As much as no one likes to admit being wrong , there are times when you just can’t be right. Those times are usually because you’ve encountered something you don’t know anything about (hopefully).
Like these mystery objects. They may have me completely stumped (and you, too, perhaps), but someone out there in the wild, wild web got the answers right.
“A putty type substance found inside a dehumidifier. It doesn’t seem to have any purpose that I can think of since it’s inside a plastic bag which is inside a plastic box with no visible pipes or vents attached to it.”
No one in the original post’s comment section could pinpoint the exact substance in the bag, but one thing’s for sure. This stuff is used to dampen the sound that the dehumidifier would make.
“What is this ice phenomenon I found on the forest floor today?”
Reddit user feric51 explained, “The term for it is frost flower and has to do with moisture freezing as it escapes plant tissue.” It’s amazing that this sheet of plastic-looking stuff is really ice !
“This 1.5 foot by about 3 foot cubby in my friend’s new bedroom.”
There were a bunch of theories floating around, from a spot for a safe to a cubby to keep a vacuum robot. But what won out is the idea that it’s probably a spot for a pet bed (or litter box).
“What is this velvet sack full of small, gold, metallic plates with an frost texture?”
Reddit user Kibology, the self-proclaimed biggest nerd on the internet, said, “They are replica coins from the original (1970s) Battlestar Galactica . The characters wagered on space poker (‘Pyramid’) with these coins (‘cubits’) on the show.”
What a specific and correct answer!
“I’m caring for my friend’s cat and this machine is on their kitchen table. I’ve been here a few times and haven’t seen it before.”
See, my first instinct would be to turn around and leave the house, because it almost looks like the cat is planning some kind of science experiment.
But the real answer, as a few Reddit users pointed out, is that it’s some kind of “slimming” machine.
“What is this? It is very heavy, a brassy gold, and the knobs are on screws almost as if they can be wired. There are some springs inside and there is a lid (not pictured).”
“That is a tangent galvanometer,” said Reddit user Collarsmith. “Basically they’re coils of wire around compasses, and used to detect small voltages.”
I’m sure someone somewhere would’ve found this thing pretty handy to have around.
“Wedding gift c. 1963 clear glass ‘bowl’ at angle on wooden pedestal with dark rim – appr 5” diameter. Any specific purpose?”
Some commenters guessed a terrarium bowl, others guessed a place to hold candy or keys. But the one comment that won out was one written by user gn_like_lasagna, who said that it’s part of an old cocktail set.
“7.5 inches tall, 5” wide, 4” diameter, heavy, cast iron/brass/bronze, weighs about 7 pounds. Was found in a shipyard in Philadelphia, may be naval related. Lion head on one side?”
Thanks to Reddit user skunc2, OP was able to figure out that this is a mortar tube, probably related to the weapon mortar , which is basically like a mini cannon.
“Round metal objects, 1 whole and 2 halves.”
Reddit user M5FARMS said that “They are disc spacers. They the long goes between the disc pans and the short ones go next to the bearing.” It has something to do with farming. And based on this person’s username, it seems like they’d know about farming.
“Keyed switch maybe, but to what?”
As it turns out, there’s no key here at all. Reddit user jackrats said that this is a “Bike tire generator. [They’re] used to power bicycle headlights.”
Yeah, that makes much more sense than anything that uses a key.
“What are these incrementally sized machined metal (aluminum?) nesting pieces that were left in a tool cart I recently purchased?”
Reddit user GrumpyGenXer figured out that these strange things are called dimple dies. They’re apparently used to dimple metal , so take from that what you will.
“25cm tall, metal, maybe to do with a fireplace.”
Reddit user gn_like_lasagna figured this one out fairly quickly. It’s an old, cast iron spice rack. Why anyone would need a spice rack made of cast iron is beyond me.
“They appear to be the consistency of quartz when I shine light through a chip on the edge and the whole stack weighs 8grams, each coin is roughly the diameter of a dime and twice as thick.”
I guess the internet is full of fossil aficionados, because there were plenty of comments on the post that identified these coin-like things as fossil crinoids. Cool!
“A plastic object I found in my kitchen. I think it’s an accessory for a small kitchen appliance.”
According to Reddit user jackrats, “It’s the whisk reducer for a stick/immersion blender.” So OP was right about it being some kind of kitchen appliance accessory. Nice.
“Any ideas what this weird plastic device with a flashing blue light is? I found it left in the middle of a road.”
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that random things on the road that happen to have a blue flashing light in them are almost always vape pens. And according to the comments on this post, that’s exactly what this thing is.
“Just moved into a newer office building and there’s these small circular speaker like things in the ceiling? Are they little speakers or some new kind of fire suppressors or something else?”
“My guess would be it’s part of a white noise/sound masking system,” Reddit user WorldsSaddestCat said. And they ended up being right about that!
“Tanks/compressors in an abandoned coastal research facility.”
Although OP was originally inclined to think that the tanks they found were part of some sort of desalination process, the consensus in the comments seems to be that they’re for water purification. To get that water extra pure and whatnot.
“The cylinder is hollow and the teeth go around it. About 40cm long, the handles provide quite a bit of force.”
Reddit user GornsNotTinny gave us a word for this strange thing: “spagatkrapfenzange.” It’s an appliance used to make a dessert called spagatkrapfen , which is some kind of deep-fried calzone-like thing.
“Some type of ice formation in the ground, reminds me of selenite crystal. Can anyone identify what type of ice formation this is?”
A couple of Reddit users were surprisingly quick to identify the ice crystal that this person found. It’s called needle ice, apparently. It’s amazing how many different shapes and formations of ice you can find while out and about!
“Vice Grips with Round Hole Jaws.”
Reddit user Bat_Flu said, “It’s for crimping ferrules.” I have no idea what that means, but it’s the right answer.
Okay, so apparently a ferrule is a metal tube used to bind material together. So this vice grip is for them.
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“What is this plastic kitchen gadget? Approximately 5 inches long and what almost seems like a barbed hook on the end.”
According to Reddit user Substantial_Ice4393, it’s a device used to open cans that have tabs on them. I feel like that would be way easier than trying to pry that tab open with your fingers.
“Found mostly wood tool at former antique collector family members house 20″ long 3.75″ wide.”
Reddit user Remarkable-Data77 could tell what these things were because they’d seen them before: “My mum had these to get laundry out of Peggy tub and then an old fashioned top loading washing machine!” Neat!
“Grooved brass tamper with poorly fitting rubber piece. Came in DIY radio kit but doesn’t seem to be part of the kit.”
Reddit user leonardoOrange said. “Its a hot bar tip. Its for bonding flex cables to LCD glass.” Glad to know there was someone out there who could identify this thing on the spot.
“1ft long set of wires (4 different types) on a black Handel. Found in a science classroom.”
According to Reddit user rottiechron, it’s a thing called a heat conductometer. And Reddit user erinys_adrasteia gave a really good explanation of what it does:
“It’s for demonstrating that different metals conduct heat at different rates… typically you’d attach drawing pins or similar to the tips of the wires with wax or Vaseline, then heat the plate section with a Bunsen and see which one drops first.”
“What is this new marking in the road just outside my curb? It’s approximately where the water line is, maybe related to that?”
According to the Reddit comment section, both the pink markings and the bolt in the ground that they’re surrounding are part of some kind of surveying. You know what? That makes a lot of sense.
“Does this hole above the yarn cutter on my crochet hook gauge have a use?”
Apparently, this blade has more than one use. Reddit user BmanUltima said that the hole is ” for attaching it to a scalpel handle.” So if you don’t want to use it for yarn, you can use it for surgery?
“What are these lights that appear to be behind the mirror in the hotel I’m staying at?”
“It reminds me of an infinity mirror,” Reddit user mvrk517 said. “People make them out of 2 sheets of glass, the top one translucent and the back one a normal mirror. A strand of LEDs is installed around the perimeter between the two and its creates an infinite tunnel of lights.”
Very specific, but also super cool!
“Glass bulbs and wooden stands. Stands measure about 5.5 inches tall. Also has small metal bars and silicone rings that came with it.”
They almost look like they’re part of some kind of science project. But according to Redditor jackrats, these things are nothing more than plant vases. Really weird ones, though.
“‘Velvet smoother’ found in antique shop (UK) in original cardboard box. Made of metal (?stainless steel), about 6cm/2.5in long. Has pointed smooth tip and central channel with two holes at the other end.”
It almost looks like the tip for a calligraphy pen. But according to Reddit user collectcuratecreate, it’s a tool for transferring designs onto velvet. I guess that’s why it’s called a velvet smoother.
“This grey canister with shroud on it in my garage.”
According to Reddit user a10-brrrt, “It is a fire alarm. The way dad explained it was one side is a horn and the other side was compressed air. When the wavy metal disc in the middle would get hot enough to rupture the air would flow to the horn.” Interesting…