This just in: a new bread wheel! I've never heard of Aunt Hannah. I find her a little bit too exited about teaching us about the states. Bread wheels and "know your state" wheels are a dime a dozen, really, but this one has Aunt Hannah, so we had to get it.

This wheel measures 4.25 by 5.25 inches, excluding the little dial portions that stick out from the sides. It's in pretty good shape. It has half the states on one side, half on the other. It doesn't include Alaska or Hawaii as it bears a copyright date of 1951.

I like how she's holding the country in her loving hands. This wheel includes some old state mottoes, including New Mexico's odd "It grows at is goes" and Washington's mysterious "By and by". I wonder if there are still only 3,082 people in Carson City?

Now, here’s an old one I forgot to show you before and I can’t believe it because it has 16 wheels in one chart! This Compos-a-Tune was copyrighted in 1944 and, for the non-musician like me, is completely incomprehensible.

Stats: This chart measures 16.375 by 6.5. Each side appears the same, but they are not the same. One is labeled Side No. 1 and the other Side No. 2! I’m thinking you start your tune composition on Side No. 1 and continue on to the other side. You decide. The chart indicates that a separate set of detailed instructions are included. I don’t believe we have those.

I think you’ll agree that this one is a pretty fancy chart. I’ll bet it’s fun to play with.

Here’s something we never expected to see. It’s a wheel you put together yourself — in its virgin form! This card measures 8.25 by 15 inches and it’s pretty flimsy. I thought it was going to start coming apart as I was photographing it. I’m surprised that it has managed to stay in such good shape all this time. Nixon is the last president featured on this.

You know how I feel about presidents wheels. Zzzz. But this one is okay.

Lookee here — a new wheel! It’s a handsome one and in reasonably good shape. This measures 7.875 inches across and comes to us from Carnation fresh dairy products. There is no date on this, unfortunately. This one was a DIY wheel. I don’t know how it was delivered, but the tabs where the grommet should be are just folder-over jobs. It’s amazing these are in such good shape. That’s right: the etsy seller sent us TWO.

I really like the design of this one — nice colors. And look at the swirling ocean! On the front you only have a window for the capital and flag. On the back, you’ll learn about the weather, population, area, and principal industries. There are also many comparisons to features in the United States. “The Amazon River is 1,000 miles longer than the Mississippi River.” My favorite, of course, is “Some of the Silver Pits [yes, capitalized] of Peru are large enough to swallow San Francisco, California.” !

In addition to information about weather and such, you’ll see a fine Carnation dairy product featured (but not for every country). This really is one of the nicest looking wheels around.

Hey, everyone. Welcome back (to me, at least). We have two — count ‘em — two new wheels! These came to us courtesy of Brian of Dallas.
These sport the odd measurements of 8.75 by 11.125 inches (and still a bit odd when measured metrically). They’re made of sturdy cardboard and have nifty plastic arms to assist in your calculations. My favorite thing about these wheels, aside from their obvious beauty, are the labels with names like “Micro-Henrys”, “Micro Farads” and “Megohms”. I think The Micro-Henrys would be a good name for a band.

These were produced by The American Radio Relay League, Inc. and bear a 1932 copyright date. It’s almost impossible to see the very nice logo of the Relay League, so I’ve done a little drawing for you. And guess what? The League is still around, but it’s now called The National Association for Amateur Radio and they have the same logo! Their website says, “Join our circle! ARRL Members Get it All!” [random capitals theirs]. They offer a leaflet titled, “Scouting and Amateur Radio: Explore the Ultimate Wiresles Connection!”

This was given to us many years ago by a friend and I don’t think I’ve posted it here before. This eight-inch wheel is made of a heavy, but oddly flimsy, cardboard. In case you haven’t already figured it out, it’s intended for satirical purposes only. I guess it’s okay. It doesn’t have much lasting appeal. I do, however, applaud the manufacturer for making use of wheel technology. There’s not enough of that these days.

​Happy New Year!

We have acquired a new wheel! I think we picked this one up in Hobbs, New Mexico. It measures 6.25 inches across and has a 1984 copyright date.

This wheel belonged to Alex Stathakos of Dallas, Texas. I decided to look him up. I think I found him! He passed away last year, if this is the same guy. Here's the obituary:

http://www.eastgatefuneralhome.com/obitlink?obit_id=1810362

You're going to have to figure out this dial yourself.

Hey, I'm back. Today, we have not a knowledge wheel, but a calculator. We've had these before.

I can't pretend to know anything about how to use this dang thing. So, I'll just give you the specs: This wheel is 7.5 inches across and is .25 inches thick. Plus it's a bit heavy, being made of some thick plexiglass.

As you an see, there are a couple of moving parts that pivot away from the surface. One is a circle that is the same size as the wheel and the other is an arm of sorts that rotates around the other side. These are used for calculating! You can tighten the little screws. Alas, there is no date on this.

No doubt there are more sophisticated ways of doing what this wheel does, but there are none cooler.

I know, I know. I has been ages since I've posted anything. As I mentioned recently, I'm at the bottom of the pile of wheels around here. This coffee and tea wheel isn't very old. I bought it at a Peet's in San Francisco about 15 years ago or so. This is made of a heavy, flexible plastic and measures 10.75 inches across.

Only someone who collects wheels would buy one of these things, I think. I'm sure all of this information is on their website. Or you could go to a Peet's and ask to see the house wheel.

How I remember enjoying delicious Garuda and Major Dickason's blends! If you find yourself at a Peet's (they're, at least, in Northern California), you will be served a coffee so strong that you'll feel a brief buzzing right between the eyes on first sip. Starbucks would do well to learn from Peet's example.

(For Austinites: I'm told that the founder of Anderson's here learned his trade from Mr. Peet.)

You know, I'm surprised this beat-up thing isn't older than 1970, when it was printed. This wheel is 11 inches across and it pretty sorry shape. It's from the "Connoisseur Series". Fancy. This wheel has information on both sides.

So, you dial the pattern you see, I guess, and it tells you the colors it came in along with the name. I wish I knew what Clevco was and what happened to it. I googled "clevco northridge" and got The American Kennel Gazette and Stud Book. That would make a good wheel, wouldn't it?