What Are These Things For? (22 pics)
Old container made out of clay and coated in brass. It shows a image of church.
A: It's a decanter of some sort. One way to find out what's in it — open it up! If there is liquor inside there it doesn't get better with age. In my experience these "collectible" decanters aren't really very valuable. I found that out when I inherited a collectible Jack Daniel's decanter with a tax stamp on it from 1964. I contacted the Jack Daniels distillery directly and they told me that the decanter itself probably only had a nominal value of $10-20, and the whiskey inside doesn't age in the bottle or become more valuable. Only wine has the potential to get better with age after it is bottled.
This is a Waterford crystal piece we found in the attic. It’s from the 70s or 80s what is it for?
A: It's a crystal dome-shaped paperweight.
My house (built in the mid 70's) has one of these in almost every room. Same size as a switch plate, with copper wire strung to the eleven sockets.
A: My house (built in the mid 70's) has one of these in almost every room. Same size as a switch plate, with copper wire strung to the eleven sockets.
Banana sized and shaped old Tool(?) Found in old barn in Sweden. Wooden handle with rusty metal tip.
A: A seed dibber.
My father found and bought this at a garage sale last week. It's cool to the touch, and the little doors/flaps make a clinking sound, so I'm guessing it's carved stone. Heavy, so probably solid. My best guess is it's a religious relic, since I don't see another use for it.
A: It's part of an Ethiopian Nativity.
This little plastic basket/holder inside the far corner of a trolley. The rivets suggests it's for something oddly specific. Asked the supermarket staff, they had no idea.
A: It's a Bitz Box.
Small red plastic piece. No markings. 2 bolts held on one side and 2 washers with one flat side.
A: Spare battery washers and screws for the terminal posts. Useful if you frequently pull batteries out of a motorcycle and undo all the terminals to do so for winterizing or storage.
What is this? It's a small cylindrical object that has one rounded end that is screwed into the main base, when unscrewed inside is a spring like coil wrapped in a cotton or fabric padding, the other end becomes narrower with one flat side that has a groove in the middle and threading inside the end.
A: It's a permanent match that is missing the actual match.
Small metal box; two lids flip up but more metal underneath. Could not fund a way to access the tiny space under the metal. WITT? Found in a leather pouch that also had a mirror. From an estate sale of a man in his 80s in Nevada, US.
A: It's an ink stamp. Fold it up and pull it out to see the stamp.
Found this in a random box of kitchen supplies. Is this just for carving meat or some other food?
A: It's to slice bread.
I found this weird concrete obelisk while walking in the woods near Marple Uk, no discernible markings on it to help me figure out what it is. Any ideas?
A: It's a trig point.
Next to a camping site in S/W France near the beach. Seems to bring something up from the ground and collect it in a plastic bag.
A: It's for waster water separation. It's a rotary bar screen.
Found this at my university. It looks like it’s made of metal, is cylindrical, and has lots of tiny holes on its sides. I also previously saw these at an airport. What is this thing?
A: It is an air diffuser for the air conditioning system. They keep the conditioned air close to the ground where it is required.
Black plastic tub with metal reinforcement and a spindle. About 4’ across. Seems like it ought to spin? Found in a trash pile. What is this thing?
A: It’s a “Toy go round” cat exercise wheel.
Found at a yard sale in NOLA. Previous owner said they were from Germany. I have no other details.
A: They're a special kind of stirrup.
These husks maybe meant for smoking? Left behind at a house a bought by an East African man along with a bunch of BBQ supplies.
A: Hyphaene. It can be chewed or boiled and then strained and drink. Should have a sweet taste.
What is this large electronic box? Found dumped, was in a rush so the pictures are a little bad.
A: It's a PLC cabinet. PLC = Programmable Logic Controller.
Found this near some railroad tracks 45 years ago. The core is solid metal and visible on the top and bottom. The longitudinal section is a casing of a different metal.
A: It's a plain bearing.
I found this tubular thing in my garden, it's quite heavy, I was actually afraid to move it around because for some reason I thought it might be a pipe bomb or something, anyways, any help in finding out what this is would be appreciated.
A: It's a sprinkler head.
Small, triangular metal shovel/scoop attached perpendicularly to a wooden handle.
A: I believe that is for opening and/or reaming a hole in a barrel (like a wine barrel).
White box with sponge on wall?
A: It's likely a vent and part of an HVAC system. The sponge would act as an air filter.
