The Pinwheel

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues....


This may be a bit adult for some of our younger readers, but bare with me.... if you get my meaning.

Not long ago, a major rocket parts supplier introduced a new tool that Excel has introduced.  The owner made a blog entry and it was there that I first saw this startling tool.

It is silver in color, and at first glance looked a lot like an Exacto-knife in shape and length.  In fact, it is about seven inches long, but the business end is startlingly different.

It's a wheel.

That is, it's a star wheel.

That is, it's a wheel with a multitude of sharp serrated points around the outside of the wheel.

And it looks quite vicious.

Now, you may ask yourself, "What would a rocketeer want with a tool like that?"... and it's a fair question.  (***You may want to jump to the answer at the bottom, if you are squeamish.)

In some ways, it looks a lot like a kitchen tool that would be used to run over pie crust dough to vent a pie or pocket for venting.  (You know, like the dimples on a Kellogg's Pop-Tart or a cherry pie have holes to release steam or pressure.)

And I have also seen something like this used in sewing, to run over a sewing pattern when carbon paper has been placed between the pattern and fabric, to transfer a dotted or dashed line to the fabric for temporary marking.

Now, this would work well, and perhaps that's another use for this new hobby tool.

The regular price for the tool is about $12.99, but it was marked down on sale to just $7.79  which is more attractive, IF you have a use for it, or are looking for a gift for your wife, that you can borrow.

Now, if you have any experience in the medical field, you may also know that there are times when a physician or a medical person needs to ascertain if there has been nerve damage, and if the nerves (skin sensation) are still intact.  There are several ways to do this, from running the handle of a rubber hammer down the sole of the foot....to pressing the cold handle of a metal tuning fork onto the skin... or touching it down bluntly in a spot or two on the arm, leg, back or extremity.

But there's a specific tool called a "Whartenberg PinWheel" that is event more similar to this tool. That is, it's a wheel, but instead of serrated teeth, it has sharpened wire spikes to poke the skin as it is run over an exposed piece of flesh. 



Now this may sound painful and sadistic to you, but it need not be. Depending on how hard you push, and how tender the skin is, you can lightly prick the skin and ask for the patient to report it. This tool was first reported to be used in Germany in neurological clinics by  Dr. Robert Whartenberg, but he didn't invent it.


And these days, you aren't likely to find it commonly, unless you are a neurologist or into BDSM.



So, when I first saw this new tool by Excel, that's where my mind went immediately...that it is like a neurological tool, but not as sharp as a Whartenberg Wheel is supposed to be. But it sure looks a lot like one.


***According to the description, the actually hobby explanation for such a device is similar to the original kitchen tool use... to make dimples or running pin-pricks in a steam-punk style rocket model.  To simulate riveting along a metal or plastic plate. 

And perhaps that will work very well with this tool.  But I'm just betting that there's a bunch of rocketeers who will buy one of these to gift their wife or girlfriend with other uses in mind...

This has been the Thrifty Rocketeer with an eye toward a tool that could serve double duty.


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