Ebenim - Mystery Machine Contest #2

Ebenim

Aug. 17, 2007

Mystery Machine Contest #2

Mystery Machine, part II

Time for another mystery machine competition. Entry deadline is 10pm CDT, September 1, 2007. Tell me...

1.) What it is (its name),
2.) What it does,
3.) What time period it is from.

The most creative entry will be awarded something off my shelf at work (you know, all those things there aren't room for at home) and the closest entry gets a book from my "can't give them away" box (also at work).

Have fun!

Paul

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Comments

Aug. 20, 2007 - This is what we did while sitting in the airport - we came up with an answer

Posted by Klos Family

Name: Recording Piano
What it did: Created piano rolls for player pianos
Time Period: Late 1800's

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Aug. 20, 2007 - This is what we did while sitting in the airport - we came up with an answer

Posted by Klos Family

Name: Recording Piano
What it did: Created piano rolls for player pianos
Time Period: Late 1800's

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Aug. 22, 2007 - mystery machine 2

Posted by Anonymous

It's a knitting machine, circa 1850. The woman is following a pattern, and the man is making sure that the right colors are being fed into it in the proper order.

Granny

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Aug. 24, 2007 - tricky one...but i think i figured it out...

Posted by Fletch/www.themangotimes.com

At the turn of the century, inventors were known to combine several devices to accomplish greater results with improved efficiency. This was the case with the device you've provided. This is the 1908 "home" version of the Gorman Brothers Steam Driven Piano Furnace Yarn machine.

Reginald Gorman (on the right) is seated at the higher than normal piano (note the double cushions) so he can reach the elevated keys (a). He keeps pace tapping away on the piano keys by following the chronographically mounted score placed above the keyboard. The resulting vibration of the piano strings is then transferred into usable energy.

This energy created heats a small vat of water behind the piano and the steam generated travels through the copper coiled radiator (b) mounted above the piano, which as you can guess, creates enough heat to warm the typical turn of the century parlor.

The pressure of the steam is stored and then delivered through the receiving tube (f) which comes up over the side of this brilliant invention to drive the double spooled yarn machine (c).

On the left we see Leopold Gorman sitting at the spinning machine and he is testing the tension and temperature of the yarn being made by the machine. If Reginald plays too quickly or plays a piece of music with an upbeat tempo (like ragtime), the temperature of the house increases as well as the temperature of the yarn (increasing the possibility of shredding or yarn fire). Therefore, Leopold is prepared to cool the entire process by blowing through the mounted mouth piece (d).

I'm sure this is no surprise, but the Gorman brothers met with an unfortunate demise. One Sunday after church, these two bachelor inventors invited a pair of young women to join them for an afternoon of music and refreshment. Reginald was feeling particularly punchy and began playing some of his favorite Joplin. With his attention split between their female guests and the exciting music, brother Leopold did not monitor the temperature. The resulting fire was catastrophic and unfortunate.

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Aug. 25, 2007 - Mom's guess - a musical typesetter

Posted by Anonymous

This is a musical version of a typesetter. Notice the double keyboard and the stacks of "typeset" notes. As the typist played the keyboard the appropriate note was dropped into place. The double keyboard was necessary because of the need for whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth, etc. notes and rests. The gentleman on the left is holding the receiver for the line of 'type'. This made it much easier than handwriting music for people to play new songs. Circa 1850.

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Aug. 26, 2007 - Automatic-Page-Turner-For-Playing-Long-Songs

Posted by Your Daughter

Name: PageTurneromatic
What It Does: (see Subject Line)
When: Early to Mid 1800's

However, my only explanation for "Mr. Leopold Gorman",as Mr. Fletcher says it, is the PageTurneromatic's operator. Not an incredibly efficient way of playing though...if the PageTurneromatic required two persons, one operating the mechanism, and one benefiting from it by not having to worry about turning pages, why not have the traditional Page Turner? So I'm not so sure about this last part, but it's my best-not-so-guess-but-rather-hope-that-I'm-right. TA-DA!

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Sep. 1, 2007 - waiting with baited breath...

Posted by Fletch/www.themangotimes.com

what is that machine?

Fletch

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Occasional thoughts and dialogue on Biblical fatherhood and family life to the Glory of God with a little mirth thrown in for good measure.