Old thingamajig. Image: Su Leslie 2019
I love old machinery. Wheels, cogs, bolts and rust; it’s a dream to photograph.
I love words like flywheel, crankshaft and torque. But no matter how many times well-meaning mechanically minded friends have tried to explain transmission systems and gearing ratios, it’s still all geek to me. So I fall back on a communication system that relies heavily on lots of arm-waving, pleading looks and references to “like, you know the big round thingamajig that sits on the whatsit. You know, the one with the little doodads attached.”
You understand, don’t you?
Whatsit from a doohickey. Image: Su Leslie 2020
Detail of thingamy from whatchamcallit. Image: Su Leslie 2019
Zimmerbitch 
The danger there Su, is you never learn the real names, neat photos.
Leslie xoxo
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That’s true. I have tried, but I guess I don’t interact enough with the workings of machinery in my everyday life for the terms to stick.
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That may have been a well-pump, but since it’s basically a big winch, it could have been used for any number of jobs on a farm or other workplace. Interesting piece because it’s so BIG.
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It’s in a disused quarry that’s been turned into a rather lovely tropical garden. There are a few bits of old machinery dotted around.
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‘Arm waving’–along with my made-up words…..what’s not to understand??!!
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Works for me — sort of. Mainly 😉😬
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Teehee!
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I share a similar love of these things.
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I’m right with you on that, Su. But I can never spell oojamiflickery? 🙂 🙂
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😂😂
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I love the texture and color of old machinery. Thanks!!
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Thank you 🙏
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Oh this is wonderful, Su. Thanks for the chance to laugh, and the beautiful photos. I love photographing machinery, especially if it’s rusted – it has so much more texture that way!
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Thank you Hannah. You’re right about rust; can’t beat it for colour and texture.
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“Doohickey” is one of my favorite thingamajig words. Those things, whatever they are, do make excellent photos. 🙂
janet
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😀
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I like the effect you put in on the right, that strip of sepia or whateveritscalled 😉
Also, I like thingamajigs as well, knowing how things work, etc. I’m annoying on factory tours 😛
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Thanks, it was a frame filter in Snapseed.
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I love the details of you know what!
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I’m with you. Thingummyjigs is a perfectly adequate description for all kinds of doofahs. It’s not as if I would understand if you explained how the whatjamicallits worked. Great photos.
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Thank you!
The funny thing is, I used to be a technical copywriter; I could remember the actual terms and understood what they all meant while I was working on a project but as soon as I moved to the next thing, the words just flew out of my head.
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Well, it might be something to do with that Zimmerframe. It happens to us all …
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🤣🤣
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It’s nice to hear that someone else relies on doodads.
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👍👍
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That’s me too, Su. Also on that list is turning things off and on. The phrase righty-tighty, lefty-loosy just doesn’t seem to help all the time either.
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Hehe.
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I like old pieces of machinery like you showed in your post today. Did you see them in an outdoor museum or did you just find them rusting somewhere in your neck of the woods?
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The first was in a disused quarry that’s been turned into a sculpture garden, and the others were seen on walks around Auckland
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Thank you for the explanation, Su!
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Perfectly clear to me Su! And love the old rusty whatchamacallit too 😂
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😀
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I hear you loud & clear. These words are particularly well used in my vocabulary. I even have one more: we call our mobile power bank (I just had to ask Loving Husband for the name) a BlurbBlurbBlurb because I can never remember.
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Love it! I love the made-up words families have. They become part of our identity and the bonds that hold us.
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Perfect. I’m like you too when it comes to understanding thingamajigs etc 😂
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Brain-wiring and all that. I can’t hold mechanical stuff in my brain, but I can tell you when all of my friends’ kids were born.
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Even though sexual stereotyping would insist that I should be a petrolhead and know the names for bits of machinery I am much the same as you. Words like ‘oojah’ and ‘wossname’ get used frequently.
That said, I am irresistibly drawn to rusty old machinery, and not necessarily for photographic purposes. I think this might be a bloke thing.
Fab photos!
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Totally understand, Su! 😉 Although it’s amazing how much vocabulary you can add once you start repairing things (like washing machines 😉). 😂 Such wonderful pictures too – rust is indeed very photogenic, maybe I should start taking pictures of my bike chain? 😂😂
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Absolutely. I took photos of T’s motorbike parts, and he likes them so much he shows them to anyone who will look.
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Hehe! And thus spreading your fame. 😉
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A convenient side-effect 😉
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