Thread: What's This Machine For ???

Obviously NOT a coffee roaster. That tiny burner
couldn't roast coffee by a long shot.

http://cgi.ebay.com/190547712614

It's so pretty that it looks like it would be used
at the table. With a diameter of only 6 inches,
it sure isn't roasting much of whatever it is.
Only maybe a serving or two. But servings of what?

Hurry up and tell me! I've only got a couple of
days to decide whether or not it's something I can't
live without!

"Mark Thorson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> Obviously NOT a coffee roaster. That tiny burner
> couldn't roast coffee by a long shot.
>
> http://cgi.ebay.com/190547712614
>
> It's so pretty that it looks like it would be used
> at the table. With a diameter of only 6 inches,
> it sure isn't roasting much of whatever it is.
> Only maybe a serving or two. But servings of what?
>
> Hurry up and tell me! I've only got a couple of
> days to decide whether or not it's something I can't
> live without!

It actually is what it says it is. They were made as "vintage style" and
sold by Williams Sonoma. Impractical as they are they would work. Looking
at the patina on the copper you can see it has been treated against
oxidation. It is just too perfect to be anything but a modern construction.
It was made for display and not so much for actual use.

Paul

Andy wrote:
>
> I don't know what it's for but with so little fuel (it appears), whatever
> it does, it's got to be a fairly quick process. Who would want to hand
> crank that thing for even five minutes?

If it's a low flame, it might go for hours.
I don't see a wick or a wick adjustment knob,
so it's not clear to me how the burner works.

Hand-cranked coffee roasters are not uncommon,
and they take at least 10-15 minutes per batch.

> I'd love to own that piece as well! I collect copper bric a brac. It
> would look great with all the rest.
>
> I was tempted to bid on it but didn't want to chance getting in a bidding
> war with you.

I'm leaning against bidding at the moment. Unless
I get some new information that turns it into a
must-have in the 24 hours, I won't be bidding.
>
> It will surely sell for more than the current bid of $43.

Agreed, but without knowing what it's for, I'm not
willing to pay very much. If it turns out to be
something really special like a XXXXXXXXXX roaster,
though, I'd make a strong bid.

(Hey, I think I just figured out what it is!)

On Sun, 26 Jun 2011 11:46:40 -0800, Mark Thorson <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Obviously NOT a coffee roaster. That tiny burner
>couldn't roast coffee by a long shot.
>
>http://cgi.ebay.com/190547712614
>
>It's so pretty that it looks like it would be used
>at the table. With a diameter of only 6 inches,
>it sure isn't roasting much of whatever it is.
>Only maybe a serving or two. But servings of what?
>
>Hurry up and tell me! I've only got a couple of
>days to decide whether or not it's something I can't
>live without!

Check out Sweet Maria's
http://www.sweetmarias.com/Roasters-SweetMarias.php

Ross.

<Ross@home> wrote in message news:[email protected]..
| On Sun, 26 Jun 2011 11:46:40 -0800, Mark Thorson <[email protected]>
| wrote:
|
| >Obviously NOT a coffee roaster. That tiny burner
| >couldn't roast coffee by a long shot.
| >
| >http://cgi.ebay.com/190547712614
| >
| >It's so pretty that it looks like it would be used
| >at the table. With a diameter of only 6 inches,
| >it sure isn't roasting much of whatever it is.
| >Only maybe a serving or two. But servings of what?
| >
| >Hurry up and tell me! I've only got a couple of
| >days to decide whether or not it's something I can't
| >live without!
|
| Check out Sweet Maria's
| http://www.sweetmarias.com/Roasters-SweetMarias.php
|
| Ross.

Good job! I searched almost all over the Internet and
couldn't find the thing.

pavane

On 26/06/2011 3:46 PM, Mark Thorson wrote:
> Obviously NOT a coffee roaster. That tiny burner
> couldn't roast coffee by a long shot.
>
> http://cgi.ebay.com/190547712614
>
> It's so pretty that it looks like it would be used
> at the table. With a diameter of only 6 inches,
> it sure isn't roasting much of whatever it is.
> Only maybe a serving or two. But servings of what?
>
> Hurry up and tell me! I've only got a couple of
> days to decide whether or not it's something I can't
> live without!


I am sure that you can live with something when you don't even know what
it is.

Mark Thorson <[email protected]> wrote:

> Obviously NOT a coffee roaster. That tiny burner
> couldn't roast coffee by a long shot.
>
> http://cgi.ebay.com/190547712614
>
> It's so pretty that it looks like it would be used
> at the table. With a diameter of only 6 inches,
> it sure isn't roasting much of whatever it is.
> Only maybe a serving or two. But servings of what?
>
> Hurry up and tell me! I've only got a couple of
> days to decide whether or not it's something I can't
> live without!


Mark,

The seller is in Haddonfield, NJ. An hour away.

Ross's url link also showed the same (or close) piece but no price was
listed. That would've been good ammo but it was clearly stated it wasn't
his piece.

No mention if it was entirely solid copper or copper/tin galvanized.

I'm not going to bid.

Best,

Andy

Ross@home wrote:
>
> Check out Sweet Maria's
> http://www.sweetmarias.com/Roasters-SweetMarias.php

Huh! Somebody who ought to know thinks it's
a coffee roaster. I still don't see how such
a tiny burner could roast coffee. You really
need a lot of heat to get a good roast, otherwise
you're just baking the beans.

On 2011-06-27, Mark Thorson <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Huh! Somebody who ought to know thinks it's
> a coffee roaster. I still don't see how such
> a tiny burner could roast coffee. You really
> need a lot of heat to get a good roast, otherwise
> you're just baking the beans.

So you, who have NOT been in the coffee roasting business EVER!, is
disputing someone that has been in it fer years. Is that what you
would have us believe?

nb

"Mark Thorson" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]..
| Ross@home wrote:
| >
| > Check out Sweet Maria's
| > http://www.sweetmarias.com/Roasters-SweetMarias.php
|
| Huh! Somebody who ought to know thinks it's
| a coffee roaster. I still don't see how such
| a tiny burner could roast coffee. You really
| need a lot of heat to get a good roast, otherwise
| you're just baking the beans.

It only looks tiny. The ball is 6" across, which is pretty
sizeable, would hold a fair amount of coffee beans or,
more likely, chestnuts. As Sheldon might say, at least
a DD cup. Yeah, I'm sorry I mentioned it.

pavane

"Mark Thorson" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]..
| Ross@home wrote:
| >
| > Check out Sweet Maria's
| > http://www.sweetmarias.com/Roasters-SweetMarias.php
|
| Huh! Somebody who ought to know thinks it's
| a coffee roaster. I still don't see how such
| a tiny burner could roast coffee. You really
| need a lot of heat to get a good roast, otherwise
| you're just baking the beans.

It only looks tiny. The ball is 6" across, which is pretty
sizeable, would hold a fair amount of coffee beans or,
more likely, chestnuts. As Sheldon might say, at least
a DD cup. Yeah, I'm sorry I mentioned it.

pavane

On Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:21:20 -0800, Mark Thorson <[email protected]>
wrote:

>notbob wrote:
>>
>> On 2011-06-27, Mark Thorson <[email protected]> wrote:
>> >
>> > Huh! Somebody who ought to know thinks it's
>> > a coffee roaster. I still don't see how such
>> > a tiny burner could roast coffee. You really
>> > need a lot of heat to get a good roast, otherwise
>> > you're just baking the beans.
>>
>> So you, who have NOT been in the coffee roasting business EVER!, is
>> disputing someone that has been in it fer years. Is that what you
>> would have us believe?
>
>I've roasted hundreds of batches of coffee. I know
>how much heat it takes. A little alcohol burner
>isn't going to do it. The web pages on sweetmarias.com
>only shows the side of the fuel tank and the air inlets,
>not the burner head, and the caption says that the roaster
>is not his. If he never saw the roaster except for the
>picture, he might not know how small the burner is.


It was that small alcohol burner that led me to the perhaps mistaken
conclusion that it was not a coffee roaster.

Nevertheless, judging from this web page, too, it seems to be one.

http://www.sreweb.com/antique_roaste...s/DSC00261.htm


The one show on the Sweet Marias site looks as if it were a chopped
off part of a samovar.

Boron

Mark Thorson <[email protected]> wrote:

> Andy wrote:
>>
>> I'm not going to bid.
>
> Go ahead if you like. I've decided not to bid.
> I briefly considered the possibility it is
> a cacao bean roaster. The burner size and
> ball capacity are consistent with roasting
> a small batch of cacao beans to make a few
> mugs of a chocolate beverage. Cacao beans need
> a low, gentle heat because they scorch easily.
>
> If I was sure that's what it is, I'd make a
> strong bid, but I'm not very confident in that
> diagnosis. Also, I've made roasted cacao and
> I'm not a big fan of it. (Although maybe I just
> didn't do a good job, because I've heard raves
> about fresh roasted cacao.)


Mark,

I didn't bid either.

That's the interesting kind of thing you'd want to hold in your hand,
first.

Perhaps another time.

Thanks for the FYI. Fun!

Best,

Andy

On 2011-06-28, Mark Thorson <[email protected]> wrote:

> I've roasted hundreds of batches of coffee. I know
> how much heat it takes. A little alcohol burner
> isn't going to do it.

What you don't know is how thick that copper sphere is, what type of
burner/mantle design is used, what type of alcohol is used, or how
long it takes to come up to usable heat. Apparently, you also appear
unaware of what temperatures a simple alcohol lamp can acheive. Also,
size means nothing. Ancient Arabs roasted just a couple ounces of
beans in a small metal ladle. You also don't know if the actual owner
of the roaster on SM's website has ever actually used it and you don't
know the size of the burner. In short, what you don't know is HUGE
compared to what you really do know, which is nothing at all.

nb

notbob wrote:
>
> On 2011-06-27, Mark Thorson <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > Huh! Somebody who ought to know thinks it's
> > a coffee roaster. I still don't see how such
> > a tiny burner could roast coffee. You really
> > need a lot of heat to get a good roast, otherwise
> > you're just baking the beans.
>
> So you, who have NOT been in the coffee roasting business EVER!, is
> disputing someone that has been in it fer years. Is that what you
> would have us believe?

I've roasted hundreds of batches of coffee. I know
how much heat it takes. A little alcohol burner
isn't going to do it. The web pages on sweetmarias.com
only shows the side of the fuel tank and the air inlets,
not the burner head, and the caption says that the roaster
is not his. If he never saw the roaster except for the
picture, he might not know how small the burner is.

On 2011-06-28, Boron Elgar <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> It was that small alcohol burner that led me to the perhaps mistaken
> conclusion that it was not a coffee roaster.
>
> Nevertheless, judging from this web page, too, it seems to be one.
>
> http://www.sreweb.com/antique_roaste...s/DSC00261.htm

Yes, but Mark knows everything and his knowledge in infallible. Jes
ask him and he'll tell you.

"In the 19th century, spirit lamps, Pigeon lamps and others used a
variety of blends of alcohol and oils in Europe. Alcohol powered not
only automobiles and farm machinery but also a wide variety of lamps,
stoves, heaters, laundry irons, hair curlers, coffee roasters and
every conceivable household appliance."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_alcohol_fuel


nb

pavane wrote:
>
> It only looks tiny. The ball is 6" across, which is pretty
> sizeable, would hold a fair amount of coffee beans or,
> more likely, chestnuts. As Sheldon might say, at least
> a DD cup. Yeah, I'm sorry I mentioned it.

6 inches is small. It would be large is you could
pack it full, but for roasting purposes you can't.
At most, maybe 1/3 full. That's only enough coffee
for one or two pots.

Andy wrote:
>
> I'm not going to bid.

Go ahead if you like. I've decided not to bid.
I briefly considered the possibility it is
a cacao bean roaster. The burner size and
ball capacity are consistent with roasting
a small batch of cacao beans to make a few
mugs of a chocolate beverage. Cacao beans need
a low, gentle heat because they scorch easily.

If I was sure that's what it is, I'd make a
strong bid, but I'm not very confident in that
diagnosis. Also, I've made roasted cacao and
I'm not a big fan of it. (Although maybe I just
didn't do a good job, because I've heard raves
about fresh roasted cacao.)

On 28 Jun 2011 20:10:16 GMT, notbob <[email protected]> wrote:

>What you don't know is how thick that copper sphere is, what type of
>burner/mantle design is used, what type of alcohol is used, or how
>long it takes to come up to usable heat. Apparently, you also appear
>unaware of what temperatures a simple alcohol lamp can acheive. Also,
>size means nothing. Ancient Arabs roasted just a couple ounces of
>beans in a small metal ladle. You also don't know if the actual owner
>of the roaster on SM's website has ever actually used it and you don't
>know the size of the burner. In short, what you don't know is HUGE
>compared to what you really do know, which is nothing at all.
>
>nb

DAMN! ^^^^^^ What he said! ^^^^^^^