What Are These Things For? (21 pics)
“We bought this strange glass vase/device in Australia. What is it?”
"Perhaps it’s a spiral oil lamp. But it’s missing its wick and wick holder."
“I found a white blob in a bottled vitamin water.”
"I’m a microbiologist. It looks like a fungal colony to me. But I’m not sure."
“Is it a ceramic frog statue? Or maybe an incense burner?”
"This is a watering bell. Here’s a video that shows how it works."
“This is a plastic-like, circular object. I found it on several beaches in Sardinia (Italy).”
"It looks like a biofilm used to treat wastewater. This is how it works"
“My family gave me a bag of kitchen stuff for my apartment, and this was in it. It’s plastic, and the bottom has a little scoop. What is it for?”
"This is a Pop + Scoop cat food can opener."
“I found this iron ’needle’ with Arabic writing in a canal while magnet fishing. It’s 5 inches long. I removed the rust.”
"It’s an antique Indo-Persian talismanic iron nail (nineteenth century)."
“This is a keychain thing. The left red part slides in and out and the black part is like felt over a piece of foam. What is it?”
"It’s a phone stand and screen cleaner combo keychain"
“I saw this in a theater, what is this piece of metal? I’ve been questioning it for 8 years.”
"It’s for sure a notes/reading light. When the room lights are down, you can turn the reading lights up."
“I found it on the bottom of a drawer. It’s about an inch tall and made from rigid, translucent plastic. What’s this?”
"I think it’s a toy hamster water bottle. I remember having something like this when I was young with my Littlest Pet Shop set."
“What is this heavy yellow tray, about the size of my hand? I found it at a thrift store.”
"It’s definitely a shaving bowl thing. My dad had one. You mix the shaving cream and water in the bowl."
“What are these yellow transparent little pebbles that I found on a hill? They were mixed with little pieces of rubber, they have no odor, and they feel solid to the touch.”
"The yellow pieces look like used deionization resin used for water treatment. So the black may be carbon, which also is used for water treatment."
“A cup with a small cup on the side — the smaller cup has 2 openings on the inner side.”
"I suspect it’s a cup for helping patients take pills. You (or a nurse) put the pills in the little cup, and bring it to your lips while tipping the cup. Water flows into the small cup via the slits and washes the pills into the mouth of the patient."
“What is this strange metal thing next to a playground?”
"It’s one version of funnel ball. A game where you throw the ball in the top, and it comes out of one of the holes. Sometimes the holes have points painted on them."
“Why is this building raised above the ground?”
"It’s a grain store. It’s known as an hórreo and is raised to keep rodents from eating the grain."
“It’s a small, heavy, metal brush thing with 2 mini brushes attached to the top. What is it for?”
"Perhaps it’s an antique desktop fountain pen nib wipe."
“What is this toilet’s purpose?”
"This is a female urinal that was produced between the mid-1950s up through the early 1960s. Strangely enough, these weren’t terribly popular."
“Is this a tiny ottoman?”
"It’s a footstool. I have a needlepoint one of a similar size. We’re used to seat-height ottomans now, but these lower footstools were very common in the nineteenth century."
“I found it at an antique market. It’s about 6 inches across the top. Is it a tiny spittoon?”
"It’s a child’s chamber pot."
“What is this table with upward folding sides that don’t fold all the way up?”
"It’s a butler’s tray table. By the way, a new one costs almost $1,500 now"
“What is this unusual mug with the scoop on top and a heart cutout?”
"It is an egg separator. The white flows through the heart opening. Yolk is left behind."
“What is this pot used for? It’s cast iron. The gray thing is an insert.”
"We have something similar here, and that is a milk cooker. Because of the lid, it can’t spill when boiling over. The milk comes through the big hole and falls back through the smaller ones."
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