Member postings for Neil Glasson

Perfect answers - thank you. I knew that someone here would have the goods!

My first thought was a raise and lower pulley for a gas lamp but there was no obvious path for gas flow. Clearly the original gas hose is long gone and someone decided to modify it for some other purpose by fitting a chain instead. Having one chain with the word "OFF" was also a bit of a curve ball. The patent document explains precisely what it was originally.

I bought this mystery object at a swap meet recently and was wondering if anyone can help me identify it. It has a double pulley with about 1.8m of chain on each one. One of the chains has a large hollow brass weight that is half filled with lead to weight almost 1.4kg. The other chain has a tag with the word "OFF" on it. One of the knobs on the end of the axle adjusts a spring loaded taper to allow adjustment of the friction on the pulley. The only text on it is "SHAW'S PATENT" stamped on both sides of the pulley. The forks that hold the axle are hollow and are connected at the top to a tapered plug valve that has had the handle cut off. I have dismantled the valve plug to see that it was designed to open and close the flow between one of the forks and the port on top of the valve. There is no obvious flow path for a fluid when it reaches the bottom of the fork. My guess is that it is a Victorian era gas valve for supplying a lamp counterbalanced to allow it to be raised and lowered. I believe that it has been modified over it's life so it is not very clear how it worked. There may be some parts missing.

Does anyone know what this is? It might end up as a counterbalance for my dremel tool but I'd like to know what it was originally first if I can.