I have no clue what this is...

[Helleri]

It has no markings of any kind, any where on it, and I just can't figure on what it would be used for, or even if it is mostly complete, or part of something much larger...any ideas?



For this one I went ahead and posted a full size image since there are so many little parts to this thing. (on a 17"LCD at 1200x900 rez the image is life size).I can take additional pictures if needed.

[rusty]

Reminds me of an apple peeling machine....

[Bill Houghton]

My god, man, don't turn the crank on that unless you're prepared for the time warp hole to open.

[Papaw]

Looks like it will only turn one of the downshafts at a time. What's underneath?

[john k]

Are those teeth on the crank wheel?  And is that sort of a hopper or catch panel underneath each end, half way up?  Sure is interesting, where was it found?   Kitchen stuff, barn?   Be fun to play with for awhile, but I am with Papaw, what is under those black bases?

[Helleri]

it does apear as if it will only rotate one side or the other (were one side not frozen up). below is a picture of the bottom, and yes those are teeth on the crank wheel they are that one directional kind that -if it were on a watch or in a clock- would interact with a click. these would allow the crank wheel (if there were some sort of click regulation on touching it) to turn only counter clockwise.

[Papaw]

Looks like you could spool something from one reel to the other and back again, but why, I don't know.

[Helleri]

hmmm...maybe something to do with film?

[Billman49]

Looks like an old tape winder - possibly re-winding type writer ribbons, or maybe small (8mm) film - the handle allows it to be moved in or out to engage each bevel gear, so wind or rewind - maybe an early type of microfiche reader mechanism.... We can easily work out what it does, but not what it does it to..... what is the spigot diameter for the spool????

[Helleri]

I am not sure as to which piece you are referring to as the 'spigot'....the...housing (with the little switch like knob on it) is 2¼" with a 1" opening. The roller to one side of the opening is ¾" tall. and is 3.4mm diameter (the cylinder itself, the rings holding it in place are a 6mm diameter). the curved bar which sits atop it scoops around it's side and forks with the small off shoot...the whole fork is 1" tall and a ½" wide (¾" if you include that little offshoot/nose it has). the two prongs in the center of the housing stand ¼" and ⅛" tall (with a 5mm distance between them).

[BruceS]

Ticker-tape or telegram tape winder ?

[Helleri]

interesting thought. So could be for ribbon/paper/film of some kind. Seems the closest we can get is that it winds and unwinds...something, lol. The more I look at it and the more it's discussed, the more I think that this has to be just part of a larger whole. As it is, this thing is missing screws that hold gears in a fixed spot. Obviously mounts to something, and may be missing a bottom. I think this will just remain a curious thing. Maybe eventually someone will find a complete one, with some sort of markings and then by that we can know what this is a part to.

[rusty]

Perhaps not tape, but wire. Before audio recording tape, audio was recorded on thin wire....

hmm...

[Helleri]

Now you must be messing with me...audio...recorded on wire?

[Papaw]

Sure- many years ago-

Wire recording is a type of analog audio storage in which a magnetic recording is made on thin steel or stainless steel wire.[1]

The wire is pulled rapidly across a recording head which magnetizes each point along the wire in accordance with the intensity and polarity of the electrical audio signal being supplied to the recording head at that instant. By later drawing the wire across the same or a similar head while the head is not being supplied with an electrical signal, the varying magnetic field presented by the passing wire induces a similarly varying electric current in the head, recreating the original signal at a reduced level.

Magnetic wire recording was replaced by magnetic tape recording, but devices employing one or the other of these media had been more or less simultaneously under development for many years before either came into widespread use. The principles and electronics involved are nearly identical. Wire recording initially had the advantage that the recording medium itself was already fully developed, while tape recording was held back by the need to improve the materials and methods used to manufacture the tape.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire_recording