Originally a "megger" like this would have been used for performing electrical leakage safety tests on appliances & installations back in Edwardian times. The item to be tested would be connected to the black laquered terminals on one side, the handle is then turned quite fast & the leakage resistance is read off the meter scale. Turning the handle makes a satisfying whirring sound. It has a very pleasing original solid oak patina.
Apparently one of these is featured in the police black museum as they were used by gangsters for torturing disloyal members or their rivals. I was shocked (geddit!) to find this machine actually produces over 1000 Volts and at a potentially deadly level of current. This is therefore more than just painful unlike the modern elf 'n safety aware more modern ones. It WILL of course be made safe before we hire it out.
This megger could accurately be used for electric shock torture scenes.
At a pinch you may get away with using it as one of those wind-up remote detonators for explosives.
Prop ID: 2741
Width: 35 cm
Height: 17 cm
Depth: 17 cm
Age: 1930s-1960s
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