Comments on: What Is It? Game 68: We Really Don't Know What It Is ...

By: Papaw

Papaw — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 02:52:00 +0000

I think that must be a ship's inclinometer. If the ship lists too far to port or starboard, the bell will ring when the rod contacts one of the side posts.

By: bbriley

bbriley — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 01:18:00 +0000

My guess(at first glance, before reading other posts)is/was also a metronome.

By: tripleX

tripleX — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:39:32 +0000

It's a Love Meter! You hold one button, your love holds the other. If sparks fly, you are a match. If the bell rings, it means you should keep your other hand above the table, or you should stop playing silly games and get on with it!

By: lenny

lenny — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:29:23 +0000

gee thats a puzzler isnt it.
i think it could be a door bell or a buzzer
if the bar in the middle pivots {looks like it might]
running an ac curent through the electrodes might make it swing and ring the bell like thingy on the top.
if the ends of the bar were wrapped in wire id say thats what it was but no wire.
hmm maybe a soleniod

By: oldbdwow

oldbdwow — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:25:28 +0000

This old digital optical trainer was used on the Three Stooges movie sets. For best effect, the eye poke needed to fall as closely as possible to the center of the eye orbits. The left and right plates were adjusted to approximate the outside edges of the eyes, while the center post was raised or lowered to the length of the nose. The Stooges could then practice quickly jabbing their fingers into the resulting spaces without actually contacting the device. The resulting pokes proved much more entertaining than the previously unrehearsed pokes and the device was soon found on the set of every Stooges short and feature film.......

By: KingBee

KingBee — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:24:46 +0000

Simple: It's a device for placing your pocket watch, converting it into a mantle clock.

By: EP

EP — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 05:06:31 +0000

It looks like an old level for masonry.

By: RyeBokeh

RyeBokeh — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 03:24:21 +0000

It's a Flux Capacitor!

By: tripleX

tripleX — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:24:42 +0000

With both hands pushing the knobs the bell would ring. If two people worked a dangerous machine, the machine's operator would know by the bell that the other person's hands were not on the machine so the machine could be operated safely.

By: tripleX

tripleX — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:37:08 +0000

Every person that wanted to be part of a TV-audience in the '50s was first tested with this device. They had to slap the buttons, with a hand on each side, to test the strength of their applause. Only the 'top clappers' were permitted in the audience.

By: Neddick

Neddick — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:15:34 +0000

Its an alarm or alarm clock. The thing at the top is a bell and the metal rod shakes back and forth according to alternating currents at the plates on either side. The knobs on the side would be a connector for oldschool electrical wires.

Maybe it was Tesla's?

By: lewis

lewis — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:03:08 +0000

its a storm/lightning alarm. one of the terminals on the side is connected via a wire to a lightning conductor. the other terminal is connected to the earth. if lightning strikes, the central pendulum swings rapidly back and forth between the two terminals hitting them and ringing the bell at the very top.

By: neatoramafan

neatoramafan — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:59:15 +0000

Whoa! It's an early Gold Leaf Electroscope! That would sell for big bucks on the market!!! Below are a few electroscopes--though they are a bit more modern (the 1st link offers ones that resemble this model more).

http://chem.ch.huji.ac.il/instruments/archaic/electroscopes.html

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Gold_leaf_electroscope_with_gr ound_strips.png

http://www.school-for-champions.com/science/static_detection.htm

By: Sonora

Sonora — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:54:48 +0000

anon- I like the thermostat idea... sounds cool. Not sure how plausible it is, but certainly interesting.

"Flux Capacitor V. 1.0" LOL!

By: Sonora

Sonora — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:50:51 +0000

Looks like it could be a metronome...

By: anon

anon — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:43:12 +0000

My money is on thermostat. The high and low temperature are adjustable by both sides.

By: Jill

Jill — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:10:04 +0000

It looks like a metronome to me.

By: jmp478

jmp478 — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:53:20 +0000

Here are some pictures of what it would have looked like.
http://www.plasma-world.com/frontpage.html

By: Larry Sheldon

Larry Sheldon — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:51:53 +0000

Nope.

"Electroscope"

http://www.tutorvista.com/content/physics/physics-i/static-electric-cu rrent/gold-leaf-electroscope.php

By: Jaxx

Jaxx — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:50:39 +0000

Can't prove it, but I think it's an early Triode tube or transistor.

By: jmp478

jmp478 — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:50:00 +0000

It was used to perform experiments with ionized gas (plasma)

A vacuum was formed by sucking all the air out from the tube at the top. An inert gas was pumped in, electrical current was introduced by the two electrodes on the sides. The flat plates inside the device would glow, creating light.

By: Larry Sheldon

Larry Sheldon — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:49:10 +0000

I'm pretty sure of the device, not sure of the name.

"Galvaniscope" is what comes to mind. It was used to detect the presence of an electrostatic field.

The two gold-leaves repel each other in the presence of a field.

By: roger

roger — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:44:26 +0000

Someone already mentioned electroscope, which it appears to be, as the side terminals do not look made for permanent wire attachment. I can't tell if the central column is an electrode or leaves of foil. Second guess: early gas arc lamp.

By: Jen

Jen — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:57:41 +0000

Its... uh...

the scope for a world war one cannon?

By: firithlotiel

firithlotiel — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:11:29 +0000

It looks like some sort of early tuner for music... y'know, to make sure your piano/music was in tune.

By: sparge

sparge — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:56:44 +0000

Emergency Bris performer, for remote villages with no live-in Rabbi.

By: Julia

Julia — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:37:36 +0000

it's a nib removing tool for 'dip-in' ink pens

By: Randalll

Randalll — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:33:40 +0000

The object is a Asymatic Muromather. It was used by one Madame Urz during her famous seances in the 1930's.

She was revealed to be a humbug when it was proven that the Asymatic Muromather was actually a simple capacitor and when enough human being touched the brass leads on either side, while holding hands, it would collect enough static charge to display a bluish glow.

Madame Urz was arrested for fraud but escaped her capture by assumming avian form and flying away.

By: Miss Cellania

Miss Cellania — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:28:14 +0000

It's a thumbscrew.

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

Although a mammogram device is about the same, as Jan points out.

By: andrew

andrew — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:14:42 +0000

No way I'm going out looking for proof. but my guess is it's a level with maximums you can set on each side. so you set it down, see if the foundation you just made is within safety tolerance.