What Is It?

It looks like some sort of impeller out of a small pump....

I agree.

An impeller for ... something ...

Is it related to the weapon, or is that a red herring?

Weapon?

- on the screen of my mobile 'phone, the nail clippers looked rather like some kind of miniature antique pistol.

It's the water circulation pump for your hydroponic herb garden....?

Pnaban is looking for one of these mini-turbines to install in a rain downspout.

Just Guessing, maybe an impeller from a fish tank pump?

Regards JD.

It's your first 3D printer piece resting on an Intel based laptop with a fingernail trimmer. This 3D piece will be used as the powder measure in your new .22 long cartridge reloader.

Sorry. You can't reload rimfire cartridges.

Oh, so now you tell me you want the primer to work too.

My you're getting fussy.

I guess you just never tried.

Nope, never had reason to look for reloading equipment for rimfire brass. So, I'm wrong about not being able to reload it.

I can't imagine being that desperate.

I wonder what happens if you hit the same firing pin dimple a second time?

I don't see any way to pound that back out.

But, you're still wrong about the function of the object. It has nothing to do with ammo reloading.

Ah but you can reload .22's though is not economical http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LW0QSX4NcU0

Not exactly true. You can reload rimfire cartridges by ironing out the firing pin indentation and then pouring in a liquid primer formulation and rotating the case till the primer dries out. Really tricky, risky, and not worth the trouble but it can be done.

It can be done, I've done it with mixed success.

Its the reason copy/printer/fax machines have a low MTBF?

Nope, never known one of these to fail in service.

From an ice maker?

Nope. Normally used at, or near, room temperature.

From a water meter...

You're all wet.

A heat sink for a small bearing.

No.

a nail cutter holder.

It's a rotational distributor for a yard sprinkler.....or possibly a small fountain in your hamster cage....

Nope.

Coolant pump in a graphics card.

Dispenser ?

It does not dispense.

Yes, it is the cover lay take-up mechanism of an inhalation medication dispenser that packages the powder in small pockets in a continuous reel.

I am deeply surprised since you wrote that it does not dispense.

And now you say it is part of a dispenser.

As I said to Beenaround: the object of the entire discussion was the device pictured below.

"What is it".

It should have been obvious to all that it was a part of a larger, more complex device. The purpose of the larger device was NEVER a part of the discussion.

It does not dispense anything.

A valid argument if you had indicated that #70, #86, #91, #91, #100, #101 (in a humorous way), #105, #110, #111, and #113 all identified devices with parts within them that performs the same function as this part. Insisting that this part of the dispenser does not do the dispensing or measuring is disingenuous at best and an outright lie at worst.

Still this has been an amusing exercise. I thank you. This was far better than reloading a .22 cartridge.

Its the Tick-Tock "click" gear in a clock run by a synchronous motor.

No ticks here.

Sorry, I missed this and posted a similar answer.

Does the gear drive the impeller? or does the turbine drive the gear? It does have the look of a waterwheel.

Perhaps something from a flow meter, but that is as far as I get.

The gear drives it.

It is a dispenser for measured volumes , like shooters (at room temperature)

See #30.

Used to maintain alignment and prevent damage during transport; a plug.

Not for either.

It is white. It looks to be made of plastic but it might be a white ceramic coating on some precision metal casting.

It is injection molded plastic. My guess is that it is un-pigmented Acetal copolymer.

Celanese trade name Celcon^®. Just my guess.

Pushs air in your cordless keyboard blaster

It does not push anything.

Quite the opposite.

Is it the $127.98 replacement impeller for a Dyson hand held vacuum?

I thought you said they were overpriced pieces of....

It is not part of a vacuum cleaner.

It doesn't suck, or blow.

Did you take that from a forty year old rocket engine?

Nope. There was nothing left of the 40 yo rocket engine.

The gear drives the impeller, but it doesn't suck or blow. Liquid, then. A pump of some sort. Fuel pump?

The gear drives the impeller. The gear drives it.

but it doesn't suck or blow. Correct.

Liquid, then. Incorrect.

A pump of some sort. Incorrect.

Fuel pump? Incorrect.

It is part of the escapement for a clock.

No. It is used once a day, but not to tell time.

Part of a siren for an alarm system.

Nothing alarming here.

Another look at the two main parts of this assembly.

Its part of a bicycle bell. The rotor hits a hammer that hits the bell and its driven by a rubber wheel being pushed onto the wheel side.

Alternatively it runs against a small plate and makes a crackling sound.

Is there not more to it than that? OP pics show a linear bit & something else in the centre of the gear -

Looks like a governor for some spring-loaded device..

Wild guess here, but it might be one of the drive gears and fan from a hair dryer? Used once per day (perhaps), but then one would have to have hair. If not, then it's ona dees, or ona does.

Deer feeder dispensing gear.

Perhaps a rotational speed control air damper for a photo copier/printer/clock, or maybe in conjunction with a bit of formed duct it is a small cooling fan for some apparatus?

Part of a stacker, counter for some document, checks, cards, or machine handled small packaging?

it is the "turbine" for a water flow meter.

I was working in the gardens of our kibutz, and this devices were repaired in the nir by Kibutz Heftzi- ba.

Sounds correct, but Lyn said gear drives it -

It would appear that there is a detent on an inner gear that is possibly keyed to the impeller, and which locks with the outer gear to positively drive the impeller in a clockwise direction, but allows slippage in an anti clockwise direction.

paddle that changes the date tag over in a clock

A heat sink

Working end of a hemorrhoid massager?

it is the test print of Lyn,s 3d printer.

Push and turn bottle top for sealing in dry goods that have to breathe

Its a wheel of some sort the blades act as suspension. micro bug?

A rotary valve or dispenser?

Regards JD.

Pinch of salt, one revolution of lime juice, two revolutions of tequila. Blather, rinse, repeat about 10x.

Looks like it might be part of a uni-directional clutch.

Bathroom scale regulator

It is a one-off, purpose built, device.

That purpose is to befuddle the scientists and engineers who frequent this place.

It's a device for gradually moving the labels around on a laptop.

I have gears like this in my laser printer cartridges.

But he says it's used once a day.

Back in the old days I would guess a part of a damper from a turntable tone arm cue mechanism. The impeller rotates in silicone damping fluid to slow the arms descent...

Internals for a massaging shower head??

Really? You shower every day?

I have no idea, but your labels are migrating.

Guts off'n a teasmade, auto coffee machine or bread machine.

Its the new Ford 6.0 Diesel turbo impeller replacement,

It seems like it is an idler or speed governor that induces some rotational air resistance of some sort... similar to a very old turntable mechanism?

Could be, but would be surprised at it having such a relatively large gear.

I agree. The gear tooth size indicates a sizeable amount of torque requiered to be transferred one way or another. Can the answer be purchased for a small fee?

I wonder if the tooth size has more to do with the 3:1 ratio of teeth to vanes, and whether that has anything to do with a particular rotational alignment requirement of the part.

An Xray examination of the first set of pics seems to indicate a second detent arrangement opposite the more clearly visible one in the pic.

WJMFIRE, Typically not used outdoors, nor to feed anything.

IdeaSmith Not a noise maker. You'd never hear itduring normal use.

spades. No speed control.

Stuart21 There's much more to it, as you will see.

Beenaround None of the above.

az native Again, no.

spades I gave you a GA for that part of your explanation which is correct. Very preceptive of you.

Grochy It doesn't care what the date is.

jdsighter It's plastic.

bob c

sohail0110 It's injection molded, not printed.

merc600sec no joy.

oak51 Although it isn't, it acts more like an impeller than a wheel.

Tornado Nope, it's never wet.

Brian Falconer It only moves in one direction, but is not a clutch.

Beenaround Nope.

passingtongreen Millions exist. It does seem to be a mystery.

Randall No, that's witchcraft.

roy hammy Not these.

TommyTech What's a turntable tone arm?

AverageJoe Always dry.

Stuart21 It's guts alright, just not from those.

I'm enjoying myself, hope you all are too.

Powdered or granulated something dispenser

I'm still thinking it's a damper for a device that opens at one speed and closes at another.....

spades I gave you a GA for that part of your explanation which is correct. Very perceptive of you.

No you didn't: I gave him the GA..... Only saying so that you can go back and bump him up to 2.

I assume you're talking about the "one way" or "smooth ratchet" part of the design.

My mistake.

I'll vote it GA now, even though it's really not a complete, nor correct answer, it still shows great perception.

I'll publish the answer, along with a couple pictures tomorrow, if I'm of a mood to.

It appears to be some sort of indexing mechanism less the arm/lever.....

A thumb wheel and metered dispenser

This looks like a spindle mechanism for the take-up reel on a cash register or printing calculator. The pawl-and-ratchet drive the "impeller" clockwise and the "vanes" allow the tape reel to slip backward. These are relatively light-duty parts.