was a great design.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

I wonder why only a few of our Engineers have commented on this Thread? No one into Reverse Engineering?


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

WLC said:


> I suspect that there's a hole on the top back of the stove to let the smoke out.


I guess you missed this from the OP: "There was nothing on the bottom or the back of it."

I think we can safely take the fire chamber idea off the table.


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## WLC (Feb 7, 2010)

Maybe it's upside down?


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

Daniel Wasson said:


> All of you that keep talking "bomb" can't have never used/seen a gas Coleman lantern or stove? The fuel in both of those devices is directly passed (via a tube) through the flame produced. This creates a fuel vapor, at pressure, and is very controllable. Heating or pre-heating fuel of all types is pretty common in a wide variety of applications.


I had a Svea 123 stove, so yes, I'm familiar with fuel vapor. One first has to get the fuel tank pressurized, which is done by burning a small amount of fuel in the recess atop the fuel tank. Once pressurized, the burner can be lite, which is above the tank, as is the Coleman lantern and stove. I'm not aware of any burning device that has the flame in direct contact with the fuel source.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

My guess would be some sort of feeder or dispenser. Could be for birds or controlling mosquitoes. I also think it is a one of a kind invention that probably didn't work too well.


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## Daniel Wasson (Jun 2, 2010)

Barry said:


> I'm not aware of any burning device that has the flame in direct contact with the fuel source.


I can't think of a device that has the fuel in direct contact with the flame either, except a candle.

When I first looked at the pictures I was not looking at the 'wicks' as if they were what was to be burned, but as insulation material. I saw the tank leaned against the main body of the device, and the rivets, and took what looked to be stove gasket material to be insulation for the tank against the main body, and that the two were joined with the rivets. Then when I looked again I realized that the tanks (tank looking objects) were free swinging. 

I wasn't suggesting that a flame would come in direct contact with a fuel source in any way. That was why I mentioned the Coleman Stove, no direct contact there either. Sorry I am not able to be more clear when I write. That is something I need to work on more. 

Something in the back of my mind is telling me I have seen this thing, or something like it before. Just can't put a finger on it.


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## beeherder (Aug 7, 2011)

I can tell you exactly what it is, and has been. about a weeks entertainment for some of the guys on here, and that's the best description Ihave for it 
I doubt it held liquid in the main chamber with the type of door it has on it.
The way the 'hangers' are shaped indicate to me that it is in the position in the picture that it was designed to be used in. 
With the door so close to the ground I'd say it's for something that is close to the ground, like a snake or mouse or something, if indeed it is a critter keeper/trap. 
It has no handles for carrying, so... hmmm
Any mounting apparatus on the bottom or rear of this unit?
Anything on the other sides that we aren't seeing?
Maybe it's a device designed to distract people while some snake oil sales man does his dirty business 
What are the actual dimensions on this thing ?
What diameter is the door opening actually? The rocks around it make it appear to not be too large.


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## Rob H. (Mar 7, 2010)

I heard back from the owner of it, I had asked him if he could smell anything in the tube, here is his reply:

"I took another look at the tin container which has nothing printed on it anywhere. There is no odor in it, the hole is a bit less than one-half inch in diameter and is too small to see anything inside."

I still think it's related to beekeeping or maybe some other insect, mostly because of the size of the hole, but as someone here already stated, I also think it could be someone's invention that never got mass produced.


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## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

Maybe it is a chicken feed dispenser, rat proof?


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## rrussell6870 (May 14, 2009)

I'm with you... I think it WAS going to be something, but the maker figured out that either there was a major flaw in his design or he had a better after getting to that point... 

If it was intended for bee keeping, I would think it would be a trap... anyone thought about honey being put in the wick tubes as an attractant? It wouldn't work, but that could very well be why it wasn't in use... the creator could have assumed that he could set it up and put honey in the wick tubes and the bees would take up residence in the skep... 

Again, it would not work like they probably quickly discovered... communications were limited, so a lot of things were built then scrapped as soon as they figured out or received word from an expert that there were better and easier ways to accomplish the same goals...

I had a guy put packages in a closet and stick a bowl beneath them expecting them to fill the bowl with honey... that was this year... crazy notions are quite common... lol.


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## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

Those mad inventors. When I die, someone will go through my garage and find a few scrapped mystery projects. My kids know what part of them are or were supposed to be. Most worked. Til I found a better way to do it. Guess I should clean the darned thing out.


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## waynesgarden (Jan 3, 2009)

WLC said:


> You melt the wax first, then pour it in the reservoir and screw on the cap.


I think even the worst of the engineers I've ever worked with would not design a wax melter that required melting the wax before filling the wax melter.

On second though, there was one...

Wayne


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## WLC (Feb 7, 2010)

"I think even the worst of the engineers I've ever worked with would not design a wax melter that required melting the wax before filling the wax melter."

Uh... It's a stove, or more correctly, a fire box with two reservoirs.

As someone noted before, there are probably some pieces missing.

It's not too hard to imagine that a double boiler was placed on top of the stove, where the wax was melted in a spouted container before being poured into the reservoirs.

I still think it's a wax melter and applicator.

But, we may never know unless someone recalls seing an advertisement for this gizmo in an old beekeeping publication.

I can see why someone would say that it's a heater/vaporizer. You know, for poultry.


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## rrussell6870 (May 14, 2009)

The only access to the large chamber is a tiny hole with a sliding door on the lower facing... can't start a fire in that or even put coals in it... can't be set above a fire and be filled with water because the access is on the lower end... water would just poor out... 

I can't see it being a wax application device for two reasons...

1. There was no need in bee keeping at that time to apply wax... combs were built by bees, abandoned combs were used for candles and weather sealing things such as furniture, and leather goods... 

2. They already had a simple and efficient device for applying wax... a tin can and a brush...


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Were this to show up on a Fish Forum we would be arguing about what kind of fish apparatus it was. Or any other such area of interest. In all likelihood the only thing it has to do w/ beekeeping is the person who owned it and the assumption/wishful thinking of the current own.


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## riverbee1 (Jul 2, 2010)

that is very funny,
one thing for sure, its bear proof except for any rolling around


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## WLC (Feb 7, 2010)

We haven't seen the back of the thing. Maybe there's a vent hole on top for smoke?

Or, like I said before, maybe it's upside down.

As for the need for such a gadget, a wax melter and applicator...

I'd say that using a double boiler to wax up a sheet of wood for foundation could get really messy, especially if done indoors (would you want to be the beekeepers wife cleaning wax off of a stove?). I can see a beekeeper wanting to try out using a waxed sheet of wood for foundation. And, buying this thing out of 'cabin fever'.

Regardless, it doesn't look as if it was ever used.

Maybe it's a "Beekeeper's Lament"?

As in, "Why the heck did I buy this piece of junk?" 

I'm sure you've got em around. I do.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Never used? What about what looks like soot on the surface of the main tank?

You got that prototype ready yet, WLC?


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## beeware10 (Jul 25, 2010)

I'm sure this item was not related to beekeeping, but whatever it was it was not successful.


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## WLC (Feb 7, 2010)

Do you mean the 'Bone Hive'?

Still getting stuff in. I ordered up some phosphate cement from a 'Green' architect that builds Bau-Biologie Houses. He was very sympathetic to the idea of a Bio-Ceramic beehive.

I hope it doesn't end up like this gizmo.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Don't most ideas?


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## paintingpreacher (Jul 29, 2006)

Rob::: Do you know anything more about the man who owned this? Can you find out if he had other interest or occupations besides beekeeping?


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## Bee Bliss (Jun 9, 2010)

I was wondering if it was used for heat when ice fishing??? It seems to be a home made item and not bought??


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

*The gizmo, any resolution?*

I have forgotten where the discussion on the contraption no one could recognize was? Was there any difinitive decisions on what it was? I have apparently driven a 91 year old great uncle half mad because he has to know what it is. I really thought he would when i sent it to him.


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## Oldbee (Sep 25, 2006)

*Re: The gizmo, any resolution?*


http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?260567-Is-this-unusual-item-related-to-beekeeping

I don't think there was any "definitive decision", or any real "consensus"  as to what was. I imagine the same thing could be said for a photo of an antique hand made extractor seen by anybody that had no knowledge about all of the "tools of the trade" involving beekeeping.

I'm not that interested in antiques myself, except to appreciate their history.

If anyone is truely curious, you might try contacting some of those appraisers from,.."Antiques Roadshow"  There is quite a list. There are only two that specialize in tools and implements. Enter a search word in the box on the right to find an expert. 
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/appraisers/index.html


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## Rob H. (Mar 7, 2010)

paintingpreacher said:


> Rob::: Do you know anything more about the man who owned this? Can you find out if he had other interest or occupations besides beekeeping?



Don't know of any other interests except that he was a farmer. I've been showing this thing to a lot of people but still no answer, I'm posting it in a tool collectors magazine but that won't be out until December. I've also posted it on the "What is it?" site, as seen here:

http://55tools.blogspot.com/2011/09/set-407.html

We get answers for all kinds of unusual tools there but so far no luck with this tin item.


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## Beeboy01 (May 20, 2008)

I'm going to give a guess about this thing. The two side tanks are filled with a mineral oil and then the entire thing gets dropped into a cattle or stock yard water tank. The center portion fill up with water through that little hole and it sinks to the bottom of the water tank. Or maybe the boyancy of the thing can be adjusted by letting in some water through that hole so it floats. That would explain the pyramid shape, it would stay upright when floating. The two side tanks rotate up on thier loop mounts and the mineral oil slowly seeps out forming a thin film on the water in the stock yard water tank.The oil film will keep mosquito larva from growing in the water tank in the stock yard. It's just a guess but the form fits that function.


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## mlsthmpsn (Feb 23, 2012)

Well great! How the heck am I going to sleep now!!!! 

I thought for sure, I'd read this thread and at the end.....there would be a simple answer. Instead, it's a cliffhanger!

:scratch:


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## DanielD (Jul 21, 2012)

Well, I just saw this post and read all the replies, and there are some interesting observations made by, well, some of you. I would agree that it's home made and it's probably a one time made contraption to fit a need in someone's imagination. I wonder if it worked for whoever made it. I would say it's not upside down, since the holders of the side tanks are looped in the way they are. You would want the open end of the loop up like it shows. I can't imagine any fire in this thing of any sort. The wick things are probably used to dispense something slowly. It's interesting that the hanging of the side tanks allows the 'wicks' to touch the side of the tank if it were waved side to side. I wonder if there is something with that in it's use, as though the wicks would apply whatever fluid was in them to the side of the tanks and it would run down and drip off the tank for some reason. But then there's no handle on it. The small hole on the main tank doesn't seem to be of any value if it were filled with fluid. That slide wouldn't keep anything in it. Maybe it's a bee drummer for swarms. You put water in the side tanks to give it more weight for harder drumming, and the hole open or closed changes the resonance of the main tank, and you shake it. OK, it probably has nothing to do with beekeeping. That's all my observations and I have no clue like everyone else.


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## julysun (Apr 25, 2012)

It is one of those California BBHs (Bottom Bar Hives) with feeders. A durable one.

It is not a firebox, at least not a safe one, the galvanizing would vaporize an make everyone nearby sick.


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## Kenww (Apr 14, 2013)

I was thinking maybe A stock tank heater to keep the water from freezing . Don't quite see how Itd work though.


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## tommyt (Aug 7, 2010)

It's for bee lining 

It's a Beeliner box:thumbsup:


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## mlsthmpsn (Feb 23, 2012)

I just can't believe that people argued for almost a year about it being a heater of some kind, with the wicks and fuel tanks. Wicks are meant to be burned and REPLACED. Rivets knock that theory out immediately. 

The whole wax application thing is also crazy. Beeswax melts at what, 143°F? So, in order to melt the "wax" reservoirs via radiant heat, you'd have to stoke a 500°F fire in a tin box and then tilt the whole swinging contraption in such a manner for you to evenly coat a piece of wood so that you could make foundation? All without burning your hands? Really? 

I'm going to study the image and then let my brain think about it while I slumber. I can solve complex mathematics this way... We'll see if it can run on imagination autopilot as well. 

MT


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## GeezLouise (Feb 4, 2012)

Prototype cattle oiler? Although the sliding door seems weird for that. 
:scratch:


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## DanielD (Jul 21, 2012)

mlsthmpsn said:


> I just can't believe that people argued for almost a year
> 
> MT


I didn't notice it's been almost 2 years for this thread. I would say that the whole idea and use of this thing died when the one who made it did. I am anticipating the slumber brain results.


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