32 Unknown Items With Simple Explanations
People who asked the question "What the heck is this thing?" finally get some answers.
The world has no shortage of strange or peculiar things. We all have seen something that we had no idea what it was or what it does. Here we have a group of people who saw something they didn't understand and asked the question "What the heck is this thing?" finally get some answers.
1
“A little red plastic and metal tool, the metal is springy. It has a lock stamped on the short end and a number 7 stamped on the flat side.” Answer: "I believe it is a locking mechanism for a Zyliss Lock N’ Lift can opener."
2
“What could this be? It’s made of wood and contains a wheel full of sharp spikes. I’m thinking a grinder, but what could it grind?” Answer: “A cheese grater”
3
“Some sort of hand tool? There’s a wing nut on one side and a round bit on the other that looks like it can be seated in different notches.” Answer: "It’s a handle for a 2-man crosscut saw."
4
“Brass plate from Australia” Answer: “It’s a vintage brass 1930s pixie offering dish for rings, pins, coins, etc. You leave offerings for the little people, so they treat you nice.”
5
“Unusual white plastic kitchen utensil with a handle” Answer: “Looks like it would be used to stir the contents in a blender. It inserts in the top to stir it.”
6
“What is this hatch I’ve seen on the outside of houses in the UK?” Answer: "It’s a boot scraper for getting the mud off your shoes before going in."
7
“It’s lightweight like paper or dried mud and crumbles easily yet holds its shape in water. Square holes run all the way through to the other side.” Answer: "It’s the inside part of a catalytic converter."
8
“No markings. Wooden handle that is surprisingly comfortable. The steel ball-like end is fixed and doesn’t roll or move.” Answer: “It’s a leather shaping tool used in saddle-making. A friend of mine makes Western horse saddles, and his ’old’ tools look just like this.”
9
“A housewarming gift. It’s half wood, half marble, 2 semi-circle dips, mini spoon.” Answer: “It’s a salt & pepper ’pinch pot.’”
10
“2 pieces of hard chalk-like material (still scratchable with iron nail). 4 inches long and 1.4 inch wide, weight about 100 gr.” Answer: “They look like bread or something.”
11
“Carved piece purchased from an antique shop in Poland. What is it and what could it be carved out of?” Answer: “Rib bone from a whale”
12
“Huge rusty old oven surrounded by clay pipe, in the middle of nowhere Northern Sweden.” Answer: “Probably an old kiln”
13
“Found this bag with liquid in my hotel room. Does anyone know what it is?” Answer: “It absorbs moisture to keep clothes dry in storage.”
14
“Found at a beach house in Clearwater, FL. Numbered stake with a floater on top.” Answer: “A bobber to mark the location of a crab or lobster trap”
15
“Found this at work today, left by the overnight employee. It’s solid all around. No openings at all. Hollow glass, gold trim on one end.” Answer: “Glass syringe plunger. We have them at work.”
16
“Brass tool, generational mystery, 3-4 inches long, maybe related to sailing.” Answer: “It’s an Ottoman scale/balance.”
17
“Around 1 m high, made of glass, probably originated from a refinery or a power plant before the ’90s.” Answer: “Mercury Arc Rectifier”
18
“Round segmented object found at a beach in South Africa” Answer: “Maybe some kind of washed-up anemone.”
19
“Heavy glass ornament. At least 3 kg. One part is removable. 13 cm high. It’s transparent and red glass.” Answer: “From the looks of the red part, it’s probably a fancy votive candleholder, and the top part is meant to snuff the candle out when you’re done.”
20
“What is this object? Found in my grandparents’ house.” Answer: “Looks like a gourd that’s been decorated, if it’s not a musical instrument (is it filled with beads?), it’s probably purely for decoration.”
21
“This wooden object was found in a company’s parking lot.” Answer: “This is a ‘knuckle roller’ a fairly popular fidget toy in the EDC world.”
22
“A small cover on the sidewalk with a metal pattern, foot for scale” Answer: "It’s a rain and frost/ice detector. A small current is on the 2 metallic circles, they are not touching and are isolated against each other. When raindrops connect the 2 metals, the small current is amplified or switched, so it can trigger a pump or close windows that are fully open at that time and rain or snow won’t damage things."
23
“Aside from it obviously being a hammer, what is this extra bit for?” Answer: "Straightening 2×4s during framing."
24
“A sliding tray with holes on both sides of this sofa” Answer: "It’s a tray table. It has another piece to it. It’s a tray with matching pegs. The tray goes on top and the pegs slide in. They fit together, so the tray sits tightly. Then you take the tray back to the kitchen and put the sliding part back, so it’s not in the way."
25
“It’s a long tool with a metal dial on the top that you can twist, possibly related to calligraphy or a type setting.” Answer: "It’s a drafting pen."
26
“Made entirely of metal, it was found in a residential area in France.” Answer: "Looks kinda like a bike rack. The seat goes under the sheltered bit, so it stays dry."
27
“A strange switch? In a baseboard outside the bathroom.” Answer: "Solved, turns out these apartments used to have built-in vacuums, but no longer."
28
“A fork with tines of varying width — what is this used for?” Answer: "It looks like a failure of quality control. When the punch came down to cut the slots, the fork blank wasn’t all the way in and was a bit cockeyed. If quality control wasn’t having an off day, it would have ended up in the bin."
29
“What is this set of ropes mounted to this wall?” Answer: "My friend has a setup kinda like this one, and it’s a “yoga wall.” I guess there are some yoga moves where you use ropes to stretch and pose."
30
“These came in a cross-stitch kit. They’re flexible, made of rubber, and the 2 ends are magnetic, so they stick together.” Answer: "They are magnetic cable clips that can be used to keep excess fabric out of the way when cross-stitching."
31
“Photos found from my grandpa’s collection show some sort of disc with holes being erected in a city center.” Answer: "It’s related to the Hale Reflecting Telescope at Palomar."
32
“These 2 things floated to the ground just after a large plane passed low over my house. They’re gritty and rubbery, almost like dried paint.” Answer: "Reminds me of the flame retardant powder they have big planes fly over fires and drop, maybe a congealed chunk of it."
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