Thanks to all for your suggestions. Most have been along the pen/pencil
line, but I have also had one suggestion that it is a smoking pipe tamper.
Does anyone have any examples or information on this type of implement? And
whether the 'mystery artefact' could be something along this line?
Karen
----
Karen Murphy
School of Social Science
(Anthropology, Archaeology, Criminology, Sociology)
University of Queensland
Brisbane QLD 4072
Australia
Ph: +61 7 3346 9551
M: 0401 644 678
Email: [log in to unmask]
Visit the Mill Point Archaeological Project website
Queensland State Representative
Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology
Email: [log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Bob
Skiles
Sent: Tuesday, 26 February 2008 3:17 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: ARTEFACT IDENTIFICATION
Oops! I should have said "graphite based lumber pencil" rather than
"wax-based timber crayon" ... there IS a big difference (both in the
instruments and the purposes for which they were used).
Bob Skiles
PS - incidentally, I have seen very similar artifacts in metal-detectorists'
collections from lumbermill sites of the contemporary heydey of
industrialized clear-cutting period of eastern Texas forests (1870s-1915).
~~~~~~~~~~~
If at first an idea is not absurd, there is no hope for it. ~ Albert
Einstein
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Skiles" <[log in to unmask]>
To: "HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, February 25, 2008 10:39 AM
Subject: Re: ARTEFACT IDENTIFICATION
> Bob G. is probably on the right track ... although there was a plethora of
> early fountain pen types, this does not appear to be similar to any I've
> seen ... and his idea of a pencil lead holder is even warmer.
>
> I believe it may be an early type of "timber crayon" ... a holder for the
> wax-based "leads" used for marking the ends of timber cuts. Here is one
> (patented in the US in 1879) that is in the right era for the mill
> operation at Lake Cootharaba AND the patent drawing shows a marked
> similiarity to your artefact, too:
>
>
http://www.google.com/patents?id=DlNNAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA2&dq=timber+crayon&as_drr
b_is=b&as_minm_is=1&as_miny_is=1870&as_maxm_is=1&as_maxy_is=1891&source=gbs_
selected_pages&cad=0_1
>
> Bob Skiles
> ~~~~~~~~~~~
> If at first an idea is not absurd, there is no hope for it. ~ Albert
> Einstein
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Karen Murphy" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Sunday, February 24, 2008 10:17 PM
> Subject: ARTEFACT IDENTIFICATION
>
>
>> Hi all
>>
>>
>>
>> During excavations at a late-19th century timber mill settlement on Lake
>> Cootharaba, in southeast Queensland, Australia, an interesting metal
>> artefact was found. It is a cylindrical item around 6cm long, with what
>> appears to be a knob that twisted around the barrel of the item, possibly
>> extending and retracting an interior piece. An image of the item is
>> available at http://www.atsis.uq.edu.au/index.html?page=78055
>> <http://www.atsis.uq.edu.au/index.html?page=78055&pid=42037> &pid=42037
>>
>>
>>
>> We have come up with a few suggestions and ideas here, but would
>> appreciate
>> any more concrete information and identification of such an item. And
>> whether people have come across something similar in their work? Or any
>> other ideas?
>>
>>
>>
>> Your help is appreciated.
>>
>>
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>> Karen
>>
>>
>>
>> ----
>>
>> Karen Murphy
>>
>> School of Social Science
>>
>> (Anthropology, Archaeology, Criminology, Sociology)
>>
>> University of Queensland
>>
>> Brisbane QLD 4072
>>
>> Australia
>>
>>
>>
>> Ph: +61 7 3346 9551
>>
>> M: 0401 644 678
>>
>> Email: [log in to unmask]
>>
>> Visit the Mill
>> <http://www.atsis.uq.edu.au/index.html?page=42037&pid=41684>
>> Point Archaeological Project website
>>
>>
>>
>> Queensland State Representative
>>
>> Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology
>>
>> Email: [log in to unmask]
>>
>>
>
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