Another one from Bob's collection of parts! This is one of the original bulk erasers as used for quad tape. They were incapable of erasing C format (1" tapes) - indeed, if you were brave, you could put a 1" transmission tape in the beast, press the button and still have the recording untouched! It was affectionately known as the "fishfryer", for obvious reasons. The tape went in the drawer at the top and the lid was closed to prevent you getting your tie (yes, we wore those in the 1960s!) caught in the works!
In the days when wristwatches contained cogs and springs, it was common practice for those who valued their timepieces to remove them when using the bulk eraser to avoid damage from the significant stray magnetic field. Although it has to be said, on more than one occasion a watch performing erratically was put into the eraser in the vain hope that a good shaking might restore it to normality. |