Strange object found in garage - any ideas

[Chris B]

I have been sent a photograph of an old tool/bit of kit found in the back of an old garage.

Google reverse image search has only managed "cylinder" which isn't much help.

Anybody with a better idea of what this once did?

My thoughts were perhaps clock pendulum, damper? Governor?

[newshound]

It's a clock pendulum. I've always assumed that this layout gives some temperature compensation.

[Andy Burns]

something along those lines ...

gridiron pendulum? tubular compensation pendulum?

[Martin Brown]

+1

I presume it is a rather grubby version of the torsion pendulum frame hanging here. Hard to get an idea of scale from the photo.

Beware that the construction of such a pendulum implies that there may be mercury in the two containers - which would be a lot more obvious if they were glass as is common in more ornamental versions.

The mercury in it will have a decent scrap value if you take it to the right place. Be careful not to break it if it is glass!

Worth looking around for the escapement mechanism too.

[Chris B]

Cropped out of the photo I posted is an old lighter fluid and wick (as opposed to gas) cigarette lighter. The body of the unit is only marginally bigger than a cigarette lighter.

So yes it looks like you are both very much on the right track. I will get back to the originator and see how heavy it is and if the cylinders appear damaged.

[newshound]

Are you *sure* that is a torsion pendulum? I thought that particular geometry was just an elegant way to get more weight with reduced front-to-back distance.

Good call about the mercury (although I think they usually had it on display).

[Jim Stewart ...]

a very old foot pump? ...

[Jim Stewart ...]

perhaps not ...

[David]

Looks remarkably like a device on slave time clocks (clocking in/out) used to make sure all the slaves are in sync with the master.

However not a certainty.

I will see if I can post a picture later.

Cheers

Dave R

[newshound]

I'd be interested to see that, but I suspect you are overcomplicating it.

[David]

My bad. I have the slave clock. This doesn't have that mechanism. I have a memory of a master clock with something similar.

Cheers

Dave R

[Davey]

A new tenant in our house some years ago noticed that the previous tenant, another US serviceman, had left an unusual piece of kit in the garage. He reported it to the Base, and it turned out to be something to do with a nuclear submarine. Cue full military turnout to recover it.

[newshound]

Many years ago, at one nuclear power station "wallpaper paste brushes" were used to clean loose contamination off some component. When replaced, the old brushes went into "contaminated waste". One staff member apparently considered this wasteful and, rather than following what would at the time have been normal practice, namely pinching a new one from stores, decided to "recycle" an old one. Somehow, this became known to the management who sent a health physics team to his house. They concluded that there was radioactivity underneath all his new wallpaper, and proceded to remove it and scrub everything down until they declared it clean. I believe no further action was considered necessary; the grapevine was sufficient to ensure nothing similar happened again. (I rather suspect the "detected" radioactivity was in fact natural background).

[Chris B]

Thanks to all who have responded, this has given me several leads to get more info (but no idea where the rest of the clock may be or why just this bit was in the garage)