what is it?

[groundsclown]

Its made of silver and has a slight oil or petrolium smell to it.
The point is very sharp and small and seems held in place loosely in the cap...maybe by a spring...definitely not soldered in place.
No markings anywhere on it either.

Any ideas?161202

[shaune509]

Maybe a pin oiler like the pocket oilers given away at auto/farm trade shows, that old may have had whale oil in it.
Shaune509

[groundsclown]

Ding ding ding. A quick google search shows the same images....thanks a bunch.
Its in my late grandmothers china cabinet. Had no clue what it was.

Thanks again.

[goste]

I have the exact same thing, (somewhere) out in my shop. It came with one of my Grandmothers sewing machine.

Mine has part of the sharp point broke off.

[xs11jack]

I have one too. I just didn't know what it was used to oil.
Ole Jack

[bedbugbilly]

I believe a lot of these types of oilers came as part of the attachment kits / parts with sewing machines such as Singer, White, etc. many many years ago - late 1800s to early 1900s. I have several that were in the kits that came with my great-grandmother's White sewing machine that she purchased in 1912 (I still have the machine and the original paperwork when she purchased it) and there was one with the box of attachments in one of the drawer of my grandmother's treadle Singer (other side of the family) that dated to the turn of the century - she was married to my grandfather in 1902.

[gwpercle]

Bedbugbilly nailed it , my grandmother had one in her sewing machine drawer. The old Singer, pump the treadle kind....I never thought about it but it had to have been made when some folks didn't have electricity or they didn't have many receptacles .
I remember going with my Daddy to an elderly lady's house , she lived on the bayou , all she had were a single light in each room , but no receptacles...he installed a new panel and ran wall receptacles in each room , he put three in the kitchen ....she was so happy that she could now get an electric refrigerator and didn't have to put up with her old ice box and the ice it used !
She cooked us a great fish creole.
Gary

[varmintpopper]

These type oilers came with pistols bought new along with a small screw driver and a cleaning rod.

Good Shooting

Lindy

[jonp]

i've got one that came with my house. When I bought it someone left a treadle Singer in a desk machine. You turn the top of the table to turn up the sewing machine. Really neat and just like my grandmother had.