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Any ideas of this is Military and what it was used for?

Dronic69

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Hi All,

Spotted this interesting item in a vintage store - looks to be some type of air pump and has that typical army green paint look about it.....

So my first query is:

1) Is it military related?
2) What would it have been used for?

All thoughts welcome
Thanks
Cheers
D
 

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I can't tell you what it's for. However, C.F. Palmer (London) Ltd., of 63A Effra Road, SW2 were physiological instrument makers of some repute. It would appear their most notable products were Kymographs, sensitive recording instruments. Their wartime products are listed as gunsights and gun cameras. There were only at Effra Road for the period 1928 - 1969. The site was then taken over by Remploy, which I remember from my time at Brixton in the early 80s.

TimG
 
Palmer used green paint on many of their products so that doesn't suggest a military connection itself.
fred
 
Looks like an early vacuum pump to me, notice the brass fittings, they are definitely AN standard air hose fittings. Vacuum pumps were used mainly in aircraft instrument systems,if the motor is an AC wall plug and not an Acft cannon plug, it would have been used to bench test aircraft instruments.....just my first guess...I work in the aviation field.....read the motor data plate, plug it in, see if it works...
 
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Another off-forum suggestion is that it may have been used for an Iron Lung machine - perhaps for a child treating Polo?
 
Now you have me studying in detail your contraption....notice, motor " internal wrenching screws" mounting bolts, aviation, wing nut, aviation style, self locking -nut aviation....see if the air hose nipples have an " AN" number, if so, definitely an aviation pneumatic related item....vacuum pump my second guess....and third.
 
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The device was in an antique /junk shop about 2 hrs from Sydney - I'll have a closer inspection next time I'm out that way.

It caught my attention as I'm currently wasting time on "vintage model steam engines" - well, just one at the moment (and it will definitely be the last!!!)- this one I picked up about 18 mths ago and only started fixing /restoring since Xmas.

It had a seized piston, no compression ring and not one gasket - albeit to say leaking like a sieve when first connected to compressed air and the reverse gear wasn't functioning due to an alignment issue with one of the eccentics

https://youtu.be/Ewz2msnDjM8

It's currently dis-assembled and well into the restoration phase......
 
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The plug is visible in two of the photos. It has flat blade type pins that are angled not parallel. Possibly only two blades.
 

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