The Most Unnecessarily Complicated Antique Tape Dispenser [Restoration]
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- This restoration is on a pre-1920s Chauncey Wing's Sons mailer/tape dispenser. The tool is one of the most intricate and complex machines I have seen to dispense tape. The modern cost to replicate something like this would be astronomically expensive, but it is beautiful. You can see the original 1894 patent here: patents.google...
A viewer sent me this specific tool a few months ago to compliment one that I found which was missing too many parts to be functional. Between the two, I could compile one completely functional tool.
I sandblasted almost every part and wire-wheeled them with a very soft brass wheel, so as to not scratch the brass parts. The handles seemed to be made out of cherry that was heavily varnished. I stripped the old yellowed varnish and applied a thick coating of shellac to the cherry wood. I have to remake the wooden roller that sat in the glue holder, as it was missing.
The original glue holder was repaired and filled with water so I could use some water activated tape that I had lying around.
After the restoration was done and cutters sharpened the tape dispenser worked really well and was surprisingly easy to use. Maybe I'll use it once in a while to tape up special packages that I ship out.
I would like to thank Evapo-Rust for sponsoring this video.
Wrenches are now for sale at www.handtoolrescue.com
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Podcast (with Jimmy DiResta and Andrew Alexander) - anchor.fm/fitzall - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
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I immediately hit the like button when you took the 20 pound wrench to the one pound tape dispenser.
I don't why anyone would not like these videos. They are fun, relaxing and just all around wonderful.
When it was up and running I understood the whole beauty of this machine. I want one.
I’m not sure if my TH-cam app has a bug or what but he posted this video only like 12 minutes ago...but your comment says its from 4 days ago lmao. Unless there is a way you’re able to view content earlier, I’d like to find out!
@@johnjacop Patreon early access.
@@johnjacop mine says the same
@@johnjacop A perk of Patreon. That said, I really enjoy the narrated versions of his videos as the best perk.
woah what a crossover
I have actually used one of those. When I saw wing mailer, I thought it sounded familiar. I worked at a newspaper and we used plain paper labels printed on a roll and we filled the reservoir with water based glue and did mass out of state mailing labels on the papers. Worked exactly the same as the one I used. Beautiful job once again. 😁👍
Should have read your comment before I "corrected" everyone by stating something similiar. I worked at a newspaper as well. 27yrs
The Antikythera mechanism of tape dispensers, beautiful job my dude!
Literally just came here from clickspring
Unique Selling Point: "When not dispensing tape, predicts lunar eclipses"...
@@marklammas2465 That's FANTASTIC! I love it!
The beauty is in the design. Built long before adhesive tape, it filled the roll (haha) that is now overlooked.
You're right, ridiculously complicated, but a stunning piece of mechanical art!
That wrench deserves a spot in the intro
I could never explain by words why I love these old tools. When I see them working and their functions, I just have to smile. Thanks for sharing Bro!
Thanks for speeding up the video. It makes it so much easier to watch. Much appreciated.
I love all these unnecessarily complicated tools. They seriously bring me such joy
This one is a little less unnecessarily complicated as it's an old box sealing paper tape dispenser that dampens a glue strip to make it adhesive. Similar models are still used today in packing plants, tho they're less mechanical and more electro-mechanical
You should try working on helicopters.
That will fix your joy.
@@antagonizerr wrong. It's a drywall taping mudder. Commonly today refered to as a 'banjo' it's designed to hold a small amount of wet drywall mud and apply it to the seam tape so you can operate without getting your hands covered with mud. It's one of the very first models and I used to use one as a kid learning from my grandpa. It's literally less than a year younger than drywall itself..
@@ralphgesler5110 It doesn't. Lol. It was originally invented for packaging before the 'post it' and 'scotch' brand companies came out with better solvents; but was almost exclusively used for drywalling because it saved hours of time and tons of mess for coating drywall paper tape. I'm not arguing it's name or invention; I'm arguing the useless and unnecessarily complicated comments because this invention revolutionized finish work construction.
21 years ago I volunteered at the mall to gift wrap Christmas presents because I was bored, but mostly because I wanted to learn how to gift wrap pretty. They had a tape dispenser identical to this one and it made life easier.
cool
I bet Santa Claus' elves are using the tape dispenser in his workshop.
I love the look of the brushed and sandblasted brass with the sanded screws, good job!
They are very sexy once cleaned up, and by they, I mean the elves.
@@HandToolRescue I love the _"The Most Unnecessarily Complicated (insert item name here)"_ videos, lol. Also, we had a TySy & My Mechanics collab, now when's the HTR & My Mechanics collab?
IDEA: HTR has about 269 hand planes.... Maybe you could send one of those to my mechanics, and he could send HTR something he has that needs to be restored. Doesn't have to be a hand plane since he you've both done videos on those, but, just an idea to trade pieces to each other; keep things interesting. Maybe the things are Holiday/Christmas (Elves... he heh) related.
Great video - Both of you guys are awesome!
@@HandToolRescue maybe I'm the only one that thi is one of the times the camera comes over to the evapo-rust drum you are going to jump out of if with the parts 😂😂😂😂
He sure can Polish a Knob!
@@HandToolRescue Yeah no one likes a stinky elf...
That's awesome, complicated but such a work of craftsmanship it's almost steampunk artistic. Wonderful restoration as usual.
This takes me way back. When I was a lad I worked in a warehouse and we had a tape dispenser like this for sealing and shipping small boxes of parts.
Your sense of humor is great and so is your work.
This guys sense of humour absolutely kills me!
To speak no words, and to convey such humour and wit is a scarce and rare skill. Love this channel!
This when steampunk wasn’t cool yet.
yeaop, baby steam before it's punk years, lol.
Back when it was steam without punk.
hahaha Right, this was more like an accidental steampunk in the making.
But he didn’t even mirror polish anything... worst restoration channel on TH-cam 😭
AFAIK it still isn't cool.
From your channel I have seen a lot , but one thing stands out to me is none of these tool designers had to make the wooden handles so beautiful as they did , they could have just made a plain wooden handle but they didn't , I love their bravado to keep beauty in mind with their designs. Thank you for keeping their artistic cues intact.
I was nearly in tears when there was no sandblast cabinet headbutt. I understand it's new glass but can't we at least still have a slight little boop?
Wait until the next video when I drive a truck through the sandblaster window.
@@HandToolRescue Noooooo!
@@HandToolRescue is this a hint for the next video .
No head bonk.
*sad trombone*
@@HandToolRescue Favorite one thus far (in the new workshop) was the the running start in the football stance, then lunge/jump from the _"1960s ACME Stapler [Restoration]"_ [ HERE: th-cam.com/video/2T-OB6e0ShI/w-d-xo.html ] --> However, the evil look from _"Soviet Chain Mortiser [Restoration] (Part 1 of 2)"_ [ HERE: th-cam.com/video/AgCYajYs1rY/w-d-xo.html ] is a close second lol
Also.... (I'm dying just thinking about this right now) THIS! th-cam.com/video/7glF3Ge5ric/w-d-xo.html from those same videos. So much Shenanigans :)
the 'over' craftmanship of this device speaks so much about the time it was made
Gorgeous! this is easily the second-best tape dispenser ever made.
Well, now I am curious what the best is.
@@BikerTrashWolf it's in Santa's workshop at the North Pole
@@BikerTrashWolf look at dustins channel, he made one.
Definitely not the heaviest.
@@JesusUruchurtu1 what channel is that??
My grandmother used to have a tape dispenser very similar to that. The reservoir where you poured the water in usually held a wet sponge so you didn't have any spillage. Great vid.
"Found a missing piece from a spare tape dispenser." Because they made more than one, and you own both of them. Your dedication is astounding. Also love the glue spreader. The one I have is so opaque.
I'm 100% certain that was a remnant from the original Sand Blaster window.
No gentleman can live without one. Smashing stuff old bean.
Wow. What a beautiful piece of gadgetry. Never could I have imagined such a thing. You really seem to have a knack for finding unusual machines. Always a pleasure to watch your videos, thank you for all of your meticulous efforts.
I stumbled upon your channel via Watch Wes Work’s TH-cam subscription list and boy am I glad I did!!! Your videos are so relaxing to watch!! I appreciate anyone who takes the time to realize the value in objects of yesteryear. In a small way, you are helping those people, who manufactured all those items, live on. Keep up the fantastic work!!
Awesome! Thank you!
*Love the intro!*
I don't know why, but this intro took me back to childhood
Didn't expect finding a legend like you on this channel
@@IlNamelessKinglI need to learn how to restore old guns 😁
Just the right amount of tomfoolery and ballyhoo
@@kurtwatson9039 I don't know what either of those words mean but take my like anyway
I always give a thumbs up when i see this intro (don't ever change this)
always add this intro as long as the channel lives !
I used one of these is the 70's working in a newspaper mailroom, addressing individual papers with labels that were preprinted and the glue was like wall paper paste. It was an art to use one and faster than you might imagine..
All action and no chatter!!!! I love it !!!
Keep up the great work...
Gigantenormus Wrench?😂😂😂🤣🤣 i love it🤭❤️
Haha
Amazing, two of my faves in one place
He's a funny guy. Also, I am a big fan of your channel!
It can be yours for the low price of $3499.00
It weights 22lbs/10kg!
I freaking love your channel. It's such a pleasure to watch a down to earth dude, fix"junk" back to us glory(and usually better). Makes me wanna start hitting up yard sales and take a crack at it myself.
5:18… So glad the serial numbers match. Back in the day the Mob made a lot of money with their tape dispenser chop shops.
underrated.
When I watch you at work I am amazed at your recall where ever nut,bolt, screw, etc goes back to its original position you are a master of your craft . THANK YOU BUDDY.
Your restoration projects are my absolute favourite always interesting as well. Thank you.
I look at this thing in action and I can't help but now appreciatate the modern tape gun with how simple it is
Those lathe chips remind me of the old Tom & Jerry cartoons where they'd chop down a whole tree to make one toothpick, or baseball bat.😂
When Tom made a baseball bat out of a log Spike chewed on while barking at him in leash...
I've been a machinist for 15 years, that's essentially what we do lol. I've seen a 5 foot long rod of titanium 4 inches in diameter (it cost about a year's worth of my salary) shaved down to 1-1/4 inches along the entire length aside from a 3-1/2" hub on one end, we cut out about 90% of the bar stock's original weight lol. Then we sell the chips and get a few bucks back.
Amazing toy. The result is worth it!
You can tell this guy is legit because he has a special glass glue spreader, and a wire wheel for this wire wheel.
When he wire wheeled the wire wheel... Lol
@@justinclaiborne1716 6:54
I thought he was going to put a slice of ham and make a sandwich.
Ahh, but does he have the "wd 40 to help open the wd 40"?
Man ... when I feel shit, I watch your video and I feel much better instantly! And those subtle jokes, LOVE IT!
love the wire wheel on wire wheel action...made me laugh out loud!!!!
Excellent job, nice that you didn't edit out the forgotten handle mistake: we all do it. Keep up the good work.
Without a single doubt, that is the most ridiculous and lovely tape dispenser I have ever seen.
In my parents day they would have called that a Rube Goldberg device.
WOW... just because someone invents it, doesn't mean you should build it!!!! Great Job as always
So this what happens when an over qualified engineer is given a simple task, and a blank check.
Always so glad to see Hand Tool Rescue new restoration. Beautiful job on that. Thanks.
I would like to see that inventor's house.
I'm very curious what else he had over-engineered.
"world's most complicated toaster" I imagine it uses concentrated moonlight to power a laser that slowly tracks across the slices of bread using the most complicated clockwork setup they could manage.
The commode in that house would put even japanese toilets to shame.
I love your videos! Your sense of humor is so subtle that if you're not watching you might miss it. Rolling on the floor every time. Keep up the awesome work!
"His tool was far too large to rightfully be called a 'wrench.' It was larger, thicker, heavier, and cruder than any normal tool."
More
After slaying 100 bolts his wrench had become dull.
@@EricMadWolf ah, i see you're a man of culture as well
i see what you're doing there....
it was more like a large hunk of iron
Ok I have to know what this is from
Sweet. That wood color contrasts so beautifully with alll that wonderful brass.,
Is this the tape dispenser you get, when you achieve Master Level at the packing department?!?!?!
First video I've seen of this channel. Less then 4 minutes in and I'm already loving it.
You realize that now that you have this working, we expect all our merchandise purchases to be sealed with this tape dispenser from now on 😁
seen quite a few of your other vids, lost it when you grabbed that ginormous wrench for that tiny nut, hilarious! well done!
0:32 - The wrench of the guy she told you not to worry about
That was built to last forever in the hands of hard workers unlike the cheap disposable environment killing plastic one of today. As always thanks for bring history back to life.
Eric slaps properly sized wrench on the work bench: Adam Booth has entered the chat.
Good morning. I watched with great interest and attention the video. I didn't really understand what it's for? Just to unroll a roll of adhesive paper? Looking at the complexity of the machine I thought,". It's beautiful as a decorative object in addition it is sure that it creates discussions around him. Just show it and say "Guess what it is? or what good can it be?" Discussions will continue after that. It is a remarkable restoration work. It must be complicated even for specialists. As far as I'm concerned, I'll probably be able to disassemble everything without too much damage, but to rebuild it is quite another. There are so many parts, little wheels, screws and a whole bunch of stuff that I won't be able to do it again. Knowing me some of the coins could have ended up in the trash. I want to congratulate you on your work. It's captivating watching you do it, it's so satisfying to see the end result. Thanks for the video. Gabriel (France) .
It’s almost as if the gadget was invented first and then they determined, through trial and error, what it could be used for.
@@xxlordbelxx1368 Actually it's function is to apply address labels to magazines. It's called a wing mailer. I've used them in a print shop.
@@michaeljones8877 Cool info! Thanks for sharing! I knew it wasnt for drywall tape! I dont think drywall tape or drywall was around back then lol pretty sure they used straight Plaster on houses lol or just Bare wood. Have a Nice day.
It came to me in a dream, and I forgot it in another dream.
@@xxlordbelxx1368 It's not, it's for applying labels. This is the patent:
patents.google.com/patent/US519185
@@xxlordbelxx1368 You are too young to be watching this stuff! When this was made there was no such thing as drywall. Walls were made of 1000's of thin rough wood lathe strips nailed to the studs and smeared with plaster.
Ok... this is my first time watching this channel. That intro was the absolute best intro on the whole interwebs!
I'll definitely keep watching
Просто незаменимая в хозяйстве вещь :)!
Это для почты. Для заклейки посылок. 1920 г.
it's 6am and I have been up all night on mushrooms. I was not expecting the huge wrench!!
The feeling When your tape dispenser has matching numbers 😂
It is worth more now too!
"priceless"
David Wostrel exactly
What's it like having *the* best restoration channel on TH-cam? I really wish I had friends like you
I couldn't find anything in Machinery's Handbook for feeds and speed using carbide inserts on wood....
I see you have not lost your sense of humor amidst the Covid crisis. Good on you, mate!
9:04 is that a piece of former blast cabinet glass being employed as a glue spreader? Sure, why not.
I think he’s been watching vice grip garage too much
Yeah, I legit had zero idea what the heck this thing was. It turned out looking gorgeous but I was more impressed by seeing it in action (not really - it looks beautiful). Great work!
I love this thing. It's so over built t deserves scroll work and some semiprecious stones.
Oh how gorgeous the occasion when you post a new video. Always brings a smile to my face watching them
I liked the SOCIALLY DISTANT GARBAGE on the floor intro ; )
I found several of these on ebay but they are all quite a bit newer and made of aluminum. This is a gorgeous piece. I love it.
0:35 Is it a monkey wrench or a sledgehammer for driving piles into the ground? 😁
I love both your videos and your keys, it's a pity I didn't manage to win it when there was a draw! 😔
Yes 😅
I've got nothing clever to say but just know, you crack me up and I love your show!
HTR: "You call that a wrench? This is a wrench!"
Well I can tell you right now that tape gun works better than a lot of ones I had to work with did. Great job.
The "Golden Age" of tape dispensary when one would take pride in boxing a package, not like today where we slash away at our taping like wild animals.
slash your taping? speak for yourself. I stab my tape with a ballpoint pen
“This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster; an elegant weapon for a more civilized age.”
You use tools? I just push into the side of the box the tape is adhered to and push it in to get under it and rip it off like a tepid bandaid
Tools shmools. God himself gave me teeth and im gonna use em.
HTR, you’re a man of few words. I like that. Yeah, that wood dust is supposed to mess the gibs up on them metal lathes.
Now it's a good day!
This over engineering makes me even more impressed with the simple clever effective scotch tape dispenser!
hey i need a tune up on my tape dispenser said no one for 80 years till today
What a thing of beauty, it's gorgeous! Not like the plastic rubbish you get nowadays. And that wee anvil is SOOOO cute! Beautiful job. 😀
0:35 wait wait wait are you trying to compensate for something? or just make everyone else jealous?
Yes
Yes.
Overcompensating...
@Azgueila Yeah, but see he made the really tiny wrench first, soooo im thinking hes packing where you're lacking lmfao.😂😂😂
@@HandToolRescue Dont lie we know you're packing a 20 incher lmao
Dramatic spring release scene during disassembly got ya another sub. Genius editing.
My Grandpa had a couple of those in his shop. That water-soluble-glue paper tape works 1000x better than that shitty clear tape,
Yep. And even the most basic simple dispensers are surprisingly expensive. This one would cost a fortune if it were available today.
A beautiful work of art over a bygone era.
Thank you Carsten Sweden
Anyone get upset when he started applying filler to the brass casing? Solder or braze next time please!
I think just using filler was the safest bet. The filler can be removed, but if the piece was melted bad during brazing its gone.
I always let restoration videos play while I'm ready to fall asleep. Gotta say this intro has startled me more than just a few times lol love this channel. Restoration is some relaxing stuff to watch
This looks like something Uri Tuchman made
That has got to be the most beautiful tape dispenser ever!
Есть кто из наших?)
Есть!
Редкостная загадочная хреновина, но красиво 😃
@@sunfun3874 успокаивает просмотр этих видео
Love it! The complication is what makes it beautiful. I'm glad you decided to restore it.
I think you mistitled this... it is absolutely necessarily complicated!
You are not wrong.
My grandfather had a tape dispenser sort of similar to this BUT his had a tray in the bottom of it, that you put water in!! And the tape would come out over a brush that wet the glue on the bottom of it so that it could be applied to shipping boxes!! There was something about the tape too the his machine used, because it was sort of like brown paper tape with thread laminated inside of it (like the paper shipping tape we still get from time to time) BUT his machine had to have been built I would say around the 1930s and it was both insanely heavy, and stupidly over engineered!! I watched him take it apart once to clean it, and it literally took him three hours to tear it down, clean it, then put it all back together!!
The people: How unnecessarily complicated?
The government: Yes
I'm so glad that I found the Colsed Captioning setting.
Now I can understand what your saying!
Me: how can took restorations be funny?
Hand Tool Rescue: observe.
Pensaba que las personas que inventaban cosas complicadas eran las más inteligentes, pero ahora veo que la inteligencia de las personas está en hacer las cosas mas sencillas y que cumplan con su función. Un gran trabajo, gracias. Saludos desde Madrid, Spain.