Found in the woods behind my house… definitely not a real gun, but I haven’t the foggiest of what it might be. Based on the rust and the fact that I’ve lived here for 22 years, it has to be at least 30+ years old… I’m thinking maybe even 50+
A: Buck Rogers disintegrator.
Found on a beach in West of France (~30cm or 12inch). Looks like a big worm.
A: Looks like this peanut worm.
Weird enormous… thing… spotted in a field in Raleigh, NC
A: A piece of art by the Raleigh based artist Thomas Sayre. It’s called Terroir. It is on Mount Vernon Church Road.
Saw this scissor like instrument in a legal office
A: That is a candle snuffer designed to try the wick while keeping the candle lit. You can read more about a similar one
This was in the top corner of our shower curtain, it was pretty solid but started to give under a decent squeeze inside a paper towel. Was not game to completely squish it. What is it?
A: It’s an insect egg sack. Don’t know kiwi bugs though. In Texas I’d say it was a praying mantis.
Heavy Cast Iron Tool of some kind. The round part spins freely. My first thought was for letterpress but why the 2nd roller?
A: It’s a razor stropping tool
Found metal detecting in South-East England, what is this thing?
A: It is a section of a watch band.
What is this thing that fell on my car?
A: Looks like some sort of silicone sealant or caulk as used on small aircraft windows. Just be glad it wasn’t blue ice from a larger plane.
Found it in my grandpa’s attic, looks like a souvenir. Any idea what it is?
A: That’s the Great Wall of China on the left so it is a souvenir
I found this in my attic, any idea what this is?
A: In Maine, we call it a blueberry rake. Wild blueberries (the best kind) grow in low bushes. You hold it in the other direction.
This drawer swivels out from the bottom of an antique rocking chair. The setup looks like it must have a specific purpose but I have no idea what it could be?
A: That is a sewing drawer.
Found this in my attic after I moved in. Looks like an old lamp, but there is nowhere for wires to run or a bulb to go.
A: Its an Edwardian Floor Lamp. On this style of lamp, you run the cable through the holes in the arm which is a feature yours has.
Found old watch. Is it a real Apple product?
A: In the 90’s they made a lot of different watches for promotional items. I haven’t seen this exact one before, but it’s similar to ones I have seen.
Heavy cast iron weight found in old barn. Any idea what it may have been used for?
A: It’s part of a gat closure.
What’s the name of this kind of sledgehammer?
A: That’s a “Fencing Maul” specifically for fencing posts.
In the small playground outside my apartment. What on earth do you do on this?
A: It’s a “musical” instrument designed to be played by a mallet which may be missing from this park…
It’s a hot plate inside a glass jug, maybe a kettle but there’s heat and time controls on it which seems a bit complex for a water kettle.
A: It’s a tea kettle with more precise temperature controls
What kind of deadbolt is this? What is the trick to open it from the inside? Twisting the black handle while pushing it in or pulling it out doesn’t work. It’s too nice a day to be stuck inside! Thanks.
A: It looks like there’s a black button above and to the right of the knob on the deadbolt. Try pushing it in. Looks like it slides across and the other side will pop out. Probably releases the knob to turn.
Buddy from work was sent this image from his wife, found outside their new home. Based in Sydney area, NSW Australia. More of that fur-like stuff nearby, enough to cover maybe 2 bricks. Any ideas?
A: Something (domestic cat probably) has eaten a rabbit but left the stomach and some fur.
Found this while going through my dresser, not sure what it is. Soda can on the left for comparison.
A: It is called a reuge. The playing mechanism for a music box. Most of the boxes are inlaid wood from Italy while the reuge mechanism is usually Swiss. They can be valuable, depending on the songs, number of tunes and the number of movements.
What are these very thin paddles for? They look way too small for a boat.
A: They look like large mixing paddles, which would have a variety of uses for things being cooked in large batches. They could be in commercial kitchens, or theoretically, yes, for moonshine.
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