New Teaspoon Advice Please
Discussion
Pique said:
Anyone up for a convoy to the International Legends of Spooning Exhibition? I want to get there early for the Carl-Heinze Flufferköck display on the Tuesday. Once in a lifetime show I'm told.
Yes please. I've got an inheritance to invest. I'd like to see what style the Legends use, and get some ideas for a tasteful addition. There's a gap for a good sub-5 inch example in my teak Schaeffenrack. And I've always hankered for an ivoried tool. 55palfers said:
I presume that's the same Glen Ewers who is the Chairman of the Whisk Institute. Disgusting that he is mocking such a serious condition with a satirical post.Tallow said:
I presume that's the same Glen Ewers who is the Chairman of the Whisk Institute. Disgusting that he is mocking such a serious condition with a satirical post.
Absolutely disgusting! How can a man in his position take such a serious condition and approach in that manner. f
king whisk jockeys. Hugo a Gogo said:
Captain Muppet said:
...found to affect up to 30% of the population to some degree ot other.
it's infectious tooI suppose I should stir wearing rubber gloves from now on, but it won't feel as good.
Willy Nilly said:
This thread has been suspiciously quiet, has there been a secret, masonic stirring event somewhere?
Harrogate Festival of Spooning. Theme this year was the Great French Revival, which meant a lot of roccoco nonsense was in evidence. Didn't you see the adverts and the commemorative products from the sponsors ? 
Pray consider the humble, everyday, utilitarian teaspoon. The workhorse of the tearoom.
This is our Krupp "Alltags Tees Rührer". It is involved in the making of forty or fifty cups of tea for me and Mrs Blib each day. It has done for nigh on 75 years now, the ATR having been formerly owned by my dear Grand Mama. Look carefully at the offside return flange. Years of stirring by predominantly left handed family members has leant it the patina normally seen on the nearside flange of non 'sinister' family stirrers. This makes it a rare spoon amongst spoons.
Many collectors forget that a humble house spoon can have as much of a history to it as even the most revered Schnable or Wigglesworth.
Does anyone else have any photos of their house spoon that they would like to share? I bet that there are many interesting stories just waiting to be told.
N.B. You can just see a drop of tea to one side of the spoon. Note the colour. Surely that can only be produced by a 75 year old spoon?
This is our Krupp "Alltags Tees Rührer". It is involved in the making of forty or fifty cups of tea for me and Mrs Blib each day. It has done for nigh on 75 years now, the ATR having been formerly owned by my dear Grand Mama. Look carefully at the offside return flange. Years of stirring by predominantly left handed family members has leant it the patina normally seen on the nearside flange of non 'sinister' family stirrers. This makes it a rare spoon amongst spoons.
Many collectors forget that a humble house spoon can have as much of a history to it as even the most revered Schnable or Wigglesworth.
Does anyone else have any photos of their house spoon that they would like to share? I bet that there are many interesting stories just waiting to be told.
N.B. You can just see a drop of tea to one side of the spoon. Note the colour. Surely that can only be produced by a 75 year old spoon?
May I offer my own humble daily stirrer.
This was passed on to me at the end of my apprenticeship by my guide and mentor Morgan "Two Sugars" Evans.
It has served me well for over 35 years and I have first hand knowledge that it was acquired by Morgan during his service with 2nd Battalion of the Monmouthshire Regiment between 1942 - 1946. He alluded to the item being looted from a German collector in Hamburg towards the end of the war.
We may speculate of course on how a spoon bearing the legend "Empire" came to be in German hands but from what he told me about the collector I suspect Rommel's Afrika Korps may have looted it in North Africa, perhaps Libya, during hostilities there.
As you can see it needs a bit of work to the reverse of the bowl as the pitting of the metal is now beginning to cause cavitation under full-on stirring and once or twice I have had to revert to limp mode to complete the preparation of my beverage. Any advice on conservation would be gratefully received.
This was passed on to me at the end of my apprenticeship by my guide and mentor Morgan "Two Sugars" Evans.
It has served me well for over 35 years and I have first hand knowledge that it was acquired by Morgan during his service with 2nd Battalion of the Monmouthshire Regiment between 1942 - 1946. He alluded to the item being looted from a German collector in Hamburg towards the end of the war.
We may speculate of course on how a spoon bearing the legend "Empire" came to be in German hands but from what he told me about the collector I suspect Rommel's Afrika Korps may have looted it in North Africa, perhaps Libya, during hostilities there.
As you can see it needs a bit of work to the reverse of the bowl as the pitting of the metal is now beginning to cause cavitation under full-on stirring and once or twice I have had to revert to limp mode to complete the preparation of my beverage. Any advice on conservation would be gratefully received.
Nice spoon, 55palfers with an interesting history. That's what spooning & stirring is all about. Without history, there's no patina.
For once, I agree with The Fish. Yes, Swifty could patch the under side of the bowl. But, you'll always have that nagging feeling in the back of your mind that you should have gone for the full, flange off refurb.
For once, I agree with The Fish. Yes, Swifty could patch the under side of the bowl. But, you'll always have that nagging feeling in the back of your mind that you should have gone for the full, flange off refurb.
Thanks Fish, Blib.
Perhaps, for sake of completeness, I should share a bit more of my mentors’ wartime exploits.
As you will see from the attached photo, I am lucky enough to have a pair of these splendid old workhorses. When “Two Sugars” sadly passed away in 1989 his Widow presented me with the other spoon. Seems old Morgan knew how much I appreciated his original gift and wanted me to have another memento of our time together in the factory in those heady days of the 1970’s.
Towards the end of April 1945 “Two Sugars” was involved in fierce hand-to-hand, house-to-house combat in suburbs of a ruined Hamburg. So his Widow told me, he had cornered a frail and elderly member of the Volkssturm in something of a Mexican stand-off. Before either of them could fire, there was an explosion nearby and the building partially collapsed, trapping the German in the rubble. “Two Sugars” took pity on the fallen man and with his bare hands and a NAAFI issue, 1941 Mk 2 dessert spoon, cleared the timber and masonry. In broken English the Volkssturm man gestured for “Two Sugars” to follow him back to his house for a coffee and brandy where, sensing a fellow “spoonist” he revealed his by now shattered collection of once fine spoons. Weeks of bombing and artillery bombarment had damaged many of them beyond repair. Many others had been bartered for food and medical supplies. He presented my friend with three of the only undamaged spoons he had left. “Two Sugars” widow has the 3rd spoon in a specially made display case on her mantelpiece.
As you can see, the second spoon has been retained as something of a drawer queen since ’89 but heeding your advice on my original spoon, I am know thinking of getting it professionally re-commissioned along with the other one and back in the saucer as it were. If I have two serviceable tools then with careful planning and regular maintenance the wear and tear will be halved.
I read on here many are firmly of the opinion spoons are meant for stirring and deteriorate if not used. My recent experience bears this out. I have just made a brew and stirred with the shiny one for old times sake. It took a fair bit of starting and didn’t really run smoothly until my second cup.
I am very keen to have a correct and fully matching, immaculate pair, mainly as a reminder of Morgan and the outstanding quality of work he produced back in those days.
A full FOR on both items is indeed the only way to go. I appreciate that without a full market appraisal and 5 axis measurement of fit to fixture from an expert - it’s a big ask, but do you have any idea of the costs and timescales of such a project please gents?
Perhaps, for sake of completeness, I should share a bit more of my mentors’ wartime exploits.
As you will see from the attached photo, I am lucky enough to have a pair of these splendid old workhorses. When “Two Sugars” sadly passed away in 1989 his Widow presented me with the other spoon. Seems old Morgan knew how much I appreciated his original gift and wanted me to have another memento of our time together in the factory in those heady days of the 1970’s.
Towards the end of April 1945 “Two Sugars” was involved in fierce hand-to-hand, house-to-house combat in suburbs of a ruined Hamburg. So his Widow told me, he had cornered a frail and elderly member of the Volkssturm in something of a Mexican stand-off. Before either of them could fire, there was an explosion nearby and the building partially collapsed, trapping the German in the rubble. “Two Sugars” took pity on the fallen man and with his bare hands and a NAAFI issue, 1941 Mk 2 dessert spoon, cleared the timber and masonry. In broken English the Volkssturm man gestured for “Two Sugars” to follow him back to his house for a coffee and brandy where, sensing a fellow “spoonist” he revealed his by now shattered collection of once fine spoons. Weeks of bombing and artillery bombarment had damaged many of them beyond repair. Many others had been bartered for food and medical supplies. He presented my friend with three of the only undamaged spoons he had left. “Two Sugars” widow has the 3rd spoon in a specially made display case on her mantelpiece.
As you can see, the second spoon has been retained as something of a drawer queen since ’89 but heeding your advice on my original spoon, I am know thinking of getting it professionally re-commissioned along with the other one and back in the saucer as it were. If I have two serviceable tools then with careful planning and regular maintenance the wear and tear will be halved.
I read on here many are firmly of the opinion spoons are meant for stirring and deteriorate if not used. My recent experience bears this out. I have just made a brew and stirred with the shiny one for old times sake. It took a fair bit of starting and didn’t really run smoothly until my second cup.
I am very keen to have a correct and fully matching, immaculate pair, mainly as a reminder of Morgan and the outstanding quality of work he produced back in those days.
A full FOR on both items is indeed the only way to go. I appreciate that without a full market appraisal and 5 axis measurement of fit to fixture from an expert - it’s a big ask, but do you have any idea of the costs and timescales of such a project please gents?
Its a strange thing how times have changed, and the restoration and recommissioning of spoons have led to magnificent collection, but if you examine the artifacts, it is simply tragic that they have never been stirred since restoration. As a result, they may indeed look better than new , with computer lathes and 3D printers producing technically perfect flanges, but the human element is gone forever. I would think carefully about the Morgans and perhaps try to build a collection of working classics.
When I visited the archive to the reclusive Schnitzer brothers in Basle, I saw some spoons that officially do not exist any more. They will never see the light of day. However, under a loupe I could see impossibly perfect, computer-produced flanges. Yes, they were perfect. No they were not original. When I raised this with Hans-Joachim, he became visibly upset , snatched my Kirsch away and showed me the door. I think he realized too late that he had actually ruined some priceless artifacts. Like repainting the Mona Lisa.
When I visited the archive to the reclusive Schnitzer brothers in Basle, I saw some spoons that officially do not exist any more. They will never see the light of day. However, under a loupe I could see impossibly perfect, computer-produced flanges. Yes, they were perfect. No they were not original. When I raised this with Hans-Joachim, he became visibly upset , snatched my Kirsch away and showed me the door. I think he realized too late that he had actually ruined some priceless artifacts. Like repainting the Mona Lisa.
RDMcG said:
When I visited the archive to the reclusive Schnitzer brothers in Basle, I saw some spoons that officially do not exist any more. They will never see the light of day. However, under a loupe I could see impossibly perfect, computer-produced flanges. Yes, they were perfect. No they were not original. When I raised this with Hans-Joachim, he became visibly upset , snatched my Kirsch away and showed me the door. I think he realized too late that he had actually ruined some priceless artifacts. Like repainting the Mona Lisa.
Not the fabled "Berchstesgaden convexes" surely ? Rumour has it that they fell into the hands of samovarists after the '39 to '45 unpleasantness, but may have been "liberated" when Ceaușescu's private hoard was discovered. marshalla said:
Not the fabled "Berchstesgaden convexes" surely ? Rumour has it that they fell into the hands of samovarists after the '39 to '45 unpleasantness, but may have been "liberated" when Ceau?escu's private hoard was discovered.
I was brought into an underground room with flags of unknown origin, great flaming torches in the wall, and several security guards standing stiffly at attention. I was required to be completely undressed, such was their concern that any photos could be taken. However, because of a threat to my family I am unable to reveal the nature of the find. Should it ever come to market I expect that there would be enormous ripples in pricing. Hans-Joachim is well into his nineties now, so it cannot be long before decision time.Willy Nilly said:
I am often amazed about the amount of spoons produced during WWII and usually by the Germans. Little wonder they lost when they were building stirring instruments instead of Meshersmitts
Well, I believe this was actually down to the fact we had double agents feeding the Germans intel that we were ramping up spoon production, after all, a nation that can't make a proper brew in the morning by being able to stir is a nation that is quickly broken. Of course, it was a double bluff because we had huge reserves of spoons from before the war but the Germans, however, fell for it and started to concentrate manufacturing on spoon production instead of tanks and planes and by the time they realised they were running out of resources for military hardware they'd already shipped vast quantities of spoons to the frontline. It was a tactic so effective I believe it was used again during the Cold War to bankrupt the Soviet Union.Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff