What was this burner for? Proper name of hammer?

[Lostmind]

A couple more of the wives finds. Was this burner for jewelry making?
I always called the hammers tack hammers, is it upholsters hammer?
They will go up for sale when I ID them
Thanks
Roy

[mikeswrenches]

Roy, the burner is called a Bunsen burner and was used in chemistry labs.  The ones I used worked on natural gas.  Most labs had several gas outlets at each work station.  You then used a very flexible rubber tubing to connect the burner to the outlet.  The gas pressure is very low so the push-on connection is acceptable.

I always called the hammer an upholster's hammer.  Usually one end is magnetic to hold the tacks.  That way you could hold the material with one hand, and start the tack on the end of the hammer with the other.

Mike

[Lostmind]

I never took a chemistry course, so had no clue. I do know the term. Some quick research ,and
it appears to be "vintage".
Thanks.

[mikeswrenches]

I would guess around the late 50's maybe earlier.  I had one in our basement when I was a kid.  It had a grid in the top like yours.  They also came in a version that had a straight pipe without the flared section.  These were much more common.

Mike

[ron darner]

I believe that yours is actually a Fisher burner (or Meker-Fisher, or sometimes just Meker burner).  The difference between a Bunsen and a Fisher is the grid at the top.  See http://www.ask.com/wiki/Meker-Fisher_burner.

[Bill Houghton]

The particular shape is usually called "upholsterer's hammer," but works just fine for tacks; after all, upholsterer's hammers are used for tacks!

When I was raised, this was considered a tack hammer:



Same principle, different head shape.  I prefer the upholsterer's hammer head design.  I've got a really nice one, bronze, with steel inserts in each end, one magnetic.

[Lostmind]

Thanks for the input. I now have them listed in the for sale section.
Thanks for the education.

[Branson]

The particular shape is usually called "upholsterer's hammer," but works just fine for tacks; after all, upholsterer's hammers are used for tacks!

 I've got a really nice one, bronze, with steel inserts in each end, one magnetic.

Osborne still makes these hammers.  The steel tipped bronze version can be seen at:

http://www.perfectproductsonline.com/tackhammer.html

Osborne calls it a tack hammer, but catalogs it under upholstery tools.

[skipskip]

It was long time before someone told  me why the upholstery tacks we sold said "sterilized".

skip

[Billman49]

Must admit, I just had to look that one up - didn't use my brain properly to think it through - I guess cobbler's nails would also have been sterilized as well (not that it has ever worried me when using nails or screws)......

[Billman49]

Great website for tacks - they also supply upholsterer's tack hammers...

http://www.dbgurney.com/home.php?cat=243

Established by David Gurney in 1825 - When first founded, the factory sat on Massachusetts’ South Shore in Abington and featured both horse-powered and water-powered equipment, with each tackmaker able to produce 5,000 tacks by hand per day. Forty years later, the company moved to (what is now) Whitman, where it found its permanent home using the latest technology to power the factory – a steam engine.  D.B. Gurney’s factory is actually older than the town of Whitman itself; until 1875 Whitman was recognized as South Abington.  Initially chosen because of its proximity to the Gurney family houses, the factory allowed the men to easily head home for lunch and is nearly identical to its original state.  It is an integral piece of a New England town’s historic center where the steam engine continues to reside even though it has been replaced with electricity.

Probably well worth a visit if you are in the area...

On this line, there is a nail making museum in northern France - all machines still in use and running