Can anyone tell me what these are?

[BillTodd]

I don't think they are wick feeders; If you look at the ratchet mechanism, it is designed to pull whatever into the larger cylinder - A wick feeder would surely feed into the longer 'chimney'

If the dimple in the small shaft is a 'bearing', then in all likelihood the dimple would be at the bottom (to rest on something) . That would mean the ratchet mechanism is pulling something down into the to larger cylinder perhaps while being twisted (hence requiring a bearing)

This picture:


appears to show a rod or linkage travelling along the long cylinder , If so, if this were pulled up it would increment the puller (rotating both ribbed rollers) [edit] if this is the same device as one of the other pictures, then there is no rod - it is just the flattened seam on the long cylinder.



The rollers looks pretty well flattened across their entire width, which could mean the thing being pulled is a tape or ribbon. There does not seem to be any adjustment to change the roller spacing so the ribbon may have been compliant (squashy & springy)


The black colour and general lack of decoration suggests some very utilitarian use - possibly military or industrial

Are there any clear pictures of the inside of the large cylinder part? (showing the mechanism and perhaps what operates it)