Letters to the Editor

Image Gallery Monkey first or mole trap?

I have received numerous letters over the past several months from Farm Collector readers concerning the little wonder I sent a photo of (Farm Collector, August 2005, page 6). One letter even included pictures of the piece being used in the kitchen for several different tasks. The most complete information I received was a copy of a page showing 12 different ways to use this unique instrument.

I have had a lot of fun receiving these replies on the kitchen gadget with 1,001 uses. One reader called it a "monkey fist." A couple of readers told me that this item was a type of "bonus" with purchase of a set of aluminum pots and pans back during the 1930s and 1940s. Another said that a man produced them onsite at a county fair, bending the wire with a block and pegs so he could make all the intricate bends. People told me of varying names for the device, ranging from a "mole trap," rooster "caponizing tool" (ouch!), but most said the same thing: kitchen gadget with 1,001 uses.

I want to thank all of the readers who sent information, and hope that all Americans continue to be so dedicated to "making what they need" when they have to do with what they have at hand. Keep up the good work in your magazine: It is great!

- Mike Cregar
Grove Hill, Ala.