Instruments of Torture!

Well now that I've grabbed your attention I wanted to share with you my love of beautiful vintage technical instruments especially having found a couple of super examples at a brocante in the small village of Fontenet, just down the road from us.  

I have always been impressed by the beautiful craftsmanship that went into the making of tools and vintage scientific instruments  and anyone who has frequented auctions or flea markets will no doubt have stumbled across various enigmatic objects made from lacquered brass, often housed in a precision made wooden case. 

Last Sunday I found one of the most common trucs of this sort, a barometer.  But what attracted me particularly to this example was the fact that it had been made with a chrome case the shape and size of a traditional alarm clock.  I was particularly pleased that you could clearly see all the coils and inner workings of the barometer with the added bonus of a lovely bevelled glass over the face.  I know that the case is slightly pitted but to me it adds to the vintage and slightly industrial feel of the piece.  

I love this little barometer and if you do to you can find it on my Etsy Shop

OK so it's not really an instrument of torture unless you are the unfortunate partner of someone that cannot pass a barometer without tapping the glass.

Another find that myself and Spike both loved was an old clockwork Bakelite timer that would at one time have sat on a bar to time people using the telephone. Having an old vintage phone ourselves we thought it would be fun to put them together in the hope that one day we will find an external bell to make the set complete (don't ask... or if you are curious see my post entitled 'Ring Telephone Ring').   

Known as a minuteur téléphonique in France this is a super little truc

This wonderful contraption is still in perfect working order and we have already thought of how we can use it to annoy our teenage niece and nephew when they come to stay. The obvious use of course is to time their inevitable endless telephone calls back to England but we also came up with the idea of timing their showers because they do have the habit of using up all the hot water in the house (especially my nephew).  

Luckily for me I'm almost positive that they don't read my blog as the ramblings of their middle aged Auntie is not likely to be their kind of truc.  

On the quiet though I thought I might also use it on Spike for various 'time and motion studies' as he is often to be found gazing out into the distance when on a simple quick errand (thank goodness we're moving to town where there are no scenic views of the countryside to distract him!) 

The final little find was from a market we visited a couple of months back and is a lovely little brass compass that we bought quite well and congratulated ourselves on endlessly as we smugly continued our shop.  As with all things 'all that glisters is not gold' and it turned out to be a very well made reproduction from India.  

I love this little truc in spite of it being a reproduction

We were disappointed at first but on the positive side we have not only learned something valuable (which is par for the course in my trade) but because it is so pretty we have decided to keep it as a decorative piece and as a reminder that if something seems too good to be true it usually is.  

So next time you come across an old spirit level, brass telescope or pair of binoculars please give them a second look as you will really see some excellent craftsmanship worthy of closer inspection and your admiration.