Ebay Stenton and other fun

[Oldnick]

Took a gamble on an ebay lot to get this stubby Stenton. The more I look at it the more interesting it has become. The partial GR and crown mark really couldn't be seen on seller's photo, and since it further pegs the date, I was pleased to find that even though it is partial. Whoever re-scaled this in wood, did a really nice job. The scales are perfectly shaped and proportioned, it has a separate wooden spacer, not just a sawed slot like the broom handle I just saved a Wosty from. The collars are hand made from what appears to have been a lithoed tobacco can or such, and exhibit gold, red, and a few spots of black lettering. It's such a nice and interesting job that I hate to disturb it, and may not since the pivot isn't that rusty. Perhaps an in situ finish. Another fun scale find was this interestingly repaired scale from a W&B FBU. The nicely done, two color horn, overlapped and pinned repair was interesting enough, but upon disassembly, the brass plate that they were pinned to was really fun to find -- an old back plate to a thermometer. I feel like I should repair the repair and put it back together as an ode to tinkers everywhere.