"What is this weird large barrel looking thing hanging on a wire at local park?"
A: "It is for fire hose competition. Move the barrel back and forth with fire hoses."
"Tunnel in basement of Pennsylvania rowhouse"
A: "Coal delivery"
"Found this thing on the beach. It’s solid and smells like seaweed, what is it?"
A: "Codium bursa is a green marine algae of medium size."
"Found this while renovating. Any idea?"
A: "That is an artillery round, probably 155. Looks unfired, good that EOD is en route. Do not mess with it."
"My dad found this earlier today with his metal detector and has no clue what it is. It’s about 5 cm x 4 cm. What is this thing?"
A: "It is part of a bracelet or belt. It would have had companions, joined by links on all 4 corners."
"Several rolls of this were donated to a thrift store. It doesn’t have any adhesive and is kinda waxy feeling."
A: "They are thorn guard strips, meant to be mounted inside bicycle tires, between the inside of the tire casing and the innertube. In theory, they help prevent tube punctures, and they do an OK job of it"
"Weird metal part that comes in a matchbox every once in a while"
A: "A match holder thing for discreetly holding matches. So, it’s an extension for lighting candles."
"Arrived in the mail for me. Small glass tubes with 2 tiny ball bearings in them. Not something I ordered."
A: "I believe those are rattles that you can put inside of fishing lures so they make noise to attract fish."
"Found among my dad’s things. Interesting velvet box with a black object inside"
A: "It’s a pocket handwarmer… An old one too. You light the rod in the middle. It is a piece of coal, you close it up and pop it in your pocket. Blow on it to stoke it up."
"What is this drill hammer thing?"
A: "Cutting glass tool."
"This is a drainage pond at my local park. What is this structure?"
A: "Overflow drain to a storm drain system/ leech field."
"Strange metal rose. Embedded in concrete in front of a pub. I have no idea what it’s supposed to represent."
A: "The pub is called the Wild Roses so the roses represent the name"
"Found in a box with knitting needles, crochet hooks, and other yarn work tools. The bottom end looks like it would clamp to a pole."
A: "It holds meat while carving."
"This has a hinge on the back that clamps the open end together. What is this?"
A: "A calf weaning ring. Put on the nose of a calf, and it hurts the mama cow, so she doesn’t let the calf feed anymore."
"What kind of brooch/pin is this? Given to me by an antiques dealer who was getting rid of it. Made of cheap metal and plastic materials, no markings."
A: "Obviously it’s a cheap fashion piece, but it’s reminiscent of a chatelaine; a medieval/Victorian brooch or buckle worn with various helpful things dangling from it, eg keys, scissors, knife, etc."
"A long spouted metal pouring vessel with etchings and a unscrewable top. What is this thing?"
A: "It’s called a Dallah"
"Got this box it from my grandfather and have no idea what it was used for, airpod for scale"
A: "Looks like a cigarette case"
"I bought this from a thrift shop, it says “Chateauneuf Du Pape Grand Vin De France”, its about 4 inches long. What could it be?"
A: "It’s a wine-tasting cup."
"My mom found this thing snowshoeing at a local ski resort, it is a pipe like object with a metal mesh tip and is around 5 inches in length, what is this thing?"
A: "It's a spark arrestor screen for an exhaust system, likely a motorcycle's."
"Metal box/electronic component with input and output, a switch, a button, and a maybe a knob. Roughly 6.5'"x4.5"x2.5". Broken, but takes a battery. Is this a guitar pedal? If so, any more information? If not, what is it?"
A: "That is a Sovtek Small Stone! They are great distortion pedals made in the mid 90s. Pretty hard to find these days. Someone replaced one of the switches. They came in wooden boxes and are made from Soviet mil-surplus parts or so the legend goes. I still have mine."
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