Imperion Magnum the Superconductive Battlebot
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needle/pin sharpener.
no really, squeeze it. Does it feel like it’s got sand in it? is’s sharpening sand. Stab the tip of your needle into it back and forth and it’ll help put a sharp edge back on a pin or needle that’s been blunted by use, or has a little bit of rust on it. It can’t fix anything worse then a little of either, and won’t work on something REALLY blunted, but its a lifesaver.
also it is a pepper
It's not a pepper and it's not for sharpening!!
It may seem like it should be a pepper, since that would go better with the flavour of a tomato (and the mass produced modern ones are admittedly more pepper shaped), but it is and has always been a strawberry.
Here are some antique emery strawberries, which are much more strawberry shaped, and some of them have seeds.
(source)
(source)
(Home Needlework Magazine, 1899)
And it's for cleaning needles, not sharpening them. I can't imagine how jamming a blunt needle point around in a bunch of loose grit could possibly sharpen it in any significant way, and all the historical sources I've seen only talk about cleaning.
"Every sewer's work basket or work box should contain an emery bag, as shown in Fig. 2, through which to push a needle when it becomes rough, squeaks, or sticks in the material. An emery bag is usually shaped like a strawberry and consists of a rough denim bag filled with emery powder, which is a very hard material used for polishing metals. Such a bag may be purchased for 5 or 10 cents in any store that sells sewing materials. Needles often become rusted from the perspiration of the hands or from being left in damp places. The beginner may use a small emery bag to remove rust; or, a small piece of emery paper may be used instead."
-Woman's Institute Reference Library, 1916.
"Use an emery whenever your needle does not slip through the cloth easily."
-The Improvement of Educational Administration in Massachusetts, 1916.
"An emery bag is inexpensive and is useful to keep needles polished and smooth. If the hands perspire and it is difficult to push the needle through the cloth, running the needle through the emery will relieve the condition."
-Boys' and Girls' Clothing Club, 1915.
"It was very hot to sit and sew. The needle would get sticky in spite of all the little emery strawberry could give it, and Beth's fingers had never felt so clumsy and uncomfortable."
-The Unitarian Register, 1908.
"She polished her needles to nothing, pushing them in and out of the emery strawberry, but they always squeaked."
-Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, 1910.
This patent from 1873 mentions an emery slab for sharpening pins, which is quite different from a cushion, and which sounds like it actually would work for sharpening.
"C is a slab of emery or other sharp and fine grit, for sharpening needles or pins"
Then later down the page it also says
"E is an emery cushion, secured in the body of the holder A, and is used for polishing needles and keeping them smooth."
So. Strawberry for cleaning. Not pepper for sharpening.
Gentle reminder - modern sewing tools are made from treated or plated metal, or stainless steel. In terms of human civilisation, this is a wild advance of technology. Needles are some of our oldest tools; rust was formerly ubiquitous, and attacked every form of everyday metal. A rusty needle tears fabric, or worse, stains it. The luxury and technology of rustproof needles and pins - forgotten in a few generations of human memory - and yet it is remembered in the strawberry. Memory is stored in the strawberry!
Whenever I see anything like this my first thought is that @thebibliosphere will know what these words mean.
Unfortunately, you would be correct.
“Vampire facials”, which many people think is needling but is actually far, far worse, refers to platelet-rich plasma facials, in which blood is taken from a patient, processed in a centrifuge to extract the plasma and then re-injected it into the face. It’s supposed to make the skin “heal” itself because of platelets or some shit, giving you a more youthful look. Kim K helped make it popular after it was on her show but I know she also supposedly regrets it.
It’s uh, controversial to say the least. And not just because it sounds like painful bullshit but because lack of regulation for this sort of thing has lead to a couple of cases of HIV transmission happening.
The penis version is that they’re doing the exact same thing, taking plasma from themselves or a donor and injecting it into the penile tissue, supposedly to treat erectile dysfunction, but a lot of the men doing this are doing it just to get a girthier look.
And if you think I hate knowing all this, you’d be right.
i hope you’re proud of yourself Joy.
Ian Stone, Doubting Thomas, oil on linen, 12x16 in, 2023
"If you know the painting by Caravaggio, Doubting Thomas, it was my direct inspiration for this piece.
A doubting Thomas is a skeptic who refuses to believe without direct personal experience. 50-60 years ago, it was not uncommon for people to think or believe that being gay was a phase or a mental illness or deviance in some shape or form. It's embarrassing that the same things are being said about trans people today."
nocturna7
