What is it? Game 111

By Alex in What Is It on Oct 8, 2009 at 7:03 am

Here’s this week’s collaboration with the What is it? Blog. Can you tell us what this strange tool is used for? The first correct guess AND the funniest guess win this awesome Ice Invaders Ice Cube Tray from the Neatorama Shop.

Game rules are simple: place your guess in the comment section. One guess per comment, please. You can enter as many guessed as you’d like. Please post no URL or web links – doing so will forfeit your entry.

For more clues, check out the What is it? Blog. Good luck!

Update 10/9/09 – the answer is: A clockwork roasting jack, used to turn meat while it was roasted over the fireplace. Congratulations to PaulS who guessed right and to Abe Normal who suggested that it was a wind up grenade!


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  1. Mihkel
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 7:14 am

    It is a wind up ornament hanger that spins the ornament slowly, sometimes to a tune. The fat part is the top, the ornament hangs from the thin end pointed down.

  2. Professor
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 7:15 am

    It looks like a 19th century wind-up training vibrator

  3. PaulS
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 7:18 am

    It’s almost an ornament rotator. It’s a veritcal spit turner for roasting fowls.

  4. Jaz_Allen
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 7:19 am

    I done seen one of them on the antiques roadshow, or blue peter, can’t remember which. That be a Roasting Jack so says I.

  5. PuterPrsn
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 7:42 am

    Roasting jack with alarm bell timer built in

  6. Kermit Woodall
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 7:48 am

    Turn of the century, wind-up, tattoo pen.

  7. PTBaker80
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 7:49 am

    It looks like an old tattoo gun

  8. Emmanuel
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 8:08 am

    It looks like one of those old wind-up maraccas

  9. artsnarf
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 8:21 am

    Old seismograph data recorder

  10. Tribak
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 8:24 am

    an old funnel or a kind of waterdropper

  11. Dennis
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 8:28 am

    It’s a Clockwork Orange Juicer.

  12. waterboypitg
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 8:52 am

    I agree with PTBaker80, it’s a tattoo pen.

  13. Erin Norris
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 8:55 am

    I’m going with an old spool winder, for winding up fibers like yarn, twine, etc.

  14. Sean
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 8:55 am

    looks like a tattoo gun to me.

  15. Sticks and Stones
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 9:05 am

    A ceiling fan motor, the top hangs from the ceiling and the blades are attached to the bottom

  16. Rose4
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 9:09 am

    It’s a fountain pen — possible use being put next to paper paper to create scientific or financial or other data?

  17. Sticks and Stones
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 9:10 am

    A music box motor

  18. Carl
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 9:10 am

    Automated chicken feed dispenser

  19. mandi0107
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 9:13 am

    weighing scale (one of those where u hook objects off it to get the weight)

  20. Abe Normal
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 9:22 am

    na what are you people on about it is obviously a wind up grenade :P

  21. MWS14
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 9:23 am

    Steampunk alarm clock. To be applied analy.

  22. Leamax
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 9:23 am

    automatic baby crib rocker?

  23. james tracy
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 9:47 am

    19th Century do-it-yourself home enema kit. The attachment nozzles and funnels seem to be missing though…

  24. Rolan
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 10:02 am

    it looks like a musical instrument that you can wind by turning that gold thing. plus, you need to shake it like a maracas.

  25. Glitch50
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 10:08 am

    it’s an early dental drill. the bit is missing though

  26. Randall
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 10:08 am

    This is a kilt-stay, originally patented by one Angus McClorggann. Scotsman are an active bunch, romping around the moors and craggy hills, hearding sheep and smacking one another with pointy things. But, when it rains the fabric of the kilt loosens, sometimes dropping around their ankles. This would not only be embarrassing, but dangerous! the Kilt stay prevents this from happening. You wind this up, and as the kilt belt expands, the spring keeps it taught, and as the kilt dries it pulls in the slack. Notice the gold ‘rope’ decoration, its the clue that led me to this conclusion.

  27. Austin
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 10:12 am

    Its a fishing reel!

  28. Gauldar
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 10:16 am

    Steampunk turkey baster.

  29. Foreigner1
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 10:24 am

    I’m truly shocked and will reconsider my vising to Neatorama. How Dáre you to have a photograph of this ….-Item-…. on this site!?!?!? Have you no shame???

  30. K!P
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 10:31 am

    its the 18th century fish’n'lure slidfing fishpole from tellsell!

  31. Jaz_Allen
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 11:10 am

    It’s quite obviously an ornamental radiator key holder, never again will you be searching through drawers and toolboxes when you want to bleed your radiator, now it takes pride of place in your living room, kitchen, or study. Also makes an excellent conversation starter. Be the envy of all your friends, especially those who have lost their radiator keys and need to bleed their radiators.

  32. Nikram
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 11:13 am

    a pencil sharpener.

  33. Foreigner1
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 11:24 am

    It is an old 19th-Century kitchen-appliance.
    You hang -small- meat from it above a fire or above smoke and let it turn by the clockwork-mechanism in it that you can wind up by the key. It then turns the short bronze side abound slowly.

  34. Miss Cellania
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 11:37 am

    I believe that to be an instrument of torture.

  35. pwscott
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 12:27 pm

    steampumk colonoscopy.The key winds the light timer for a proper exposure time. “Please hold still Mr. Twain, we can not diagnose a blurred polyp.”

  36. MeganL
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 12:27 pm

    Is it the top part of an old fashion mobile to put above a crib? Wind it up and the mobile turns?

  37. Scivitri
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 12:28 pm

    I’m bidding on a soldering iron (given the age, probably fairly low temperature, for jewelry or stained glass windows). Once wound, the mechanics inside create a consistent, even temperature (for a short amount of time, maybe a minute or two) which were a great improvement over fire-brands.

  38. Robster
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 12:36 pm

    It is a voting machine

  39. rocio
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 12:38 pm

    an ornament spinner!

  40. JC
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 12:49 pm

    It is a very early prototype for Ron Popiel’s Pocket Fisherman.

  41. 80000v
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 12:58 pm

    Tattoo apparatus.

  42. mjmcca01
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 1:13 pm

    A wind-up tattoo needle?

  43. Joe
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 1:31 pm

    Its a tattoo gun

    Sent from my mobile using FeedM8

  44. MissMann
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 2:05 pm

    It makes fishing even easier!!! It’s a wind up reel and all you do is put it in the middle of the boat and relax even MORE than you already were. the fish will nibble because the lure isn’t stationary!!! hahaha.

  45. Frank G,
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 2:27 pm

    It is a windup tatoo pen. late 1800′s

  46. Cheezwhiz
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 3:32 pm

    Something to wind up string. I believe the right end comes off, making it possible to take out the newly-wound spool.

  47. DOOFUS
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 4:38 pm

    It clearly fumes out bugs, with poisonous gasses.

  48. jac
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 4:50 pm

    tattoo machine

  49. Lola
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 5:29 pm

    It looks like a Singer accessory judging by the paint job. I’m going to guess that it’s a thread winder.

  50. Ian Horner
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 6:06 pm

    I believe that is a World War One vintage German wind-up hand grenade.

  51. Anon of Ibid
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 7:38 pm

    wind up engraving pen

  52. tripleX
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 7:39 pm

    Could be a wire spanner. The wire through the tube, attached inside. The device attached on the wall. If you wind up with the key the wire thightens. Or, if not attached, is pulled inside, usefull in fishing.

  53. Anon of Ibid
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 7:40 pm

    An old style electric soldering iron. The key winds up a clockwork generator in the bulge.

  54. Maxxx
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 7:52 pm

    It’s a hand-held clockwork mini sewing machine – for those occasions when a stitch in time really does save nine!

  55. John Lee
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 9:22 pm

    I’m going with steampunk tattoo pen

  56. Jitzy
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 10:14 pm

    Well certainly ma’am’s and gents, you realized that you are looking at a premium 18th century lint brush!
    This fine doohicky was put out as a promotion for Bounce, who was not doing so fine in the market place at that time. They guaranteed that this baby would pick up any sorta hair or lint like problems that you had, and it left behind a nice Mountain Fresh Scent.
    Why I do believe that it was designed by a German, but you people are gonna have to research that part.

  57. psychobuddhist
    Oct 8th, 2009 at 11:05 pm

    I also think it’s a tattoo gun.

  58. Findlay
    Oct 9th, 2009 at 12:46 am

    It is a Steampunk Blowdart Blower.

  59. Nose
    Oct 9th, 2009 at 1:25 am

    It looks like a wind-up prayer wheel to me

  60. BikerRay
    Oct 9th, 2009 at 6:26 am

    Gee, Miss Cellania, how did you ever come up with such an original comment?

  61. Tim Amsden
    Oct 9th, 2009 at 8:47 am

    It’s an early version of a rectal thermometer. There was an almost identical oral thermometer, and the only way to tell one from the other was the taste.

  62. bigatybamm
    Oct 9th, 2009 at 12:10 pm

    Definitely an old school tattoo gun. Possibly the same one used to give abraham lincoln his “Thug Life ” tattoo

  63. Gauldar
    Dec 21st, 2009 at 12:43 pm

    OMG, I can’t beleive how close I actualy was with “steampunk turkey baster”!


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