My son just sent me this photo of a ? that he found in a shed in Colorado.  Never seen one before and not real sure of what it is.

Mel

Total guess....Could it be telegraph related?

Just thinking...Colorado + Old + sitting + small amount of power ...Just says telegraph to me.

Looks like a rheostat type switch to control a motor or machine of some type. Maybe to raise or lower a hoist of some type. Gas pedal from a Ward electric car ?

EvilDr235

Dentist speed control?
yours Scott

Rheostat foot control for an early sewing machine, well that's my guess anyway.

Batz

I am thinking sewing machine too.

>I am thinking sewing machine too.

Ditto, particularly because it is somewhat fancy, so it would look good in the house....


PS: You *do* know what that white stuff is right? :P

Quote from: scottg on November 23, 2012, 12:21:40 AM
Dentist speed control?
yours Scott

Where do you attach it to the dentist?

My vote would be for industrial sewing machine.

Don't breath in the powder from the 'white stuff' - if you want to keep it original suggest you spray it with lacquer or PVA glue in water to keep its integrity, but best to change it for a modern insulating material, e.g. heat resistant glass fibre tube which is available in white (or at least off-white)... and double bag the old stuff and dispose of it properly...

My thought too !   The big A    Asbestos.

I talked to him on the phone this morning and he said it did have all the indicators of a speed control.   I told him to spray the wires with some clear lacquer of something to keep the Asbestos from spreading..
Mel

It could be for a sewing machine, but....... does this look girly to you?
It seems too heavy duty and probably expensive for a sewing machine.
Sewing machines didn't catch on as electrics very quickly.    Treadles were working fine, and frankly, early electric machines were pretty anemic.
  A good treadle operator can sew 8 layers of Levis like it was tissue paper! 

The early dental drills used a foot treadle. The dentist had to physically pump to keep up the speed!

Then they got electric, but we are still talking a belt about 27' long, and articulated arms, with tiny pulleys for the belt, all the way out to the handpiece. 

It could still be for something else altogether. Its just that I have had a horrible hole of misery in my jaw for the last week, that is taking forever to heal.  So I am secretly wanting this thing to have electrocuted a dentist or two in its time. 
  yours Scott

A similar one sold on ebay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/antique-SEWING-MACHINE-MOTOR-rheostat-electric-foot-pedal-cast-/120991707410

How about a controller for a shoe repair sewing machine, it certainly looks heavy enough.  The foot piece looks just like the one on a jewelers flywheel driver that I own.  The one that sat below his bench, with a tiny belt running up to the buffer and drill press.   

definately a speed control for a sewing machine, I've seen these exact things with sewing machines.