"Large ovens/furnaces near a historic railroad track"
A: "Those are coke ovens. Coke is a fuel used for making steel. They bake coal until its impurities are burned off and you get coke which burns very hot."
"Little jug things found on poles in rural areas."
A: "It is for trapping insects. Usually when looking for invasive species."
"What is this sliding and locking mechanism on the bottom of my lighter? When I slide it out, the tubular section that pops out also seems sharpened."
A: "A cigar punch. Punches a hole in the tip of your cigar."
"Steel object found in attic of old home"
A: "It’s an early battery called a Daniel cell."
"Four buttons, apparently doesn’t do anything but light up, found inside a backpack I bought online?"
A: "It’s a remote control for a vibrator."
"What caused this mark inside of this freshly cut log?"
A: "Likely some type of wood burrowing grub."
"What is this black speaker looking thing on my neighbor’s door? It makes a loud banging or booming noise when they are home and they remove it when they leave."
A: "It’s a door anchor for a TRX suspension trainer."
"Small metal pellets found outside my local cafe. There were lots of them spread over the ground. What are they?"
A: "Knock out plates for electrical boxes."
"Bundle of (hand carved?) wooden sticks with thin copper wire tied to each"
A: "They are older flower arranging picks."
"What is this? There’s a lot in in our basement, found most recently in our hamper full of towels. They’re a bit smaller than popcorn kernels."
A: "Mouse or squirrel bringing nuts/seeds inside maybe. If you don’t want to put traps and your basement floor is concrete, you can dust the floor in that area with flour. You’ll see footprints in it if you have critters. The flour is easy to clean up after."
"Square object coming out of wall"
A: "This is a connection box for a hard wired phone."
"This decorative panel has no identifying marks. Can anyone give me an idea of what it belongs to?"
A: "That’s the instrument panel from a 1927 REO Flying Cloud."
"A rectangular porcelain box with interior brackets, lid with holes."
A: "It is a box for your toothbrush."
"It was stuck to my hoodie when I came home from grocery shopping. Seems to have two small batteries and some form of a button. It’s wired to a thin round metal plate. It was inside the plastic hull, I opened it so see what it is and to make the photos."
A: "The major component other than the PCB appears to be a piezoelectric buzzer. I imagine it’s a sound playing device out of a toy or Christmas jumper."
"Rectangular Jade object with hole bored through it. Looks handmade, slightly irregularly shaped."
A: "It’s a jade cong or a replica."
"Strange curved table with copper basin"
A: "It’s a planter."
"My friend found this 2″ long plastic object on a closet shelf"
A: "It might be what remains of a small personal LED reading/craft light like they sell in dollar stores."
"Brass extendable hollow tube, 2 inches long"
A: "It’s an adjustable powder measure."
"Two prongs on a slider, plastic handle. Found in a kitchen if that helps?"
A: "Spit roaster, or rotisserie fork, for cooking you favourite joint or cut of meat."
"Found while magnet fishing in the midwest. It’s magnetic, maybe part of a statue or an old weapon?"
A: "Sickle bar mower tooth"
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Someone having to ask about that makes me feel old, I recognized it immediately...
You wouldn't believe how many people I know who no longer have landlines, and there are younger people who've never had one in their home.
I pulled the landline out of my house back in 1996, lots of people been born since (not connected, lol)
Gravity cell