Here's a Whatsit? for You

Bought this in a box lot last night. The box had dolls and doll furniture. So, I thought it was a toy ironing board at first. But, it ain't!

What the heck is this!

Top is 15" by 3 1/2". It stands 5" tall. The triangular piece on top and the little bowl look like brass. The bowl swivels out of the way and under the top when it's folded.

I know the metal piece on top is meant to hold something. And the bowl is meant to catch something. But what?

Is it a salesman sample or full sized?

So many questions.....

 

What a neat little thing. I suspect something shoe related,or maybe to iron something like lace or trim.

 

I thought the same things. But ironing wouldn't be practical because of the size and it isn't set up for a right handed person, which most of the world is.

And it's really not strong enough for shoes to be worked on, on top of it.

And neither one explains the little bowl.

 

Do the legs that dingle-dangle down below reverse and hold up the top board (or whatever)?

 

They only unfold one way. It leaves the board flat and not slanted.

 

Not sure I'm correctly understanding how this moves. Does the second photo show it with only one end raised? Does it lift on the left as well? Is that business that looks like the handle for a pair of scissors a knob that moves the bowl?

Fifteen inches seems very large for it to have been a toy at doll scale. Yet it was in with dolls. It looks to me like a fold-away work surface, the bowl suggests straight pins near at hand, although does not look large enough for pins? I'm headed in the direction of something to repair dolls or their clothes.

Think if it were a saleman's model the real item would need to be at least 6 times larger, making the top surface very big. Could be it though. Given to the dolls' owner as a toy when no longer needed. If it relates to sewing, it would be right in there with other "girls'" toys, such as miniature ovens.

 

neat find......
I'm thinking the metal part is there to grip or hold something in place, and the bowl held something rather than caught something....
at 1st I thought it was for leather......but WDIK???

 

if the cup was spring loaded....?

 

Does this piece move? In what way?

 

Davey's explanation seems really clever. Somewhere there has to be someone who has seem one of these before!

 

It really does look like it was meant for ironing something, or maybe just to hold a hot iron?

 

The second photo is a sideview of it unfolded and set up.

 

It is screwed in place and does not move.

 

The only thing that moves is the cup and it swivels back under the top so it isn't out when the whole thing is folded up.

 

I'm at work right now. I'll see what I can do when I get home.

 

It's about the right size, but not the right shape, to be a sleeve board. The way the legs are positioned also rules this out.

Yes, the metal gizmo could be a trivet for a small flat iron. The little bowl for water, starch...?