Mystery object ??? [Archive]

astral276

6th August 2008, 12:21 PM

Looks a bit like one of those old 'electric shock therapy' machines. Back in the days when it was believed that blasting electricity through the body was a cure for all manner of ailments.

raindropsies

6th August 2008, 12:24 PM

just looks painful to me

astral276

6th August 2008, 12:27 PM

Looks a bit like one of those old 'electric shock therapy' machines. Back in the days when it was believed that blasting electricity through the body was a cure for all manner of ailments.

Take a look at http://www.agassiztrading.com/photos/photos-museumitems/shock-b-2-lrg.jpg

Similar but where that one has it's own generator yours looks like it connects to an external power source. I suspect the large white cylinder on yours is a variable capacitor to vary the level of shock given.

victorfrank

6th August 2008, 12:35 PM

I've been using mine as an enema machine. No wonder it didn't work.

(To the right collector, these unusual scientific machines are quite valuable - worth doing a bit of research).

Dgartstudio

6th August 2008, 12:38 PM

Aye up clock.. its a DC inducer.. connect up the two terminals to a battery e.g .12volt.. regulate using scale... sit in bath holding metal bar S in left grip, place metal bar P in bath water.
Sold in early 20th century as a do it yourself toppin kit. Was very popular.
...;)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=8TLmpL2AzLs

herbalbrew

6th August 2008, 12:40 PM

I went to a car boot sale today and I bought this.

6562

Looks like an ebid cattle prodder....

P - prod Patriot
S - prod Shezz

and gets them back in line ;)

clockmad

6th August 2008, 12:41 PM

clockmad

6th August 2008, 12:45 PM

I've been using mine as an enema machine. No wonder it didn't work.

Try a higher voltage ;)

Bet it'll work then :eek:

victorfrank

6th August 2008, 12:52 PM

There is a similar one on a website, which is described as a 'White Cross Medical Battery'.

Dgartstudio

6th August 2008, 12:55 PM

was a strange day for carboots.. found this on sunday.. anyone any ideas?

victorfrank

6th August 2008, 12:55 PM

Here is the picture (hopefully).http://www.antiquemystique.com/pages/4400_jpg.htm

clockmad

6th August 2008, 01:07 PM

Here is the picture (hopefully).http://www.antiquemystique.com/pages/4400_jpg.htm
Thanks Victor,
That does seem to be quite similar.
Looks like mine is probably missing its box.

clockmad

6th August 2008, 01:09 PM

was a strange day for carboots.. found this on sunday.. anyone any ideas?

Dg,
Looks like Im not the only one that buys weird stuff :D

clockmad

6th August 2008, 01:13 PM

looks like an old battery tester

put the metal barrels over the terminals and the reading accros the top wil show you the charge :)
Just between you and me Quad,
I actually reckon its a electrolytic vodie maker ;) :cool:

kengillam

6th August 2008, 01:53 PM

Looks like a device for giving Frank 'en Stein a quick boost :D

sleekpony

6th August 2008, 02:06 PM

was a strange day for carboots.. found this on sunday.. anyone any ideas?

That's where my goat got to :eek::eek:

ben76

7th August 2008, 06:17 AM

19th century 'medical' equipment

ben76

7th August 2008, 06:22 AM

There is one listed 'elsewhere' and its down as an early form of hand-held shock therapy,

Spyder1942

7th August 2008, 07:12 AM

Its the latest NHS device for shocking the heart back into a regular beat.Igor at our local heart clinic used one on me.No side effects only a growing need to stand outside durung thunder storms.

moonwitch

7th August 2008, 07:18 AM

looks like an old battery tester

put the metal barrels over the terminals and the reading accros the top wil show you the charge :)

I think it might be one of those things that Scientologists use to test your reactions to questioning.

you hold one of the handles in each hand and it works like a really basic 'lie detector'

Spyder1942

7th August 2008, 07:51 AM

Scientologists.Strange load of nutters

redmerlin777

7th August 2008, 09:34 AM

was a strange day for carboots.. found this on sunday.. anyone any ideas?

Maybe some advert for car tyres... but it does pose some questions ...
like... that Goat must have backed up into the tyre or it has worn the tyre all it's life......

astral276

8th August 2008, 12:43 AM

Yeah, I thought that as well, but was confused by the lack of any form of current generating device, and why so many terminals :confused:

Just guessing...

The two far left are for connecting a power supply (hopefully battery and not mains).

The one half way between them adjacent to the white tube looks to be adjustable. Is it a spark gap? To deliver the shock as a pulse rather than a steady current?

P and S would seem to be for the hand grips.

The one next to them...I'm tempted to say Earth Terminal but I don't think they were too bothered about that kind of thing back then. Possibly for another probe - to be inserted err...umm...I'll leave that to your imagination...

Gayukshop

8th August 2008, 12:59 AM

It' a resistance tester on a person sort of a truth detector. Less the resistance in the body the higher the scale. You have a external supply negative goes to one side of the coil, And positive to one of the rods.
When the positive rod in one hand and the other rod feads the coil this will make the scale move,The coil is a solinoid you are a resistor
Ken

moonwitch

8th August 2008, 01:01 AM

I still think it might be an early form of the E-Meter used by Scientologists.

Here is a piccy of a modern day version - there is a resemblance:eek:

6600

edited to add that it works the way Ken said in the above post:cool:

moonwitch

8th August 2008, 01:11 AM

Scientologists.Strange load of nutters

L Ron Hubbard made a fortune out of nutters' belief in a nineteenth century medical battery.

Clever bloke - if you ask me

Gayukshop

8th August 2008, 01:13 AM

Thats right the Scientologists do use them try to convince you to join
Hubbard book of Scientologists I'm a electrical engineer and have seen them the newer one's when PAT testing.
Ken

moonwitch

8th August 2008, 01:19 AM

Thats right the Scientologists do use them try to convince you to join
Hubbard book of Scientologists I'm a electrical engineer and have seen them the newer one's when PAT testing.
Ken

I used to be a member of a forum for people who branched out from modern day Scientology.

They got the funnies when I asked about things that I shouldnt have known about - wasnt high up enough.

I pointed out that the info I had was freely available on the internet and they were really shocked!!! - they lead very sheltered lives.

I actually had a go on one of their E-Meters when some Scientologists set up a stall at the local market. I noticed quite a few people there actually thought the E-Meter told them stuff that meant they needed to take up courses - silly billies

Dgartstudio

8th August 2008, 01:53 AM

L Ron Hubbard made a fortune out of nutters' belief in a nineteenth century medical battery.

Clever bloke - if you ask me

His son Ron Jr. claimed in a 1983 interview with Penthouse that money was the motive, saying his father "told me and a lot of other people that the way to make a million was to start a religion."

:rolleyes:

moonwitch

8th August 2008, 02:05 AM

His son Ron Jr. claimed in a 1983 interview with Penthouse that money was the motive, saying his father "told me and a lot of other people that the way to make a million was to start a religion."

:rolleyes:

Yes - I have seen that quote many times

Like I said - clever bloke - very good at marketing

moonwitch

8th August 2008, 03:23 AM

astral276

8th August 2008, 02:05 PM

Just to add - my clever son just turned up from clubbing.

I showed him the picture and he pulled together just about everyone's thoughts from this thread in about a second and said.

It's a polygraph

Ok. Only one way to resolve this. Let's all have a meet at clockmad's (I'll bring the beer). We'll wire the thing up to the mains and sunnybooks06 can grab hold of the handgrips.

They can then give the definative answer as to whether it is a shock machine or a polygraph - when they has stopped smoking that is...

clockmad

8th August 2008, 02:21 PM

Ok. Only one way to resolve this. Let's all have a meet at clockmad's (I'll bring the beer). We'll wire the thing up to the mains and sunnybooks06 can grab hold of the handgrips.

They can then give the definative answer as to whether it is a shock machine or a polygraph - when they has stopped smoking that is...

Like the sound of the beer :)

Not sure Sunny will be so chuffed though :eek:

http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/forum/flamed.gif (http://www.freesmileys.org)

moonwitch

9th August 2008, 09:05 AM

Ok. Only one way to resolve this. Let's all have a meet at clockmad's (I'll bring the beer). We'll wire the thing up to the mains and sunnybooks06 can grab hold of the handgrips.

They can then give the definative answer as to whether it is a shock machine or a polygraph - when they has stopped smoking that is...

Depends which way the thing's wired up - if I get to wire it up it will be a polygraph - I suspect you will wire it up the opposite way just to give me a shock:eek:

astral276

9th August 2008, 10:39 AM

Depends which way the thing's wired up - if I get to wire it up it will be a polygraph - I suspect you will wire it up the opposite way just to give me a shock:eek:

At last. Somebody with a more suspicious mind than my own. Always good for self preservation.;)

Looking at that section I thought may be a spark gap a little closer (see below) it now looks more like a 'trembler' such as you would get in a bell or buzzer.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/astral.project/temp/Image9.bmp

Clockmad. Any plans to sell this on or is it a keeper?

clockmad

9th August 2008, 11:24 AM

At last. Somebody with a more suspicious mind than my own. Always good for self preservation.;)

Looking at that section I thought may be a spark gap a little closer (see below) it now looks more like a 'trembler' such as you would get in a bell or buzzer.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/astral.project/temp/Image9.bmp

Clockmad. Any plans to sell this on or is it a keeper?
Hi Astral,
Well some interesting theory's there, and whatever it may or may not be :confused: it defiantly has interest as a talking point.
It is as we speak being offered in auction. But elsewhere I'm afraid :( as I honestly don't think this is the right venue for what seems to be a somewhat oddball / specialist item.
Plus I wouldn't have a clue as to what asking price / BIN to put on it, which at the moment seems to be the favoured format here on eBid. So thought it best to put to auction on a venue where the appropriate buyers are likely to see it and let it find its own value.

astral276

9th August 2008, 11:37 AM

It is as we speak being offered in auction.

If you go by the name westminsterclocks 'elsewhere' then you have a buyer. If not then I have just bid on somebody elses.

clockmad

9th August 2008, 11:49 AM

If you go by the name westminsterclocks 'elsewhere' then you have a buyer. If not then I have just bid on somebody elses.

;) I'm saying nothing ;)

astral276

9th August 2008, 12:02 PM

;) I'm saying nothing ;)

:confused: Baffled! :confused:

OrbitsandPieces

9th August 2008, 12:10 PM

I got one of those my Gran brought it .............its a early Ann Summers Vibrator:D

clockmad

9th August 2008, 12:17 PM

:confused: Baffled! :confused:
Astral,
You have a pm.

moonwitch

9th August 2008, 12:18 PM

I got one of those my Gran brought it .............its a early Ann Summers Vibrator:D

with 2 handles and someone around to work the controls - you could have your own Ann Summers party!!

clockmad

9th August 2008, 12:20 PM

with 2 handles and someone around to work the controls - you could have your own Ann Summers party!!

:eek: :eek:

cheap2clear

9th August 2008, 01:09 PM

It's an early form of the TENs machine but hand held. The contact post that touches the spring is adjustable so you can adjust the frequency. That the spring oscillates at the same frequency of the pulses you feel when holding the grips. A low voltage is applied to the coil through the contact breaker when the spring is attracted over to the coils metal slug it breaks the circuit the magnetic field collapses and the spring returms makes contact and the cycle continues. The high voltage is generated by back electro motive force (back EMF) This item may have a second winding it is a similar principal but by moving the iron slug in and out of the coil the out put voltage can be varied The voltage is high but the current is fairly low, its a bit like a car ignition coil except a ignition coil kick out 10 to 30 kV (thousand) and this device about 200 Volts to a 1000 Volts 1kV

cheap2clear

9th August 2008, 01:33 PM

As from my avitar you can see I use one on a regular basis

clockmad

9th August 2008, 01:40 PM

As from my avitar you can see I use one on a regular basis

Yeah me too http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/laughing021.gif (http://www.freesmileys.org)

moonwitch

9th August 2008, 01:49 PM

So we are all in agreement then

The mystery object is a vintage electrical thingummygig

and it's primary purpose is

A conversation piece

Sorted:cool:

clockmad

9th August 2008, 02:01 PM

So we are all in agreement then

The mystery object is a vintage electrical thingummygig

and it's primary purpose is

A conversation piece

Sorted:cool:

Dont think its a thingummyjig. That's just being silly!! :rolleyes:

Much more likely to be a whatchermacallit :D :D

Spyder1942

9th August 2008, 04:21 PM

Its a Gordon Brown machine.You hold the handles and crank it up to 11 wishing as hard as you can that he will do something that the people want.None of them have ever worked in a positive manner only in the negitive.

Spyder1942

9th August 2008, 04:25 PM

There is a Cameron machine but testing has been delayed for 2 years.

Spyder1942

9th August 2008, 06:45 PM

The Blair Witch Lawyer model could not be put to rights

easytigeruk

10th August 2008, 08:27 AM

I think it might be one of those things that Scientologists use to test your reactions to questioning.

you hold one of the handles in each hand and it works like a really basic 'lie detector'

I saw something years and years ago in an antique auction that looked like this, that was a lie detector tester, can't see how it works though.

On the other hand, it did occur to me that it's possibly a bit wierd buying random stuff at carboots when you don't know what it's for, lol. Looks interesting though; have you wired the kids to it yet?

clockmad

10th August 2008, 09:48 AM

On the other hand, it did occur to me that it's possibly a bit wierd buying random stuff at carboots when you don't know what it's for, lol. Looks interesting though; have you wired the kids to it yet?

Hi easy,
Its called having an eye for something. :)
When looking round boot sales it is very easy to overlook things in and amongst the every day bits and pieces that every one has already got and is trying to sell to somebody else that has also already got one.
This however defiantly does not fall into that category.
I cant say I bought this for myself as such, although I do find this sort of thing interesting. But I did realise that it would be of even more interest to collectors of early electrical items. After all you cant just nip down to the shops and ask for one of those old thingumy whatsits please :D And if nothing else it gave some people here a talking point :cool:
So I reckon it was a good buy :) :p

moonwitch

10th August 2008, 10:02 AM

After all you cant just nip down to the shops and ask for one of those old thingumy whatsits please :D

I wondered what I was doing wrong when out shopping:D

Well spotted though - many a fortune was made by selling stuff that other people collect.

Wasnt there an auction site that was started by someone selling a BROKEN laser pointer to someone who collected them?

bykimbo

10th August 2008, 10:08 AM

Ooh... a new market... think of the hours of fun you could have bolting old bits and pieces of wire and metal onto bits of old wood, assembling them in some form that looks as though it must have done something, sometime... and then flog 'em as mystery items.