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> Rare sunnen spinner machinist hone giveaway
Rare sunnen spinner machinist hone giveaway
This is a rare Sunnen Spinner, a giveaway by Sunnen that demonstrates the fine calibration of their portable and external hones. It was a giveaway "toy" that is a type of perpetual motion top. Below are some comments on this item taken from websites. This is a machinist's curiosity item and I do not understand anything about this field, but this is a rare item, not often found. It comes in its original tube that reads Sunnen Products Co. St. Louis Mo., Internal Honing Machines, Portable Hones, External Hones. The back of the tube reads, "This Sunnen Spinner should be kept in this vial when not in use. Always wrap it in the sheet of chemically treated proofing paper before returning it to its vial for storage." inside the spinner is wrapped in its paper with its instruction booklet wrapped around that and a a fine kid leather shammy cloth wrapped around all of them. The shammy is embossed with the word SUNNEN in red outlined lettering that is faded but readable. I would not attempt to get it operative and do not want to handle it or try to read the directions, given it is covered with its delicate chemical paper that has lasted through the years and the old pamphlet, especially since this whole area is over my head. But everything is present and it is complete. The very unfortunate bad news is this. After photographing it, I placed it in a drawer with the tube separate and the unit in its wrappings separate, knowing I would need to measure it later this evening with this listing. I closed the drawer and the tube was in the drawer opening and it closed on the tube and the tube or vial now has a crack (see last photo). However, it has been in its sealed vial throughout the years until now, so it has not had exposure through the years. It is a shame for a collector, but todays glues are so sophistocated, perhaps it can be mended well cosmetically. It is a tight crack as the photo shows and is not visible but it does comprimise the spinner's protection against the outside world. Below are the comments regarding this item and perhaps there are more that could be found by others in researching it. Reference is made to rust and this one appears to be rust free with only a little surface tarnish visible. The tube measures 4" tall by 1 3/8" and the spinner itself is 3 1/4" x 1 1/8".
"You have one of the neatest toys of all time!!! It is a demo item Sunnen gave away, the ID/OD fit is within millionths, making it an air bearing... You set it on a table, & spin it, & it just keeps going.. The best I ever got out of mine was over 3 minutes, until it stopped... "
"Wipe the OD well with a clean tissue, then clean the ID with a tissue wrapped around a pencil. With the stopper out, slide the 2 parts together, stopping about 1/4 inch from bottoming out. Then insert the stopper, & give her a spin.. If working properly, the time it keeps spinning will amaze you... See if that works.. After using, spray it down with a rust preventative... It only take a bit of rust to ruin a spinner..."
