That is a great thought. Imagine 100 or so years ago, some wise crack sitting around thinking, you know what'd be funny, to solder a bunch of stuff on to that ol still in the corner and baffle the hell out of everyone someday trying to figure out what it is.

Are you implying that Gpa is laughing hysterically at all of us trying to figure out what it is?

What are it�s approximate dimensions?

I've look all over the net and can't find anything like it.
Would like to know what it is if you ever find out.

It's the pre-cursor to this:

What about a really crude version of this?

#fracmud

That only leads to...what is a nebulizer?

It almost had to be some kind of cooking utensil, but what kind is very mysterious. If not, maybe it's some kind of a sadistic urinal/commode combination.

I have no idea how those old ones work but the ones we've used for our kids are like a tiny electric air compressor with a hose coming out that goes to a little plastic piece you hold by your face. In this plastic piece is a little bowl type thing you put liquid medicine in and the air coming through it turns it into a vapor of sorts that you breath in, we used it for some coughing bout one of the boys was going through. Not sure how it works but that's what it is.

Maybe this old one would have several people sitting around all doing it?

It is the fuel system for a stove that uses coal oil, fuel oil or kerosene. The manifold feeds the individual burners. Used as cook stoves, camp stoves and smelters to melt lead for casting into bullets. Used through the 1940's and still sold today.

sounds good