Joe
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Post by Joe on Apr 28, 2019 8:37:43 GMT -5
This is a demonstration with photographs from an evaluation I did in 2003, when I was trying understand more fully and possibly identify, the process involved within the formation of the Lindbergh ransom note holes. I used a simple cardboard template with pre-punched holes, positioned as illustrated in the lower right hand corner of a stack of 3 or four sheets of linen writing paper. This process allows for a reproducibly-accurate “target” for each of the three holes. The hole locations are then marked with a pencil and then punched with a hammer striking a simple punch-type tool. A piece of softwood underneath absorbs the impact and receives the resultant paper "cut outs" from the punch process. I experimented with a number of punch tools, including a carpenter’s nail set, the point of a 1930’s-era square cut nail, a hollow steel rod and various other household items. As a result, I concluded that the finishing nail with its concave or recessed head, performed the best. I discovered that the actual shape of the punch tool, sharpness of its outer edge, and depth of concavity, were all factors in the ultimate shape of the hole produced and "crispness" of its perimeter edge. ibb.co/album/maVa0aI was able to achieve a number of different hole designs, including roundish to oval, squarish, slightly diamond and clover leaf, quite often achieving combinations of the above shapes from the same striking punch, and within the same stack of writing paper! I consider the randomness of the linen fibres within each individual sheet, paper thickness, order of placement of each sheet in the stack, all to be factors contributing to the degree of variation I observed. Richard Hauptmann would have been familiar with a standard carpenter’s technique, ie. blunting the point of a nail so that it is less likely to split the wood it's being driven into. So it seems very possible to me that he would have been comfortable with the illustrated hammer and inverted nail positioning. What I also found of interest is that an El Producto cigar box was found in Hauptmann's possession, and it contained a number of small household items. In a followup conversation with a fellow researcher in 2006, I was informed that among these items were a number of finishing nails. Whether or not the points of these nails were blunted, was apparently not reported at the time of their discovery.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2019 9:10:38 GMT -5
I used a simple cardboard template with pre-punched holes, positioned as illustrated in the lower right hand corner of a stack of 3 or four sheets of linen writing paper. This process allows for a reproducibly-accurate “target” for each of the three holes. The hole locations are then marked with a pencil and then punched with a hammer striking a simple punch-type tool. A piece of softwood underneath absorbs the impact and receives the resultant paper "cut outs" from the punch process. I experimented with a number of punch tools, including a carpenter’s nail set, the point of a 1930’s-era square cut nail, a hollow steel rod and various other household items. As a result, I concluded that the finishing nail with its concave or recessed head, performed the best. I discovered that the actual shape of the punch tool, sharpness of its outer edge, and depth of concavity, were all factors in the ultimate shape of the hole produced and "crispness" of its perimeter edge. What I also found of interest is that an El Producto cigar box was found in Hauptmann's possession, and it contained a number of small household items. In a followup conversation with a fellow researcher in 2006, I was informed that among these items were a number of finishing nails. Whether or not the points of these nails were blunted, was apparently not reported at the time of their discovery. This is a great theory, Joe and your pictures are awesome! Just a couple of questions: 1) You created your cardboard template based on the existing ransom notes. Since the three holes appear on the very first ransom note (nursery note) have you any thoughts on how this hole pattern might have been chosen and created? 2) Was the hole placement guided by an already designed overlapping circle symbol or was a hole template created by using a Mersman Table brace as the initial source for the hole pattern, creating a separate template from that, and then building the ink symbol around the holes. I know this sounds much like which came first, the chicken or the egg, but I find this a fascinating subject to explore. That whole symbol is one of the greatest mysteries of this kidnapping!
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Joe
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Post by Joe on Apr 29, 2019 13:45:38 GMT -5
I used a simple cardboard template with pre-punched holes, positioned as illustrated in the lower right hand corner of a stack of 3 or four sheets of linen writing paper. This process allows for a reproducibly-accurate “target” for each of the three holes. The hole locations are then marked with a pencil and then punched with a hammer striking a simple punch-type tool. A piece of softwood underneath absorbs the impact and receives the resultant paper "cut outs" from the punch process. I experimented with a number of punch tools, including a carpenter’s nail set, the point of a 1930’s-era square cut nail, a hollow steel rod and various other household items. As a result, I concluded that the finishing nail with its concave or recessed head, performed the best. I discovered that the actual shape of the punch tool, sharpness of its outer edge, and depth of concavity, were all factors in the ultimate shape of the hole produced and "crispness" of its perimeter edge. What I also found of interest is that an El Producto cigar box was found in Hauptmann's possession, and it contained a number of small household items. In a followup conversation with a fellow researcher in 2006, I was informed that among these items were a number of finishing nails. Whether or not the points of these nails were blunted, was apparently not reported at the time of their discovery. This is a great theory, Joe and your pictures are awesome! Just a couple of questions: 1) You created your cardboard template based on the existing ransom notes. Since the three holes appear on the very first ransom note (nursery note) have you any thoughts on how this hole pattern might have been chosen and created? 2) Was the hole placement guided by an already designed overlapping circle symbol or was a hole template created by using a Mersman Table brace as the initial source for the hole pattern, creating a separate template from that, and then building the ink symbol around the holes. I know this sounds much like which came first, the chicken or the egg, but I find this a fascinating subject to explore. That whole symbol is one of the greatest mysteries of this kidnapping!
Thanks Amy. At the time, I was doing this research, I posted my thoughts on how the actual hole spacing might have been developed, as well as my take on the various shapes and colours within the ransom note symbol. I'll try to upload more of this on the weekend. For a number of what I consider to be well-founded reasons, I don't believe the table brace is anything more than a very sly and elaborate hoax dreamt up by someone with a fascination for the case, the ransom note symbol and there is a connection between a number of individuals at both the Mersman Company and the Watchung Furniture House. I certainly wouldn't dissuade anyone from looking at this mystery in further depth, but I also believe the path would ultimately lead there. By the way, I just edited my imgbb.com album and removed the extra title description at the bottom of each my photos.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2019 19:44:35 GMT -5
Looking forward to the additional information you will be sharing regarding the ransom note symbol, Joe. I want to share a report with you that I found at the archives. It is a police report from Sept. 29, 1934 listing the contents of a cigar box found in Hauptmann's trunk. I am guessing this is the trunk he kept in the house. There were nails found in this cigar box plus a number of other things. imgur.com/7T4nYXX
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Post by hurtelable on Apr 30, 2019 8:06:33 GMT -5
Just for the historical record, what was the precise distance separating the holes (from center of hole to center of adjacent hole) in the ransom notes? (I've seen speculation that a belt may have been used as the template. In that case, assuming the belt used was made in a country that used the British system of measures, one would assume that the holes would be one inch apart.)
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Joe
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Post by Joe on Apr 30, 2019 8:30:14 GMT -5
Looking forward to the additional information you will be sharing regarding the ransom note symbol, Joe. I want to share a report with you that I found at the archives. It is a police report from Sept. 29, 1934 listing the contents of a cigar box found in Hauptmann's trunk. I am guessing this is the trunk he kept in the house. There were nails found in this cigar box plus a number of other things. imgur.com/7T4nYXX
Thank You Amy.. that is the long lost list I've recently been looking for! I'm sure I had a copy of that report following my discussions with Kevin Klein back in 2006, but misplaced it. I'm interested in the envelopes containing the nails and the 3-3/4" nail set. From my work, and as a general hole punch tool though, I found the nail set didn't work as well as the head of a finishing nail. I think the reason for that is that the head of a production nail set punch is quite regular and rounded, and doesn't have that irregular sometimes sharp and sometimes not-so-sharp edge of a finishing nail head that seems to lend itself to production of clean but irregularly-shaped holes, as seen in the ransom notes. Not to say it wasn't somehow modified, eg with a file to effect a more cutting edge. In any case, that'll certainly be on my list when I visit the archives some day.
Michael, do you know if these items in the report are still available to be viewed at the archives? Would items originally under the control of the NYPD, normally have been transferred to the NJSP prior to the trial?
A PS to all of the above. As a follow up to my report, it would be interesting to know if the nails that the kidnap ladder builder used to nail the rungs to the rails, first had their points first blunted to lessen the possibility of the wood splitting, ala the carpenter's technique I outlined in my report. Might be hard to determine now as the ladder was re-assembled with the same nails after Koehler's examination, but perhaps he took some photos of the separate nails? Stanley Keith took photos but his report only shows the nail heads and shafts.
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Post by Michael on Apr 30, 2019 9:36:05 GMT -5
Michael, do you know if these items in the report are still available to be viewed at the archives? That question is best posed to Mark. I've seen quite a bit over the years but to sit here and be able to say exactly what's there and what isn't among all of this stuff would be impossible for me to do. Some stuff over the years went missing, some is at the Archives (e.g. closet, display, safe, main research area, etc.) but there is other stuff that are in crates and boxes at the NJSP but somewhere else. I've seen various things Mark has found from this particular area where a create is opened up (e.g. Samuelsohn's materials, and Hauptmann's shoes), but that material (to the best of my knowledge) gets place back into the crates/boxes then put back. So in the end Mark knows "what's-what" and exactly where everything is.
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Joe
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Post by Joe on Apr 30, 2019 12:55:51 GMT -5
Michael, do you know if these items in the report are still available to be viewed at the archives? That question is best posed to Mark. I've seen quite a bit over the years but to sit here and be able to say exactly what's there and what isn't among all of this stuff would be impossible for me to do. Some stuff over the years went missing, some is at the Archives (e.g. closet, display, safe, main research area, etc.) but there is other stuff that are in crates and boxes at the NJSP but somewhere else. I've seen various things Mark has found from this particular area where a create is opened up (e.g. Samuelsohn's materials, and Hauptmann's shoes), but that material (to the best of my knowledge) gets place back into the crates/boxes then put back. So in the end Mark knows "what's-what" and exactly where everything is.
Thanks, I emailed Mark and he believes the cigar box contents are there, although they will have been consolidated with other Hauptmann possessions and trial-related materials. I'm planning to get down there some day, hopefully this summer or fall. I probably won't be able to be there for more than a full day, so any tunneling through document files will be out of the question! He did indicate though that with advance notice, he would see what he could do about making any requested items available.
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Post by hurtelable on Apr 30, 2019 19:00:09 GMT -5
Are you suggesting that the nails found in the cigar box are linked to the holes in the ransom notes? I would think that kind of a stretch. In fact, I would say offhand that the items found in the cigar box were ordinary items that a carpenter might keep around his house and are of no particular value in terms of inculpating Hauptmann in the crime. The police and prosecutors probably agreed in that assessment because, as far as I am aware, none of these items were used as evidence against Hauptmann at trial.
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Joe
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Post by Joe on May 1, 2019 6:24:08 GMT -5
Are you suggesting that the nails found in the cigar box are linked to the holes in the ransom notes? I would think that kind of a stretch. In fact, I would say offhand that the items found in the cigar box were ordinary items that a carpenter might keep around his house and are of no particular value in terms of inculpating Hauptmann in the crime. The police and prosecutors probably agreed in that assessment because, as far as I am aware, none of these items were used as evidence against Hauptmann at trial.
I'm not implying it would be unusual for a carpenter to have a hammer and nails readily accessible for hanging pictures on walls and the like. I'm not even a carpenter and I do the same thing. Why though, would the punching of ransom note holes have to involve anything more complicated than a process that comes this naturally to a carpenter? Is it possible that the answer was right under their noses and they just failed to recognize it?
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Post by Michael on May 1, 2019 10:28:14 GMT -5
Are you suggesting that the nails found in the cigar box are linked to the holes in the ransom notes? I would think that kind of a stretch. In fact, I would say offhand that the items found in the cigar box were ordinary items that a carpenter might keep around his house and are of no particular value in terms of inculpating Hauptmann in the crime. The police and prosecutors probably agreed in that assessment because, as far as I am aware, none of these items were used as evidence against Hauptmann at trial.
I'm not implying it would be unusual for a carpenter to have a hammer and nails readily accessible for hanging pictures on walls and the like. I'm not even a carpenter and I do the same thing. Why though, would the punching of ransom note holes have to involve anything more complicated than a process that comes this naturally to a carpenter? Is it possible that the answer was right under their noses and they just failed to recognize it? I don't want to undermine your efforts Joe but I still want to stress that Police were looking for exactly what you believe you found. That would mean they overlooked nails. I don't think so, however, what I "think" doesn't mean they didn't forget to look at nails - but I think that's doubtful. One has to think about the totality of what was going on because it did not end with Police. Even once Cassidy was hired as a handwriting expert he gave the Prosecution his theory to check out. It's this part of it I don't think people truly understand... The utter magnitude of the search, tips, and/or ideas that existed.
I think if one examines the actual holes in the note a pattern can be seen. First that there's one specific hole that looks different. So whatever was being used it included this specific item which created this specific shaped hole. For me if someone is simply using nails - what did they only have three at one point? Or did they keep this specific nail aside just for this purpose? Now we know some notes were punched in a group, and that this hole shape isn't in every note but I think you get my drift.
There's one hole that kind of looks like a clover. That "hole" moves from the side of notes 2, 4, 6, and 7 over to the middle in notes 13 & 14. Whatever created the "dull" hole in notes 8, 10-14 also moved around as well. In 9 & 10 its in the middle. 11-14 its on the right. bp1.blogger.com/_Kub4tQ3QHAQ/R7x4iaASGNI/AAAAAAAAAGo/cYUIlD0NnUw/s1600-h/signatures.BMP1.bp.blogspot.com/_Kub4tQ3QHAQ/R7x4uKASGOI/AAAAAAAAAGw/UPQX5rgnsRM/s1600/signatures+2.BMP1.bp.blogspot.com/_Kub4tQ3QHAQ/R7x5CaASGPI/AAAAAAAAAG4/TCChvSJeiRk/s1600/signatures+3.BMPnjspmuseum.blogspot.com/2008/02/one-of-most-fascinating-areas-of-study.html
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Joe
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Post by Joe on May 4, 2019 9:07:51 GMT -5
Michael, I'm very interested in knowing more about what was done at the time to try and reproduce the basic shape and variety of hole configurations. From your extensive archival research, do you mean the specific evaluation technique, involving the concave head of a finishing nail, in association with the carpenter's technique of blunting nail points, has previously been documented? Do you have a reference for this or are you simply suggesting someone had to have already done this? Regarding the Cassidy letter to Snook, do you know if there was a followup to his claim of seeing "things" using a meal check punch?
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Post by Michael on May 4, 2019 11:41:24 GMT -5
Michael, I'm very interested in knowing more about what was done at the time to try and reproduce the basic shape and variety of hole configurations. From your extensive archival research, do you mean the specific evaluation technique, involving the concave head of a finishing nail, in association with the carpenter's technique of blunting nail points, has previously been documented? Do you have a reference for this or are you simply suggesting someone had to have already done this? Regarding the Cassidy letter to Snook, do you know if there was a followup to his claim of seeing "things" using a meal check punch? What I am saying, as I have for quite a while now, was that Police believed a template for the holes existed. They were looking for and considering many things. This idea that if "I" haven't seen documentation outlining specific demonstrations concerning each and every item would somehow mean they did not look into it in that way seems to defy common sense. I'm not suggesting that's where you were going but I'd like to dispel that now while I think about it. Why would Police mention the possibilities if they weren't going to examine them? I do not have the follow-up letter to Cassidy. Here again - does that mean one never existed? Well, it is because of the research I've done that I absolutely know a reply concerning it must have been written. So this idea that if one doesn't possess it that somehow means it never existed does not "work." Obviously it was not the "it" they had been looking for over the last 2-1/2 years. Anything and everything the Handwriting Experts suggested was immediately considered so there's no doubt in my mind a punch of this kind was properly evaluated. My rock-solid position is that if one "panned out" we'd have some sort of documentation you seek. These types of investigations/evaluations fell to the State Bureau of Identification and while there is some documentation available at the Archives - there is also a lot of documentation missing which would have originated from that Bureau. It's also possible they may not have even documented it IF it was determined to hold no value. Heck, just look at the St. Raymond's footprint as an example - we have the picture but no report. And that WAS supposed to be valuable - UNTIL Hauptmann's arrest ... after that not so much. Anyway, I like what you did and I encourage everyone to follow your lead. However with that said "I" do not see it as "conclusive." Like the table piece it's both interesting and something to consider. But there's no way I'll ever believe the police hadn't considered this earlier. Part of what needs to be done when evaluating anything is to consider angles, and ideas we personally do not like. If they still hold potential despite this they should never be dismissed. But if we do like something and there's not enough to fully embrace it we also have to be willing to accept that as well. It sux when things are "up in the air" but sometimes that's the best place for them if we do not have what's needed.
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Post by Joe on May 5, 2019 7:08:30 GMT -5
Michael, I'm very interested in knowing more about what was done at the time to try and reproduce the basic shape and variety of hole configurations. From your extensive archival research, do you mean the specific evaluation technique, involving the concave head of a finishing nail, in association with the carpenter's technique of blunting nail points, has previously been documented? Do you have a reference for this or are you simply suggesting someone had to have already done this? Regarding the Cassidy letter to Snook, do you know if there was a followup to his claim of seeing "things" using a meal check punch? What I am saying, as I have for quite a while now, was that Police believed a template for the holes existed. They were looking for and considering many things. This idea that if "I" haven't seen documentation outlining specific demonstrations concerning each and every item would somehow mean they did not look into it in that way seems to defy common sense. I'm not suggesting that's where you were going but I'd like to dispel that now while I think about it. Why would Police mention the possibilities if they weren't going to examine them? I do not have the follow-up letter to Cassidy. Here again - does that mean one never existed? Well, it is because of the research I've done that I absolutely know a reply concerning it must have been written. So this idea that if one doesn't possess it that somehow means it never existed does not "work." Obviously it was not the "it" they had been looking for over the last 2-1/2 years. Anything and everything the Handwriting Experts suggested was immediately considered so there's no doubt in my mind a punch of this kind was properly evaluated. My rock-solid position is that if one "panned out" we'd have some sort of documentation you seek. These types of investigations/evaluations fell to the State Bureau of Identification and while there is some documentation available at the Archives - there is also a lot of documentation missing which would have originated from that Bureau. It's also possible they may not have even documented it IF it was determined to hold no value. Heck, just look at the St. Raymond's footprint as an example - we have the picture but no report. And that WAS supposed to be valuable - UNTIL Hauptmann's arrest ... after that not so much. Anyway, I like what you did and I encourage everyone to follow your lead. However with that said "I" do not see it as "conclusive." Like the table piece it's both interesting and something to consider. But there's no way I'll ever believe the police hadn't considered this earlier. Part of what needs to be done when evaluating anything is to consider angles, and ideas we personally do not like. If they still hold potential despite this they should never be dismissed. But if we do like something and there's not enough to fully embrace it we also have to be willing to accept that as well. It sux when things are "up in the air" but sometimes that's the best place for them if we do not have what's needed. I agree that my evaluation is not conclusive and have never claimed it to be the technique used by the individual who punched the ransom note holes. I think though that consideration of other factors, such as the carpenter technique of blunting nail points to lessen likelihood of fine wood splitting, lending to an acquired comfort level within the inverted nail positioning used in my evaluation, is very interesting. This is the kind of information I would have expected to see within contemporary investigations that you seem to indicate would have spared no lengths in running down every possible variable. In any case, I recently dug out my collection of finishing nails and block of soft pine and I'll continue to punch holes in linen writing paper. Already, I am seeing "things" to quote Harry Cassidy.. and it's not an image of Washington crossing the Potomac to get to the other side.
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2019 8:10:19 GMT -5
I think though that consideration of other factors, such as the carpenter technique of blunting nail points to lessen likelihood of fine wood splitting, lending to an acquired comfort level within the inverted nail positioning used in my evaluation, is very interesting. So I am understanding all this: If a carpenter uses pointed nails on wood, the point will force wood fibers apart which can then result in splitting the piece of wood. Blunting the nail first will result in the nail breaking the fibers allowing the nail to pass through the wood without splitting it. Applying this thinking to the ransom note paper as the "piece of wood"; the ransom note paper had a linen fiber content to it. Was the nail blunting done to keep the note paper from tearing while the holes were being made?
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Joe
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Post by Joe on May 5, 2019 8:53:41 GMT -5
I think though that consideration of other factors, such as the carpenter technique of blunting nail points to lessen likelihood of fine wood splitting, lending to an acquired comfort level within the inverted nail positioning used in my evaluation, is very interesting. So I am understanding all this: If a carpenter uses pointed nails on wood, the point will force wood fibers apart which can then result in splitting the piece of wood. Blunting the nail first will result in the nail breaking the fibers allowing the nail to pass through the wood without splitting it. Applying this thinking to the ransom note paper as the "piece of wood"; the ransom note paper had a linen fiber content to it. Was the nail blunting done to keep the note paper was tearing while the holes were being made? Amy, yes that is my understanding, that the blunted point is less aggressive towards the wood fibres and grain and less likely to split the wood. This treatment of the nail points is something that a carpenter does by first inverting the nail (usually as a small bunch of same length nails) against a hard surface and then tapping the points with the hammer to effect the blunting. My evaluation involved holding the finishing nail in the same position as a carpenter would use to blunt the point. To make my holes though, the punch surface striking the linen writing paper is actually the concave head of the nail and not the blunted point. I believe there may be some merit to this theory based on the fact this is a position a carpenter would be quite comfortable with. The concave head of the finishing nail allows the resultant paper cut-outs to accumulate neatly within the head during the punch, so that the resultant holes are relatively clean and not overly ragged. The photo where I strike the blunted point of the nail with the hammer, demonstrates the general position as that same carpenter's technique.
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2019 11:05:45 GMT -5
I believe there may be some merit to this theory based on the fact this is a position a carpenter would be quite comfortable with. The concave head of the finishing nail allows the resultant paper cut-outs to accumulate neatly within the head during the punch, so that the resultant holes are relatively clean and not overly ragged. I certainly think your theory is worthy of consideration and discussion. So the round concave head of the nail does the actual punching of the paper. You would think that the holes on the ransom notes would be round like the nail head. However, looking at the pictures Michael posted of the ransom note holes, you quickly see that is not the case. The nursery note holes appear clean cut. The holes of note #2 are not. The center hole appears to have a straighter edge and the hole on the right is not even punched all the way through and is suggestive of a clover leaf. I am wondering how these variations are accounted for in your punching theory. Did you get such distortion (not sure that is the correct word here) when you punched several layers of linen paper? Could the blunted end of the nail head have been used for some of the holes which might account for the change in their shape?
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Joe
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Post by Joe on May 5, 2019 11:59:41 GMT -5
I believe there may be some merit to this theory based on the fact this is a position a carpenter would be quite comfortable with. The concave head of the finishing nail allows the resultant paper cut-outs to accumulate neatly within the head during the punch, so that the resultant holes are relatively clean and not overly ragged. I certainly think your theory is worthy of consideration and discussion. So the round concave head of the nail does the actual punching of the paper. You would think that the holes on the ransom notes would be round like the nail head. However, looking at the pictures Michael posted of the ransom note holes, you quickly see that is not the case. The nursery note holes appear clean cut. The holes of note #2 are not. The center hole appears to have a straighter edge and the hole on the right is not even punched all the way through and is suggestive of a clover leaf. I am wondering how these variations are accounted for in your punching theory. Did you get such distortion (not sure that is the correct word here) when you punched several layers of linen paper? Could the blunted end of the nail head have been used for some of the holes which might account for the change in their shape? During my original evaluations in 2003 and 2006, I was able to achieve a number of shapes including what I would call a representation of the clover leaf, albeit not as clearly defined as those in the ransom notes. These were all made with the concave head of the finishing nails I was using. One of the other punch tools I thought was interesting, was the blunted point of an 8-d nail, (0.134" diam. shank) which is the same type found in the ladder. These are standard nails with round flat heads used in rough construction and the choice of nails used by the ladder builder. Although I can't confirm this, (as those nails are now hammered back into the kidnap ladder rungs and rails) I would venture their points were probably blunted, so that the ladder wood would not split where they were driven. What I found in using the blunted point of this nail was that it would push a certain amount of paper through during the punch process, but would leave a considerable amount of it behind, which showed on the reverse side of each page. From what I've seen of the ransom notes on Jim Fisher's website, their entry and exit holes appear to be quite similar, but a closeup examination of the actual ransom note holes would of course help.. and very much on my list of things to see at the NJSP. I've also recently posted that Stanley Keith's photos within his nail origin and forensics report, only show the top shank and head and not the points, so it would be interesting to know if full photos of any of these 8-d nails, including their points (!) were taken while they were removed from the ladder.
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2019 15:35:44 GMT -5
During my original evaluations in 2003 and 2006, I was able to achieve a number of shapes including what I would call a representation of the clover leaf, albeit not as clearly defined as those in the ransom notes. These were all made with the concave head of the finishing nails I was using. One of the other punch tools I thought was interesting, was the blunted point of an 8-d nail, (0.134" diam. shank) which is the same type found in the ladder. These are standard nails with round flat heads used in rough construction and the choice of nails used by the ladder builder. Oh boy! I am like a fish out of water when it comes to understanding wood and nails, etc. so I am at the mercy of google and other people who can explain things to me. So you have considered the use of a blunted nail as a punch tool source. Have you considered the round flat nail head of the 8-penny nail you mention? What about other nail heads? I found a chart on line that shows that there are nails that have "clipped heads" which give them one straight edge. I am sure a carpenter (BRH or any other) would have more than one type of nail available to them. www.bestmaterials.com/PDF_Files/Senco-n_chart.pdfWould it make any difference if the nails used for punching were new or already used nails? Would this impact the neatness of the edges of the holes, especially if multiple layers of paper are being punched at the same time? There is no debate that the alignment of the holes in all the ransom notes is consistent even if there is some variation in the form of some of the holes. Does it make sense to consider that perhaps more than one nail/nail head was purposely involved with creating these holes in order to make it more difficult for someone to duplicate the creation of this symbol? I wonder if those two envelopes found in the cigar box might have contained different types of nails. I was at the archives this past week and looked at the ransom notes. On some of them there is a bit of circle material that is not cut entirely away, especially the hole that has the clover leaf type punching. When I looked at this hole with a magnifying glass what I did see was what looked like a slight circle impression that had faint lines coming out from the circle. Think of drawing a sun circle with some lines added around the circle to show brightness. I thought these faint lines suggested pressure but no penetration except where the clover leaf appears. Sorry if I am not doing a good job explaining this! I do hope that you will eventually get to the archives this year to take a close up look at those ransom notes!
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Post by Joe on May 5, 2019 18:37:09 GMT -5
Thanks for the nail chart, Amy. Yes, during my evaluation, I actually looked at an 8-d flat-head nail (shank diameter of 0.134 measured with calipers) with a point I blunted by hammer. I see from the chart an 8-d nail can vary from 0.092 " to 0.131", so I guess I must have evaluated the widest diameter of the 8-d variety. I'm also far from being an expert, but I think you can see from each flat-head nail's profile that the nail head diameter itself remains fairly consistent all the way from 6-d to 20-d sizes and therefore those heads would be too wide to make the size of holes seen in the ransom notes. This was one of the reasons I also evaluated the finishing nail with its naturally smaller and slightly concave head, also seen in the chart.
Regarding the variability of shape as seen across the range of holes, I did find that I could actually achieve a number of different shapes within the same punch process. This surprised me until I began to consider the variability within the alignment of the actual linen fibres within each individual sheet of writing paper as a possible contributing factor.
I think it's fair to say that the degree of variability of shape seen within the range of ransom note holes could very well be attributed to more than one punch tool, ie. nail being used. After all, how common are nails around a work bench or in a carpenter's work pouch? I've now got a collection of about twenty nails that I've used at any given time.. perhaps I should start naming them!
You may have made a very important observation relating to outer edges of the actual ransom note holes. I understand what you've described, re: the extra paper which remains, due to the punch not completely removing all paper in its path, but the effect you've mentioned, ie. radial lines of force impressed into and left in the paper, (if that's what they are) could be very telling and give a better indication of the actual amount of force exerted and the shape, size and sharpness of the punch tool that was driven through the sheet.
A number of things are very clear to me. The holes were NOT made by a commercial-type ticket punch, which would have left a much cleaner and more reproducible hole throughout the entire series of ransom notes. I believe the actual method used to form the holes would have involved basic techniques and processes that come as second nature to a carpenter, ie. point blunting of nails and the hammering process of nails itself. Regarding the reproducibility of the hole locations from note to note, a simple and disposable cardboard or wood template accurately aligned in the bottom right hand corner of each sheet, would ensure this each and every time. In the end, I really think it's far from being complicated!
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