You know what time it is? That’s right! It’s time for another round of weird objects that people had no clue what to call. Thankfully, there are at least a few people who knew what these things are, and they like to hang out online .
Maybe you know some of these things, maybe you don’t know any. But at least you’ll probably learn something new.
“Truck with camera or LiDAR sensor, any idea what it’s for?”
As soon as something becomes about cars, it completely goes over my head. This could literally be anything.
But as it turns out, this truck isn’t some sort of top secret spy vehicle. It’s just a Rivian pick up truck. Just a cool, electric vehicle.
“Found this in the kitchen. They appear to be some kind of hooks, no idea what for though.”
Do you have a bread maker? If so, you may have seen or even used these little contraptions before. They’re for pulling the bread out of the machine when it’s hot. You know, so you don’t get burned.
“These are made of cast iron. 5 3/4 x 2 1/2″. I’m pretty sure they have something to do with an old cast iron stove but I don’t know what they are.”
On their own, they seem kind of random and unnecessary. But they’re part of a bigger contraption. Reddit user codece says they’re part of “a crimper used to iron pleats or ruffles in clothing.” Interesting.
“Plastic L-Shape piece with the word SEAL. 17mm.”
You would think that such a random little piece of plastic would be just that – a random little piece of plastic. But there’s always more to the story.
Shout out to Redditor Byzs for somehow identifying this as the seal for a can of sunscreen.
“Metal bar to the right of the door in an old apartment building built in 1926.”
See that panel on the top portion of the door? At some point, it was probably a transom window. The thin metal rod to the right of the door would’ve been used to open and close the window. Pretty interesting, actually.
“Found in a can of soup. Hard plastic, looks like a dispenser tip or possibly a cord sheath.”
Well, whatever it is, you probably don’t want it hanging around in your soup. Luckily, it isn’t sharp or anything, and the person who posted the photo can probably contact the soup company about it.
As it is, it’s probably a piece of the conveyor belt that chipped off. At least, that’s what the internet seems to think.
“What is this plastic-tipped splayed wires mounted to sand filled fabric base?”
Weird art installation? Super flimsy hangers? What could these things be?
Well, none of the things that I mentioned, that’s for sure. Apparently, these are nothing more than wire devices used for scaring off birds. Who would’ve thought it was that easy?
“What is this piece of folded leather with a stud to keep it closed, found in a faux Traveler’s Notebook set from Amazon.”
It may have been found among notebook items, but according to Reddit, it isn’t notebook related at all! It’s actually a thing to keep headphone cables from getting tangled. I doubt they used to sell those alongside classic traveler’s notebooks back in the day.
“Heavy cylindrical device (~1.5kg), metallic and that comes in a leather housing. It has several keys.”
According to Reddit user PKDickman, this thing is called a watchclock: “A watchman doing his rounds would encounter keys at various places. The keys would be inserted in the clock and turned where the would mark a paper disk with the time and location.
“What is this tool (left) that came with the mandolin?”
What do mandolins do? They cut vegetables into thin slices. They’re kind of similar to a spiralizer. And would you look at that, a handle! Which you would use with a spiralizer.
For once, the mystery thing was actually easy to identify.
“What is this thing? About 2 inches long, heavy lead oval thing I found metal detecting.”
Why is it that half of these weird, mystery objects seem to be found while metal detecting (and the other half are found in a lake)? In any case, the consensus here is that this is a weight for a fishing line.
“What is this wooden pole, with a beaded rope at the end? At a seaside cafe in Wales, with boating/sea memorabilia covering the walls.”
It looks like an oar. Like, a super long, super heavy oar. But we all know I’m probably wrong anyway.
And I am. It’s a sailing boom , which is like a structural piece for a sail on a boat.
“What is this handmade wooden box with varying sized cylindrical compartments?”
Whatever could this strange box be? Well, probably nothing too exciting.
As many Reddit users had chimed in, It’s some kind of antique tool box, for drill bits and stuff like that. Not super fancy, but hey. Still very cool.
“About 18 inches long, wooden thing found at estate sale.”
You know what those round bits at the end kind of look like? Cup holders. And as it turns out, the Reddit community thinks so too.
The rest of the wooden bit probably fits into a couch, or car seats. And then you can just put your drinks on top.
“A large wooden board with Stuff on it, approx. 2’×1′. Easily 20′ up the wall in a warehouse.”
Yeah, this is something that I definitely wouldn’t be able to identify. One of those old pieces of technology that are from before my time, that’s for sure.
Reddit user SnickBoi knows what it is, though: “Definitely a punch down block for telephone wiring. I saw thousands of them in my work years ago.”
“What is this metal tool with the attached small knife and its purpose ? It has been screwed to a wooden board.”
Well, it’s definitely some kind of cutting apparatus, but I don’t think that was really in question.
As for what it cuts? Cigars, apparently. That makes sense, since you have to cut them before you smoke (not that I’ve ever smoked a cigar, but I get it).
“Little cardboard box similar to a matchbox. Got it at a golf club. Portable ashtray?”
It’s always kind of funny when someone asks for help identifying an object, only to inadvertently identify it themselves. Like this person, who asked if this small box was a portable ashtray, and it is! Seems like it would be useful to someone, at least.
“What are these wooden scoop like items?”
Okay, I’m going to take a crack at this one. They’re heavy-duty trowels used for scooping up horse droppings.
Well, I was kind of close? They’re used for animals, just on the other side. They are apparently grain scoops used to feed farm animals. Same thing, almost.
“Tiny white plastic balls found all over garden, any ideas?”
This is an incredibly specific thing that most of us would never have thought of. But Reddit user golangPadawan was on the case, and helped figure out that those tiny balls were once the stuffing from a stuffed animal that a dog ripped apart in the yard. Amazing.
“What is this pink “dust” that keeps reappearing in the corners of my kitchen ceiling within a few hours of being cleaned?”
On the plus side, it isn’t black mold. But that doesn’t mean that this is a good thing.
In fact, the general consensus is that this person has some kind of mites living in their house. Better call an exterminator, and fast.
