A wierd streamlined thingy that might stump you.

Ya...yer right....I just got lost in Bicycle fender bomb ornaments .....
Still.............hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!

 

I'm not sure I'd want to ship that right now.

 

verrrry funny !!!

 

Awwww, man! Lost the quote from what page?! Now I'll feel guilty all over again for not reading and liking every single post!

Makes the most sense to me. AFA bolting down, an operator could move it to another station.

But nothing really explains that tilt, ergonomics being what they were back then.

Cheers, @Miscstuff!

 

Thanks for the bump. It is gathering dust in my curio cabinet and to be frank I've almost given up.

 

Since we're reviving this at komo's suggestion.

I'm no electrician, but looks to me like what heats up is that iron tube, which is insulated to keep the heat from being transmitted to the outer shell. Seems to me the hottest place would be inside that tube.

I see nothing like an on/off switch, so on as long as plugged in.

Think it is either this, or some other more industrial application where something that needs to be heated for use is inserted into the tube.

 

The problem here is that the asbestos which is a heat insulator is between the hot wire and the tube preventing the tube from getting hot. That's one of the main reasons this is a mystery.

 

It may have been stuffed with asbestos at some point. I still lean towards curling iron or crimper stove.

Appliances weren't anywhere near as "safe" then as they are these days. Even contemporary curling iron stoves are insulated - but still a countertop furnace. Still, operators know and respect their tools, just like welders.

No way this little guy wasn't hotter'n hell.

 

Circa 1891

 

All those curling heaters etc have the asbestos on the outside of the heater coil to electrically insulate the metal outer and also to insulate the outside from the heat.
This has the insulating asbestos under the heater coil preventing the tube from getting hot. No one has figured out why yet.

 

Too darned bad you can't just plug it in!!

So you're saying the tube is covered in asbestos and that is a thin heating element coiled around the length of it right?

Stove heated irons get super-heated and it's up to the operator to figure out how long to wait to use it and on what type of hair, by touching it with a spit moistened finger (yuck) or laying it on a damp towel, then sliding it on the hair hoping it doesn't smoke!

Possibly it's a really smart way of buffering the heat in that cylinder.

 

That's all I got, and having said all that, the fact that it has a definite tilt really suggests there were a pair, right and left, leading me back to some kind of ornamental appliancs on a car, boat - or zeppelin

 

I agree, the heat would radiate outwards..heating up the aluminum shell.
Like an old toaster......

 

And no threads...

 

So the only things keeping the tube in place are its support where it inserts into the opening in the shell, sitting in a wad of asbestos in the narrow back end & being slightly on a tilt?

Is it a certainty the wrapping on the tube is asbestos? Not that I know anything else that would not have been fried. Is asbestos such a perfect electrical shield that nothing from the wire could get through to the tube?

From the insulation wrapping the tube? From the electrical wire? Surely the wire is missing a whole bunch of insulators too? From the uninsulated part of the wire where it goes around the tube?

If idea was to heat the outer shell, this seems to me like an incredibly inefficient way to do it. The only point of heat transfer I see is the bit of exposed metal tube where it touches the metal shell. I'm utterly confused on the idea that the wrapping on the tube, which has the wire wrapped around it, would keep the inside of the tube from getting hot yet would allow enough heat to radiate through air space to get the shell good & hot.

Maybe it's just that I don't know the first thing about the properties of asbestos. It is not just 'the hot wire', it is a live wire; the Asbestos Institute says: Asbestos conducts electricity poorly but effectively insulates it. Seems to be better at preventing heat conduction.

It is too bad it can't be tested. Still looks to me like all the insulation is to limit heating of the shell & purpose was to heat up something metal inserted into the tube that would need that length to accommodate it. The styling does suggest it was not designed to appeal to the ladies.

 

So the only things keeping the tube in place are its support where it inserts into the opening in the shell, sitting in a wad of asbestos in the narrow back end & being slightly on a tilt?

The front cap sits over the tube and just presess against the asbestos at the front end of the tube and pushes it against the rear wad of asbestos.

Is it a certainty the wrapping on the tube is asbestos? Not that I know anything else that would not have been fried. Is asbestos such a perfect electrical shield that nothing from the wire could get through to the tube?

Yes it is asbestos. It is a very good insulator for both heat and electricity.

From the insulation wrapping the tube? From the electrical wire? Surely the wire is missing a whole bunch of insulators too? From the uninsulated part of the wire where it goes around the tube?

The pictures don't show the restored wiring but there are a lot more of those little ceramic insulators stopping the wire from shorting.

The styling does suggest it was not designed to appeal to the ladies.

So true.

Cheers
Stephen

 

Maybe it just didn't work very well & that's why we can't find others.