Any ideas what this is

It is an electrode or electrode holder from a plating rack. The hook hangs over the rim of the tank. It is possibly from an ancient wet-cell battery. The thing on the top is where the wire is connected.

Jon

cell" battery. They used a copper positive electrode in the bottom and this electrode hung over the rim of the jar. They were used in railway telegraph systems a very long time ago. They were also found in school labs later. Don Young

Really??! Sounds so weird that it could all be made up, but I'm guessing it is not. How'd you come to know all that? Just wondering.

Alien rectal probe...don't ask me how I know.

You are correct, sir!

Telegraph Battery electrode called Crow foot.

MG

It was a good cell - and the heavy crowfoot was designed for current. We had some in the Physics lab as cell examples. And Zinc is the neg term. Martin Martin Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH & Endowment Member NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member

xray wrote:

Find a technical book about Thomas Edison, and you might be able to find a drawing of one of these.

Jon

I was born in 1931 and have always been interested in physical science. Been reading, working, and playing with things mechanical and electrical for a long time. Don Young

Okay, so I'm late and catching up, but "Tom Gardner" wrote on Sun, 07 May 2006 13:40:35 GMT in rec.crafts.metalworking :

Hmmm, I'll let you keep the secret of how you acquired that knowledge to yourself.

However, I have a brass/bronze 'thingiy which has been variously described as an "Alien sex toy, banned in three systems."

tschus pyotr

Download "Cyclopedia of Telephony & Telegraphy Vol. 1" from

the zipped HTML version(18 megs) has all the illustrations. Fig. 64 has the gravity cell, in the chapter on batteries. Lots of other interesting stuff in there, too. I've never found a description of how the electrodes were cast, sand molds or something more permanent.

Stan