carlt

Perhaps it is for storing one's chewing gum overnight so that it doesn't lose its flavour...

My immediate thought was a hulk like the many dotted around the Thames Estuary but, looking at the size in relation to the buildings and waterway and what looks like a structure on the vessel...Some sort of fish farm perhaps?

It may be part of a yarn twister. Several single ply yarns go in the small holes and come out the single hole as one multi-ply yarn. The wooden plinth looks like it has a pulley drive ridge around its edge to spin the egg.

"Ponty Still Lit" Is this the definitive pronunciation then? I've always pronounced it "Pontywotsit" ..

I can be persuaded but I am no longer reliable enough to do it professionally as I can be fit and healthy one day and bed ridden the next so deadlines and commissioned work are a thing of the past. The last rug I made was for someone who didn't care how long it took. I'm hoping to build a loom with a continuous warp system because putting a warp on the loom is by far the most work intensive part of the process but it is difficult to get the required tension for rugs without a fixed length warp.

Well it pays the mortgage and maintains my boat habit so it definitely works. That said I rarely make rugs these days because they are hard work and my health isn't great.

Well I keep making more of them (proper rugs, not rag) because folk keep buying them. I don't make rag rugs unless someone is prepared to pay me a lot of money for them. I do have one in the bathroom that I made about 20 years ago. I still have the frame loom I made it on too.

Yes they dissolved in November 2017 according to Companies House (the company, not the props).

If you want one good quality rug that the warp doesn't start spreading after 5 minutes then you will need a strong frame that will maintain tension. If you use a floppy softwood frame then you may as well store it because the rug will fall apart and you'll be making another before too long. Poor quality tools make poor quality products.

Southampton company I believe but I don't know if they are still in business. Edited to add : found them... Building 3 Shamrock Quay, William Street, Southampton, Hampshire, SO14 5QL

The problem with homemade loom frames is that they are usually not strong enough to maintain a strong even tension in the warp and so the rug doesn't last long. That said if all you want is rags prodded through canvas or sacking then you don't need a loom at all. It all depends on what you are after. I'm not sure why they are a pain to keep. The frames I make flat pack and take up very little room. They are also made from good quality hardwood so they are not a cheap source of firewood.

I occasionally make them but actually getting the quantity of rags for a big one makes them commercially a nightmare. You end up buying material to make rags and, as I don't have a trade supplier of rags it works out more expensive to make a cheap crappy rag rug than a quality wool one. If you want to have a go I can sell you a nice frame loom though. Peg looms don't make durable rugs btw. Edited to add... You can get fairly cheap ones off ebay which are pretty good quality and loom woven.

My technical knowledge of mppt controllers is now exhausted but I am happy to have contributed.

Gaffer tape? WD40? Birmingham screwdriver?

Have you tried turning it off and then turning it back on again?