Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2015 June 30

= June 30 =

MARINE-FLOATING DOCKS
Pls Wikipedia, i need a list of companies who have floating dry docks in Asia 41.203.71.241 (talk) 10:37, 30 June 2015 (UTC)


 * Google is your friend.--Aspro (talk) 19:35, 30 June 2015 (UTC)

Hand drawn lettering in newspaper
A caption for a pic in my newspaper has mostly machine printed letters, but 4 letters in the middle of the sentence appear to be hand drawn. This baffles me. Could it actually have been printed like this or did somebody go over the letters after with a pen ? I can't imagine it's cost effective to manually correct a printing defect like that. StuRat (talk) 14:40, 30 June 2015 (UTC)


 * I think you'll have to post a picture to give any hope of getting a good answer. In the mean time, there are plenty of types of printing error (redlink?), e.g. color bleeding, and there are a number of potential problems discussed at Offset printing. Could also just be a human mistake and not a printing error, maybe a few characters got turned to comic sans or some other handwriting typeface and got printed correctly. SemanticMantis (talk) 14:52, 30 June 2015 (UTC)


 * Maybe some form of color bleeding, but far worse than the pics in that article. The ink from each letter is almost over to the next. StuRat (talk) 18:27, 30 June 2015 (UTC)

.22 rifle ammo
Is it safe to shoot .22 LR ammo from a rifle that specifies .22 Long cartridges?Jevardaman (talk) 17:18, 30 June 2015 (UTC)


 * It is never safe to rely on advice from random strangers on the internet when dealing with issues regarding firearms. I suggest you contact the manufacturers of the rifle if you are unsure as to what ammunition it is designed for. AndyTheGrump (talk) 18:31, 30 June 2015 (UTC)


 * Ditto to the above. For one thing, An LR has more powder than the long and so the rifle will  not be proofed for this. See (in person) a qualified gunsmith. Longs  are still available (one can even assemble the rounds oneself and gun clubs often have the required tools).--Aspro (talk) 19:56, 30 June 2015 (UTC)
 * Also. Firearms are like automobiles. As they age they can wear and become dangerous. Find a gunsmith that is willing to show you and explain: if this  is an old gun that has only done 10,000 miles or an old gun that has been twice round the clock and should be mounted on the wall as just an ornament.--Aspro (talk) 20:21, 30 June 2015 (UTC)


 * I love the timidness about answering firearms questions. Anyway, .22 LR has a larger overall length than .22 long.  So the answer is no.  The chamber is too short for the .22 LR.  Even if you can get the LR chambered, the tip of the projectile may be jammed into the rifling prior to shooting, which may raise pressures and cause safety concerns in older rifles.  So just buy some .22 Longs online.  Hopes this helps. Justin15w (talk) 15:49, 1 July 2015 (UTC)

Can we identify this spiky woojitah?
I found this http://imgur.com/KyNg3C8 on display in the museum in Great Torrington,England.They have had it on display for a year and no-one knows what the hell it is. Some sort of wool gatherer has been suggested as we're in farming country,or a marker for sheep possibly? Any ideas very much appreciated,so it can at least be labelled. A museum piece stating 'Unknown Thingy' isn't too impressive... Lemon martini (talk) 18:46, 30 June 2015 (UTC)


 * Looks like a head scratcher, just do a google image search for more related pics. On a closer look, it seems the tines might be able to open/close by manipulating the center rod and slider thing. If it does have moving parts, then perhaps some sort of whisk that can be re-sized for different tasks. SemanticMantis (talk) 18:56, 30 June 2015 (UTC)


 * Can you tell us the scale? I had been assuming 6-8 inches diameter of the spread tines, but I might have been way off. Also you can try asking at http://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing - probably gets more and more varied views than we do here. SemanticMantis (talk) 19:00, 30 June 2015 (UTC)


 * It looks to me like a fruit picker of some sort. DuncanHill (talk) 19:14, 30 June 2015 (UTC)
 * Aye. Probably something small, that grows among thorny/itchy/otherwise annoying leaves. Berries or something. Just a guess, though. At first glance, I thought sheep, but quite unsure what it would do to one. InedibleHulk (talk) 23:10, 30 June 2015 (UTC)


 * I was thinking more on the line of pears, I've seen similar (tho' not similar enough to be certain) things in the kitchen gardens of old country houses. DuncanHill (talk) 23:24, 30 June 2015 (UTC)
 * Could be. The only thing like it I can remember actually seeing in use is the headscratcher dealy Mantis noted. That struck me as a modern invention, but I'd also figured the fax machine was invented after the American Civil War, so what do I know? InedibleHulk (talk) 23:28, 30 June 2015 (UTC)


 * It looks to me like sliding that central shaft up and down would move all the tines together to close on something, like the arcade game where you try to grab a toy out of a bin. So, now the Q is what it's supposed to close on.  I'm thinking something roughly spherical, that you wouldn't want to grab by hand, like a prickly pear.  Perhaps something too hot to touch is another possibility. StuRat (talk) 19:20, 30 June 2015 (UTC)


 * Semantic Mantis had the scale right-diameter is approx 8 inches. Perhaps something to grip things out of the fire with?-although the spikes seem a little shallow for that.I shall crosspost over on reddit and see what else springs to mind. Thanks for all the ideas... Lemon martini (talk) 19:28, 30 June 2015 (UTC)


 * It's a circular knitting machine cast on tool. They are quite common on ebay and go for about £10. Page 16 of this manual http://www.sockknittingmachines.co.uk/Golden%20Fleece%20Manual.pdf shows how to use it. --TrogWoolley (talk) 11:05, 1 July 2015 (UTC)