Vintage Brass SIMPLEX ALCOHOL BURNER TORCH Solder Tool! - (eBay item 310003774543 end time Dec-07-07 19:22:43 PST)

Vintage Brass SIMPLEX ALCOHOL BURNER TORCH Solder Tool! - (eBay item 310003774543 end time Dec-07-07 19:22:43 PST)

This lamp, blow torch or soldering torch is all brass and marked, "Simplex, Pat. Pend., Eerblow Mfg. Co., Leetsdale, PA."

I know nothing about this device. There are two knobs that need a pair of pliers to adjust, judging by the scars on the brass around them and the fact that they don't budge with fingers turning them. That might be a cap on top for filling the thing, but it doesn't budge either.

Another eBayer called one similar to this an antique alcohol burning soldering torch. Besides the scratches around the knobs, there's a dent on the bottom edge and some discoloring on the brass. It feels solid, nothing loose outside. It makes a tiny jingle you can barely hear inside when you shake it.

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Vintage Navy WWII U.S. SERVICE WRITING KIT in Orig Box! - (eBay item 310003746161 end time Dec-07-07 18:15:00 PST)

Vintage Navy WWII U.S. SERVICE WRITING KIT in Orig Box! - (eBay item 310003746161 end time Dec-07-07 18:15:00 PST)

This U.S. Service Writing Kit is a navy blue faux leather paper folder with a silver embossed logo on the front cover. Inside on the left is a pocket full of envelopes with a place to put your sweetheart's photo and your name, number, outfit, company, camp and location. On the right is a pad of stationery imprinted with the words "United States Navy" and the same logo that's on the front cover.

There are 23 envelopes and the pad looks full. I wonder if a military man wrote one letter to account for a 24th envelope. The envelopes and stationery age darkened. We believe it's a World War II era kit.

The pasteboard box/envelope is printed on the front in red with images of three servicemen, a mailing envelope, stars and a banner that says, "U.S. Service Writing Kit." Someone hand-wrote on the end the words "Navy" and "Blue." There's a blue-printed or stamped "N" on the closure tab.

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58 Vintage HBO GUIDES 1981 to 1991 Great Photos, Movies - (eBay item 310003520922 end time Dec-06-07 20:54:44 PST)

58 Vintage HBO GUIDES 1981 to 1991 Great Photos, Movies - (eBay item 310003520922 end time Dec-06-07 20:54:44 PST)

This stack of 58 Home Box Office guides contains issues from 1981 to 1991, four featuring now-deceased stars looking young, like Dudley Moore, Richard Harris, Richard Pryor and an older Jessica Tandy.

There are so many great photos and memories of great movies here!

• July 1980, Jaws 2
• September 1980, 10
• January 1981, Close Encounters, Pete's Dragon, Meatballs, 2001: A Space Odyssey
• February 1981, Starting Over, The Rose, Meteor, Cher in Concert
• March 1981, Apocalypse Now, Raise the Titanic, SRO: Vanities, Mary Poppins, The Fog
• April 1981, Dressed to Kill, Holmes Title Fight, The Black Stallion, Escape From Alcatraz, The Big Red One

• May 1981, Chapter Two, Star Trek The Motion Picture
• June 1981, Urban Cowboy, The Electric Horseman, Hagler Title Fight, The Shining American Gigolo
• July 1981, Coal Miner's Daughter, Smokey and the Bandit II, Bronco Billy, Alien, Wimbledon '81, SRO: Hallelujah Hollywood
• December 1981, Kramer vs. Kramer
• January 1982, 9 to 5, The Elephant Man, SRO: An Evening at the Moulin Rouge, The Jazz Singer, Benitez-Duran Championship Fight
• February 1982, Fort Apache The Bronx, Simon and Garfunkel: The Concert in the Park, Championship Boxing: Sugar Ray Leonard, Tribute

• March 1982, Any Which Way You Can, Bustin' Loose, Flash Gordon, The Postman Always Rings Twice, HBO Theater: Barefoot in the Park
• April 1982, Stir Crazy, Escape from New York, SRO: Jerry Lee Lewis
• May 1982, The Four Seasons, HBO Theater: Plaza Suite, Excalibur, The Legend of the Lone Ranger
• July 1982, For Your Eyes Only, S.O.B., Only When I Laugh, History of the World Part I, Championship Boxing: Hagler vs. Hearns
• September 1982, Camelot, Outland, Mommie Dearest, Endless Love, U.S. Open Tennis
• October 1982, Arthur, Body Heat, First Monday in October, Hagler Title Fight

• November 1982, Ragtime, Paternity, Championship Boxing: Pryor vs. Arguello, Prince of the City
• February 1983, Star Wars, Sharky's Machine, HBOnlys! Hagler Title Fight, Fleetwood Mac, Not Necessarily the News
• March 1983, Chariots of Fire, An American Werewolf in London, Evil Under the Sun, Championship Boxing: Braxton vs. Spinks, An Evening with Robin Williams
• April 1983, Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan, Philip Marlowe Private Eye, Not Necessarily the News Willie Nelson
• May 1983, The Terry Fox Story, Missing, Victor/Victoria, Hagler Title Fight, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip
• June 1983, Dolly in Concert, Poltergeist, Author! Author!, Some Kind of Hero, Wimbledon '83, Buddy Hackett

• July 1983, Rocky III, Grease 2, Six Pack, Billy Joel in Concert, Spinks Title Fight, The Who Tour 1982
• August 1983, Firefox, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Night Shift, Laurence Olivier & Jackie Gleason as Mr. Halpern & Mr. Johnson, U.S. Open Tennis
• September 1983, Between Friends, Reds, Young Doctors in Love, Amityville II: The Possession, Kenny Rogers Live in Concert, Dokes Title Fight
• October 1983, First Blood, The Toy, My Favorite Year, The World According to Garp, The TIME of Our Lives, Donna Summer
• November 1983, An Officer and a Gentleman, The Verdict, Honkytonk Man, Still of the Night, Monsignor, Barbara Mandrell
• March 1984, 48 Hrs., Frances, The Outsiders, Men At Work, Tender Mercies, World Championship Boxing: Page vs. Witherspoon, Hagler vs. Roldan

• June 1984, Blue Thunder, Psycho II, The Sting II, National Lampoon's Vacation, Carlin on Campus, Wimbledon, Maximum Security
• July 1984, Octopussy, Jaws 3, Easy Money, Yellowbeard, Glen Campbell, Wimbledon '84, Rich Little
• October 1984, The Big Chill, Never Say Never Again, Hagler/Hamsho Title Fight, The Guardian, Countdown to 'Looking Glass'
• April 1985, Romancing the Stone, Moscow on the Hudson, Against All Odds, Carol Burnett in The Laundromat, Family Showcase Festival
• August 1985, Revenge of the Nerds, Cannonball Run II, Daryl Hall & John Oates, The Woman in Red, WBC Lightweight Title Fight, Red Dawn
• April 1986, Act of Vengeance, Philip Marlowe Private Eye, Police Academy 2, Spinks/Holmes Title Fight Rematch

• December 1986, Barbara Streisand One Voice, Rocky IV, Christmas at Radio City Music Hall, Witherspoon/Tubbs Championship Fight, Santa Claus: The Movie, Spies Like Us
• February 1987, Out of Africa, Bruce Willis, Wildcats, The Quick and the Dead
• October 1987, Stand By Me, Billy Joel from Leningrad USSR, Mike Tyson Title Fight, The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains
• June 1988, Dirty Dancing, Roxanne, HBO Showcase: Walkheim: A Commission of Inquiry, Countdown to Tyson-Spinks
• July 1988, Predator, Olivia Newton-John in Australia, Dragnet, Vietnam War Story
• August 1988, No Way Out, The Big Easy, La Bamba, Steal the Sky

• November 1988, A Dangerous Life, Baby Boom, The Running Man, Suspect
• June 1988 Willow, The Presidio, Tales from the Crypt, Traveling Man
• September 1989 Big, Crocodile Dundee II, Diana's (Ross) World Tour, The Heist
• October 1989, Gorillas in the Mist, "Midnight Train to Moscow:, Perfect Witness, Tucker: The Man and His Dream
• November 1989, The Accused, Red King White Knight, Punchline, Two Great Fights! Tyson & Chavez
• December 1989, Coming to America, Alien Nation, Age-Old Friends, The 13th Annual Young Comedians Show

• January 1990, Twins, The Image, Dangerous Liaisons, Tequila Sunrise
• February 1990, Rain Man, Tyson Title Fight
• April 1990, Major League, Tales From the Crypt, Chances Are, Nunn vs. Starling Title Fight
• June 1990, Ghostbusters II, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, HBO Comedy Hour: George Carlin, Boxing: Mike Tyson Returns!
• August 1980, Madonna--Live Blond Ambition World Tour 90, Indians Jones and the Last Crusade, HBO Comedy Hour: Bob Saget, Boxing Tripleheader, Women & Men
• September 1990, Mike Tyson--The Comeback Continues, Lethal Weapon 2, The Abyss, Criminal Justice, Somebody Has to Shoot the Picture

• February 1991, Glory, Hard to Kill, Blue Steel, Boxing Doubleheader Whitaker-Camacho
• March 1991, Driving Miss Daisy, The Josephine Baker Story, Revenge, Crazy People, The Bear
• April 1991, Joe Versus the Volcano, One Man's War, Tales from the Darkside, Countdown to Holyfield-Foreman
• June 1991, Another 48 Hrs., Tales From the Crypt, Boxing Doubleheader: Taylor & Norris, The James Brady Story

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Vintage 1912 VALET AUTOSTROP RAZOR in Case, Spare Blade - (eBay item 310003479464 end time Dec-06-07 18:30:00 PST)

Vintage 1912 VALET AUTOSTROP RAZOR in Case, Spare Blade - (eBay item 310003479464 end time Dec-06-07 18:30:00 PST)

This old razor comes in the original metal case small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Inside the case, the lid says, "Model C Valet AutoStrop Razor, Made in USA." The blade in the razor head has the word "Valet" cut out of the metal. The head says, "Valet AutoStrop Razor, Patented April 9, 1912, Other Patents Pending. AutoStrop Razor Co., New York, U.S.A."

I thought it was dangerous to use because the blade just laid on the head and would flip back. Turns out it locks in place when you pull back the little tab around the hole you screw the handle into. Phew!

The spare blade doesn't have the cut-out Valet word. It's wrapped in an ancient, torn version of waxed paper and lays in an engraved gold-color metal sleeve that has room for many more blades. The handle is solid, tipped with the screw threads for joining to the head and has gripper texture engraved in the handle ridges.

There's a bit of rust in the blue velvet case lining and some of the silver gilt words have rubbed off. The metal outside finish is very worn with much rust on the bottom. It snaps closed with a satisfying sound and feel.

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