#teasmade

[monkeyssalad-blog]

1955 Goblin Teasmade ad by totallymystified

[preventthefuture]

The most eccentric of British household luxuries.

[petermorwood]

Yet more flintlock-powered weirdness...

...to accompany the flintlock tinderboxes and gun-lamps shown here.

@man-and-atom added this reply:

In the field of "bedside flintlock mechanisms", either the British Museum or the V&A has an alarm clock where the alarm was the explosion of a charge of gunpowder.

First thought: "Whaaat?"

Second thought: "But of course..."

Third thought: "PICTURES!"

*****

This one seems fairly simple:

As far as I can make out there'd be just (!) the snap of the lock, a cloud of impossible-to-ignore-the-smell smoke, and the lid popping up to reveal the clock-face.

Later designs seem to have become standardised as a light-up alarm.

The flintlock action not only produces that snap and cloud of smoke, it also ignites a candle which then pops up.

At a guess, the inside of the lid would be kept brightly polished as a reflector.

Engraved or plain, the mechanism alone meant these were elaborate, expensive contraptions, so not for everyone - and anyway, I'm sure an elderly retired officer just LOVED being woken by a scent with such delightful associations.

I love the smell of black powder in the morning. It's the smell of...

*****

Ending on a lighter (hah!) note, @dduane looked at this and asked, "Did they have flintlock tea-makers?"

It turns out that no, they didn't; but it can't have been for want of trying because well over 100 years ago (1902) an inventor came up with this:

Once again, as far as I can make out it worked like this: the alarm-clock worked a spring, which struck a match, which lit a spirit-burner under the kettle, which started to heat the water.

A few minutes later the alarm-clock rang its bell, waking the sleeper who, when the kettle was properly boiling, tilted it so the water went into the teapot.

About 30 years later the first electrical Teasmade was invented:

Here we go: alarm clock turns kettle on, water boils, pressure forces water into teapot, kettle on a rocker plate gets lighter so loss of weight switches it off, now-heavy teapot on other side of rocker plate starts a pre-set brewing timer which when done switches on the light and an alarm sound.

Simple.

Later models were much less fussy in appearance, but worked in exactly the same way:

My parents, of course, never bothered with a gadget to make their early morning tea.

All they needed was a regular alarm-clock...

...and me.

[cetaceous]

A Teasmade - Automatic Tea-Making Machine The Automatic Water Boiler Co., Birmingham, England, 1902-1910 patented by Frank Clarke of Birmingham in 1902 the risks of fire or scalding were considerable... 'Secret Life of the Home' Gallery, The Science Museum, London the gallery will close permanently in June, 2024 image credit: Jennie Hills/Science Museum Group via: The Guardian

[fragariavescana]

> Not knowing what a teasmade is

ALL OF THESE REQUIRE GETTING OUT OF BED

[middaydolomite]

Always the Teasmade, never the tea.

[moriganstrongheart]

Watch the full-length timelapse here: https://bit.ly/3KyGet8

Always The Teasmade, Never The Tease © 2018 by Doctor Turtle is licensed under CC BY 4.0

[saldontdoit]

alarm, and alarm with tea

[crapgameshowprizes]

[findersbeepers]

Teasmade

[fragariavescana]

put it in a teasmade?

i want too eat a egg tomorrow but it harrd too make egg when it morrning. we should kill god for designing the world this way

[onlineantiques]

Rare 1930’s Hawkins ‘Tecal’ Teas-Made #teasmade #vintage #retro #rare #antiques #antiquesforsale #morningwakeup #alarmclock #wakeywakey #cuppa #cupoftea #morningtea #tecal #hawkins #hawkinstecal #vintagebedroom https://www.instagram.com/p/CI2k83tHctD/?igshid=1u7poaz9uh1hn

[pretty-little-fools]

[mousegirlpenis]

my grandad had one of these

which is a teasmade; basically a hybrid alarm clock and kettle/tea maker. but his also had section for fried eggs, toast and sausages. so this niche equipment exists but never caught on

there should be a waffle-type device that creates a perfect over-easy friend egg with cooked white and runny yolk. i know fast food places have egg puck machines and thats fine but i want over easy. or is it over medium. whatever cooked white runny yolk is. i think you could probably make this easily it would just be a little iron with a closing lid that cooks the egg outside-in like w affle maker. would an air fryer work? sound off in the comments (i can flip an egg without rupturing it just fine thank you im just blogging)

[neapolitanswirl]

teasmade came to america ohmygod someone get me stat!