The Revealer - vintage dowsing kit

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RandyL
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The Revealer - vintage dowsing kit

Post by RandyL »

Good evening,

Might anyone out there be able to assist me in identifying a dowsing kit that consists of a pair of heavily chromed L rods. When assembled, each two part rod measures approximately 22 inches long. Five metal tabs on each assembled rod indicate the numbers 2, 4, 6, 9 & 15.

On each rod between the number 4 and 6 tabs is a black painted slit.

The handles, which are internally spring loaded, are approximately 9 inches long. "Patent Pending 13859" is stamped on the bottom of each handle. Beside the numbered tabs, this is the only identifiable marking on the instruments.

The curious part of this kit is a beaded chromed metal construct that fastens to one of the handles, almost like a hand guard of some kind.

All components fit neatly into a wooden box/carrying case.

Please email me using the button to the right if you would like receive an email of 11 images detailing the kit.

Might anyone know who made this and when?

Thanks for your thoughts.

Randy Liebermann


Edited by I.P. 13.7.10 - eliminated e-mail link within post to stop harvesting by spam-bots
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Grahame
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Post by Grahame »

Hi Randy;

If you email the images to me, I'll post them up for you here as we discussed. Click on the email button under this post.

This sounds like a job for Sandy McKenzie, who is on this forum. Sandy has a great collection of dowsing tools, and I'd be surprised if she can't come up with an answer for you.
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The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it - Terry Pratchett.
jonnyboy

the revealer

Post by jonnyboy »

i have an original boxed machine...with all paperwork,,even the little badge!..it is in perfect condition...any buying interest?
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Post by Grahame »

Hi Jonnyboy, welcome to the forum. I've now activated your account so you can post in all forums.
I've deleted your other post with your email and phone number as it's generally not a good idea to publish these in forums, unless you like getting a lot of spam. If people want to email you they can click on the button underneath your signature - this will appear on your next post now that you are registered.
As to your sale offer, it would help if you would provide more details of what it is you are offering, as not everyone here will know what a 'revealer' is. If you have a picture that would help too... read this post for a tutorial on posting pictures.
Also note that this is a forum for discussions on dowsing, not an internet auction house. If you wish to conduct financial transactions please do not do it on the forum. If people wish to contact you they can email or private message you. Or I hear that there is some new-fangled online selling facility that you could use, I think they call it 'ebay' or something..? :)


Edited by I.P. 13.7.10 - converted old-style forum-link to new style
Last edited by Grahame on Fri Dec 09, 2005 10:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Grahame
The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it - Terry Pratchett.
Dan Wilson

Re: the revealer

Post by Dan Wilson »

jonnyboy wrote:i have an original boxed machine...with all paperwork,,even the little badge!..it is in perfect condition...any buying interest?
Is this a rectangular affair with two little handles on one end ? If so, it's the thing German dowsers - rutengangeren, I don't know the plural, goers-with-the-rod - find adverse energy zones with. I think I'd be more interested in the book of instructions than the thing itself - a different view of dowsing.
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Please help to identify vintage dowsing kit

Post by Paul Collett »

Hi Randy,
Seems to me its a ‘Revealer’ I have heard reference to them being made in Victorian times, but I have an advertising leaflet that claims they were invented in Britain by L J Veale, a building contractor who first offered it for sale in 1959.Mine appears to have been purchased in the 1960’s and I have a letter quoting a price of £72- 10- 0d.That’s GBP 72-50 in today’s money.(I think there were 2-80 USD to the pound in those days so they were not cheap)Sadly the quotation is not dated.
Mine is not marked ‘patent pending’ but has a patent number. It also has, what may be a serial number of ‘472’ on each rod. Mine is therefore, probably , more recent than yours.
The metal construct is a ‘mineral bracket’ used for holding a group of samples or witnesses to determine the composition of the material found. The figures on the rods are for the diameter of a pipe found and the slots are for depthing.
I have only seen one of these before, that was in an antiques shop, years ago and was incomplete..
The advertising material claims that revealers were used by large companies and local government.
I have only had one try with mine so far and its easy enough to use , although a bit heavy and cumbersome.

Paul
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It's definitely a revealer

Post by Ian Pegler »

Phil Garcin and I sorted this out a while back. Sorry for not posting the result here sooner!

Randy sent me some images of his rods some time ago, and yes it is a revealer.

Ian
Apergy

Re: the revealer

Post by Apergy »

jonnyboy wrote:i have an original boxed machine...with all paperwork,,even the little badge!..it is in perfect condition...any buying interest?
Hi Jonny,

Please email me at apergy@aol.com, more info on your Revealer, an image or two may help.

Randy
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Post by Grahame »

(moderation - two topics merged)

Here's a picture of part of The Revealer from the BSD office:
Image
Grahame
The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it - Terry Pratchett.
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The Revealer

Post by kazzer »

About 20 years ago, I discovered The Revealer in the building maintenance dept. of Watney's Brewey, Trowbridge. They used it for locating pipes around pubs, etc. The architect also used it on weekends to mark out the postholes of old archaeological sites. Of course, I was extremely sceptical until they actually demonstrated the instrument. I decided I had to have one, and set about tracking them down.
After much searching, I encountered the inventor Lawrence Veale's wife in Kingskerswell, Devon. Lawrence had died a few years prior, and she was about 85, not really too interested in marketing the product. I purchased a Revealer from her, and started to practice.

Finding pipes was really easy, and as I was involved with building surveyors, clerks of works, etc. it soon became a topic of conversation. A few people asked me to find 'stuff' and I did. I 'dowsed' Stonehenge (lived nearby) and was amazed at the power of the leylines, which were actually in the air.

A number of people asked me if they could purchase a Revealer. I contacted Mrs Veale again and she still had a few machines, so I bought them all from her. She was particularly pleased that her husband's lifetime work would be continued. She gave me all the drawings, plans etc. and her blessing to carry on the Revealer.

A few years later, I moved to the USA, taking 3 or 4 Revealers with me. I was in sales, and met a number of sales guys at a business meeting, and the topic of dowsing came up. I showed them my Revealer and they all wanted one, so I was quickly down to my last one. They guys were persistant, and asked me to get more, which, of course I could not do.

So, after much deliberation, my wife and I decided to make them. We had the plans, and Lawrence Veale's secrets, thanks to his wife. So, we purchased a lathe and started to make them.
Our greatest problem was the chrome plating, it was expensive and SLOW.

Still, we made a number of Revealers and sold them through these sales guys. I remember Virginia as being the best area, my late friend Ian Wallace really did well there. You may trip over one or two there.
All this happened about 15-20 years ago, and when we sold the last few, we didn't make any more. We had bigger fish to fry, and our marketing guys had dissapeared from our lives.

Recently, my wife and I retired, and we got to talking about the fun we had using, making and selling Revealers. We realised that now we had the Internet to market these items and it would be a completely different deal. We could make videos, produce CDs, and hell, we haven't got anything else to do!!!!!! It'll keep us out of mischief for ages!!!

So, that is why I am here. We purchased a new lathe last week, and will start production in about 1 month. We don't even have a problem with the Chrome Plating, as I own http://www.caswellplating.com

For those of you not familiar with Lawrence Veale's incredible work, please look on http://www.amazon.com - enter 'divining the primary sense' in the search facility. The book is written by Herbert Weaver, and published by Routliedge Keegan Paul

Enjoy


Oh yes, I nearly forgot. The photo of the instrument in the box, is definately a Revealer!
Mike Caswell

PS I found this photo of an original on Ebay

Image
Last edited by kazzer on Sun Jul 30, 2006 10:13 am, edited 1 time in total.
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MAKING A REVEALER WORK

Post by kazzer »

RandyL asked what the little discs on the Revealer rods were for.

They show the diameter of a pipe!

First, you locate a pipe, and make a mark on it's position.

Then, step back about 10 paces from the mark and approach it again, slowly. The rods will start to swing inwards. As soon as they cross over on the black marks, stop. The distance you are from the original mark, shows the depth of the pipe.

I'm a bit sketchy on how to locate the diameter, (it's 20 years since I did this), but I THINK you reset the rods (parallel) and from the 2nd mark, move slightly forward, until you cross the 1st mark. The rods will move inwards again. Whichever disc they cross over onto, is the diameter of the pipe. I remember pretty much all the other 'Revealer Rules' and will post them on

http://www.moonrakers.com/revealer

in the near future. If someone has an old set of instructions, I'd love a copy. It'll save me some field work!
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Post by Grahame »

Fascinating bit of research into the Revealer, Mike. Thanks for sharing it with us.

I look forward to seeing your production models.
Grahame
The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it - Terry Pratchett.
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Post by kazzer »

I am beginning to place information on my Revealer Web Page.

Please take a look at http://www.moonrakers.com/revealer

DOES ANYONE HAVE A COPY OF THE OLD REVEALER INSTRUCTIONS PLEASE?
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Post by Grahame »

Mike, the BSD office elves inform me that they have unearthed an original set of Revealer instructions in the archives. If you contact the office on info@britishdowsers.org I'm sure they will be able to help you out.
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Post by kazzer »

Grahame

I haven't visited the site lately, so missed your message. (My wife broke her wrist on a trip to the UK- so I've been looking after her)

Someone actually sent me copies of the instructions a few weeks ago, so I'll be transcribing them and updating the web page shortly.

Thanks for the help.

I may have a go a making a few sets shortly. We have most of the materials now.
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