Hello from Hazard!
Woo-hoo! The new year is off to a fine start, with some good responses on Item No. 879.
Doug Harley, of Fowler, Ohio, and James McDonald, of Chester, W.Va., both say it’s a “pants stretcher.”
“This was put in the waistband of a pair of pants after they were washed, and the button was buttoned and the zipper was zipped,” explains McDonald. “Pants would stretch some while they were wet and would dry stretched out.”
It worked best on blue jeans, he adds.
BUT — ah, wouldn’t you know it! — Mike Solmen says it’s a hat stretcher, which is how Dennis Hevener explained its use at the Fort Henry Days at Oglebay park in Wheeling, W.Va., last summer.
Now, does anyone know: Can the same gizmo be used for both purposes? It’s hard to tell from the photograph, since we don’t have any dimensions. Were there two different, but similar tools? Anyone have both and care to share a photo of them side-by-side?
Item No. 879
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By the way, M. Dawes and Gloria Noday chimed in on our mystery Item No. 878 via our Web site, and think it’s either a card or paper holder of some kind.
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Marching on to Item No. 880. Scott Moody, of Albany, Ohio, sent us a photo of an aluminum tool that’s a little bit of a mystery (I know, I know, mystery items are, well, sometimes a mystery, but I’ve got confidence in all the Hazard-ous readers).
It has three settings and would clasp a cylindrical object.
Item No. 880
Do you know how it was used? Send your answers to: Hazard a Guess, P.O. Box 38, Salem, OH 44460; or via e-mail to: editorial@farmanddairy.com
And if you’ve got a Hazard-ous item in your shed, barn or basement, send us a photo or digital photo file, along with a complete description of the item and its use. You can use the contact information above, or even send a photo via our Web site.
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