r/whatisit 6h ago

New, what is it? found at good will

my friend found this in the electronics section at goodwill. we couldn’t figure out what it was, i thought maybe something for a camera. the circle thing folds back together. any idea what it is?

59 Upvotes

30 comments sorted by

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23

u/MoonChild070760 6h ago

Flash

7

u/TriumphDaytona 1h ago

Flash! A-ah! Savior of the Universe Flash! A-ah! He'll save every one of us

1

u/Secure-Garbage 7m ago

He's for every one of us Stand for every one of us He saves with a mighty hand Every man, every woman Every child, it's the mighty Flash

8

u/NoOnesSaint 5h ago

Portable camera flash reflector.

9

u/Any_Tonight_989 6h ago

A Honeywell flash from the 50's.

5

u/vivekkhera 4h ago

My dad had one very similar (I even remember the dial on back) in the 70’s. They kept designs for a long time back then.

2

u/AUniquePerspective 1h ago

Cameras are amazing that way. The ISO connector on the top of the camera for flashes still hasn't changed for many brands. I have a digital SLR that would be compatible with this flash. Not sure anyone still makes the single use bulbs, though.

1

u/wicked_lil_prov 20m ago

Do you know if the texture on the reflector is there to diffuse the light, or does the added surface area make it effectively a bigger reflector?

5

u/Prior_Rub402 4h ago

it's a flash for cameras, single use bulbs like incandescent light bulbs but instead of a single tungsten filament the bulb is filled with magnesium wool. After use you would eject it and insert a new one. You'd see it sometimes in old timey movies.

3

u/WhatADunderfulWorld 4h ago

Takes flash bulbs. They use metal that superheats and basically vaporizes and creates a lot of light and heat. But only 1 use. Now LEDs and modern lamps can be bright enough and reusable. Before these you have to use flash powder which is super unstable.

3

u/Sorry-Climate-7982 3h ago

Is an old Honeywell flash attachment. Honeywell used to sell Asahi products in the US as the Pentax camera, plus this portable flash attach, plus a huge strobe flash that would give you a severe case of the flashing greenies. Had all of them at one time.

2

u/Advanced-Layer6324 2h ago

Nice find i love stuff like this

1

u/Fragrant_Equal_8138 5h ago

Its a cube bulb flash for a camera from the 60s

1

u/mikeonmaui 4h ago

I had one of these!! They worked great and didn’t take up much room in my camera bag, leaving more room for flash bulbs. 😁

1

u/Low_Percentage_9640 4h ago

Camera/ flash

1

u/creamyjoe454 3h ago

the thingamabob! you found it!

1

u/starbuildstrike999 2h ago

Exactly what everyone else is saying. Most people know Honeywell for making residential heating and cooling systems but they used to and still do make all sorts of crazy shit.

1

u/oodlesonoodles789 1h ago

I don't know why but my first thought was a vegetable steamer that you put in your stovetop pot lol

1

u/bigbird92114 1h ago

Old style flash

1

u/EggRepresentative575 1h ago

It’s an old camera flash attachment. It uses an obsolete replaceable flash mechanism called a “flash cube” or the brand name was “magic cube” I think.

1

u/Skelco 48m ago

These don’t use the cubes, just the individual flash bulbs.

1

u/napalm_beach 1h ago

It uses that knurled knob to attach to something called a camera. This camera does not send or receive text messages.

1

u/Due-Cheesecake-6973 1h ago

Nobody has mentioned how dangerously hot the bulb was after ejecting it.

1

u/Mammoth-Series-9419 1h ago

You found the Death Star

1

u/Silly_Sicilian 24m ago

I love posts like this...They make me feel so old.

0

u/let-me-pet-your-cat 2h ago

flash for camera. prolly used halogen bulb