Featured What the heck is this thing ?!

Just found this doohickey today-i haven't been able to find it online yet,but with our 10,000 years of collective knowledge,somebody here knows !
It's 17 1/4 inches long,made of brass/bronze & steel,the arrow shaped end & round handled 'wingnut' spin when you turn the top handle.The only 2 markings/stamps on it are where the rod screws into the 'arrow'-a '0' and a '00'.
Any ideas,guesses,whatever ? Thanks very much.

 

Part of a shoe stretcher

 

I'd like to meet the man...

Debora

 

it must be incomplete as the trunnions on that ball would have slotted into two larger metal housings.........like a cannon..

@springfld.arsenal ......

 

although I've yet to find it as a medieval torture device..... I'm getting ideas !!

 

Thanks for the ID Terry. Yep-I was hoping it was something used by The Inquisition,or at the very least a 'Cannon Worm' used to clean out the bore of said cannon-U.S. or English Civil War would've been fine.
-Ah well, sometimes junk is junk.
The Dardanelles Gun 1464-used in The Siege of Constantinople by the Ottomans/1808-used again by the British.

 

Here's one with the extra hinged,wooden shoe forms-which fit around & over the screw mechanism,but don't seem attached to it.Hmm,should be able to find those forms.Perhaps use it as part of some assemblage ?

 

Definitley a shoe stretcher.




Komokwa, keep taking the pills and keeping the appointmenst! Actually, and all joking apart, I do know where you are coming from, and I have seen similar devices that were in fact used by the Inquisition and others, used to slowly break jaws................and in other places.

 

Thanks Guys.What I'd actually like to find is an antique marionette head so i could crank the thing & make a Steampunk Automaton ! Smoke coming out of the ears would be a bonus.

 

Pear of Anguish , anyone !!,,,

 

Looks too much like a speculum

 

Does look fairly diabolical.

 

Variation on a theme I suppose.....