galvanized funnel thing

[digger dun]

This odd shaped device was picked up at an antique store on eastern long island. been passing around to friends and neighbors trying to figure out what it is. it's sealed with a screw cap on top, also has 2 petcocks, one up near the screw cap, and one at the point of the funnel. any one have any ideas? one more picture to follow.

 

[digger dun]

the top, showing the screw cap, and second petcock

 

[LC]

Never seen one in all my years , sure is an oddity .

 

[epackage]

Looks like a homemade thigamabob...

 

[botlguy]

I have no clue as to what it was used for but that thing is as unusal as I am. [] I really like the looks of it.

 

[TJSJHART]

MY IDEA IS SOME SORT OF COOLIN THING A BOB WITH THE LIQUID INSIDE AND THE LIQUID TO BE COOLED GOES IN ONE PETCOCK AND OUT THE OTHER....ONLY A GUESS ANY OTHER IDEAS,,,I COULD BE JUST BLOWIN SMOKE [8|]

 

[Plumbata]

No idea, looks home-made to me. Perhaps it held oil; filled via the lid at top and slowly dispensed through the bottom valve, with the top valve opened slightly to prevent development of a vacuum which would disrupt the steady flow of liquid. Could have been used on an old metal lathe or combustion engine. If it held water, I could imagine it being used to keep a big treadle grinding stone wet, or something like that.

 

[digger dun]

plumbata, i think you might be onto something there. I could see where keeping your supply of cooling/lubricating fluid, be it oil, or water, free from whatever contaminants associated with the manufacturing of whatever you are cooling/lubricating could be achieved with this device, while still allowing it to flow freely via the top petcock, in fact you might even be able to control the flow of this fluid out the bottom through different positioning of the top petcock.
we thought it might be some sort of condensator/separator thing a mawhatzit. this one has us scratching our scalps something fierce.

 

[Plumbata]

At first i was thinking it may have had something to do with moon-shining/distilling, but after going through the practical functions it could serve I decided against it. It certainly does look like a homebrewed separatory funnel but visibility of the contents is kinda important for them so I doubt that's what it is. Could be, though, hard to say.

 

[digger dun]

We thought that about moonshine still parts too, but galvanized components are a no no from what we've found.
But it does look home made. Well made, no doubt by someone skilled in tin smithing, but not mass produced. There would surely have been a stamped embossing of the producing company of some sort on the thing if it was made en mass.
It's an interesting little something, no doubt.