Motor Trade Hand Tool ?

[McKenzie]

Hi, Can anyone help me identify this tool please. I believe it may be associated with the motor vehicle trade. I am afraid this is the only photo and information I have, it belongs to a friend of a friend.

[amecks]

No replies?  We probably can't tell enough from the one photo.  Are there any markings on the tool anywhere?  Have your friend take some more photos.

[oldgoaly]

if there is a rubber like fabric on the bottom (opposit of the handle) it could be a valve lapping tool, you use abrasive paste to true up the valve and valve seat. You work the handle in a rotary motion very common, lots of different types.
 But the other wire terminal? and what looks like a thumb switch of some sort ??? no idea how they could have anything to do with a valve lapping. So that would lead me to say it isn't one.

[Uncle Buck]

A valve lapping tool was my first thought as well. I agree with OG.

[oldgoaly]

If it was an electrical tool why would the base (opposite of the handle)  have a covering? (to insulate)

[SouthBendModel34]

I'm going to go way out on a limb here and suggest that this is a medical instrument used in obsolete forms of electrotherapy.

Take a look at this Wikipedia entry for an example of this class of obsolete medical practice:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oudin_coil

(Not saying this is an exact match; just showing an example of the sort of medical uses of electricity that I'm talking about. It wasn't necessarily high voltage nor high frequency. )

Please obtain and post more photographs, and request a careful search for markings.

Is the handle made of Bakelite ?

[JoeCB]

What southbend said ... that was my thought also.  The head end appears to have two patches of lamb wool separated by (insulation ?) , this would suggest some relationship to static electricity

Joe B

[Aunt Phil]

Looks like a "wand" used for electrical passivization of Stainless steel.
Working end appears to be electrically isolated with a thumb switch to depower the head so no arc is drawn pulling the tool end off the work.

Work pieces are probably interchangeable

The thermoplastic on the switch puts it around 1960s.