# Identify this gizmo **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 25, 2005, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-gizmo/337193 "2005-12-25T22:14:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2005, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-gizmo/337193/1 "2005-12-25T22:14:08Z")
This was with some stuff my mother left me years ago. It seems to be a kitchen utensil of some sort. It’s 2.75" long, wood handle and stainless steel balls in flexible holders. It came from sometime in the 1920s or 30s. Have asked inumerable people and got many guesses, but over the years nobody has ever said, “Hey, yeah, we had one of those and it was used to…” Most guess a knife sharpener, but tried that and it does not work, as the balls are too smooth to do anything to a blade. Others have guessed something to hold papers together, but that does not work anywhere as well as a paperclip, and why the handle? Wide variety of other wild guess, but nobody has ever known for shure. [Here is overall shot](http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c86/KlondikeGeoff/IMG_0002.jpg) and [here](http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c86/KlondikeGeoff/IMG_0004.jpg) is a closeup of the end So, whazzit? ---
**Author:** ![mrrealtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@mrrealtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrrealtime)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2005, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-gizmo/337193/2 "2005-12-25T22:24:27Z")
Im going to guess some kind of seal pressing thing, imagine running it along the zip locks of a zip lock bag…but where more accuracy is required. ---
**Author:** ![mrrealtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@mrrealtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrrealtime)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2005, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-gizmo/337193/3 "2005-12-25T22:25:36Z")
and…you could heat it up and seal wax paper with it to make a little wax sealed baggie ---
**Author:** ![mrrealtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@mrrealtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrrealtime)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2005, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-gizmo/337193/4 "2005-12-25T22:31:49Z")
it worked! I tried heating up wax paper and made a little baggie that I managed to fill with some water. Could freeze and make icepacks or something before plastic bags came into existence. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2005, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-gizmo/337193/5 "2005-12-25T22:49:34Z")
**KlondikeGeoff** > [@](#): > > It came from sometime in the 1920s … Ahhh they’re 1920’s style wax paper heaters !!! ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2005, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-gizmo/337193/6 "2005-12-25T22:51:31Z")
> [@wolf\_meister](#): > > **KlondikeGeoff** > Ahhh they’re 1920’s style wax paper heaters !!! Boy, those wax paper heaters had some balls, eh? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2005, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-gizmo/337193/7 "2005-12-25T23:25:54Z")
Isn’t it obvious? It’s a prop from _The Liar’s Club!_[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074018/](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074018/)🙂 ---
**Author:** ![VenusProbe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e495f1/32.png) [@VenusProbe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VenusProbe)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2005, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-gizmo/337193/8 "2005-12-26T01:05:43Z")
> [@mrrealtime](#): > > and…you could heat it up and seal wax paper with it to make a little wax sealed baggie Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter. 😃 I have seen bag sealer made from a soldering iron and a small bearing, I can’t remember what material it was used on though. ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2005, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-gizmo/337193/9 "2005-12-26T01:29:20Z")
> [@KlondikeGeoff](#): > > Most guess a knife sharpener, but tried that and it does not work, as the balls are too smooth to do anything to a blade. Others have guessed something to hold papers together, but that does not work anywhere as well as a paperclip, and why the handle? > So, whazzit? Not unexpectedly the _handle_ was/is a handle. It was called a sharpener but in reality it was and is a hone to touch up the knife edge, reduce roughness. The balls are not stainless as that was developed later. The balls are hardened steel and appear to have a fine film of blue/black oxidation. Probably cost ten to maybe as much as $0.25 in the 20’s or 30’s. The cheap ones had two glass marbles. 🙂 I have a more modern version consisting of two sets of hardened steel disks, with ground circumferences stacked on two rods in a metal frame. They are staggered so that one stack is interleaved with the other and there is a pretty deep ‘valley’ to draw the cutting edge of a knife through to actually remove bits of metal. ---
**Author:** ![mrrealtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@mrrealtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrrealtime)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2005, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-gizmo/337193/10 "2005-12-26T01:33:15Z")
Interesting you mention that show…Ive actually been in the studio audience for an episode. Coincidence?? ---
**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2005, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-gizmo/337193/11 "2005-12-26T03:51:22Z")
> [@spingears](#): > > I have a more modern version consisting of two sets of hardened steel disks, with ground circumferences stacked on two rods in a metal frame. They are staggered so that one stack is interleaved with the other and there is a pretty deep ‘valley’ to draw the cutting edge of a knife through to actually remove bits of metal. My folks have one of those sharpeners… have since I was a kid, but like you say they DO remove metal… are you saying the ballbearing type hones by straightening out the edge like a STEEL does? Not actually removing metal but straightening out the fine edge as a STEEL does? As a STEEL does? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2005, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-gizmo/337193/12 "2005-12-26T15:15:07Z")
> [@Whammo](#): > > As a STEEL does? 😃 As a STEEL does! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2005, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-gizmo/337193/13 "2005-12-26T18:24:46Z")
> [@spingears](#): > > Not unexpectedly the _handle_ was/is a handle. > It was called a sharpener but in reality it was and is a hone to touch up the knife edge, reduce roughness. > The balls are not stainless as that was developed later. > The balls are hardened steel and appear to have a fine film of blue/black oxidation. Thanks, **Spingears,**! After all these yeas of asking and just getting wild and crazy guesses, at last somebody realy knows, as do I now. I’ve always used a steel after a stone, now next time I’ll try the “sharpener,” or “the gizmo” as it is known in scientific terms. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2005, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-gizmo/337193/14 "2005-12-26T19:08:44Z")
> [@mrrealtime](#): > > Interesting you mention that show…Ive actually been in the studio audience for an episode. Coincidence?? AFAIK. I just remember seeing it on TV a couple of times. Celebs would make up lies about some unfamiliar gadget (one of them would be telling the truth). ---
**Author:** ![mrrealtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@mrrealtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrrealtime)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2005, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-gizmo/337193/15 "2005-12-27T13:12:52Z")
Id like to try it as a wax paper sealer. I’ll keep my eyes peeled on ebay for one.