There are some objects out there that sort of defy explanation . They’re mysterious , and that’s really all we’ll ever know about them. Other objects seem mysterious, but are actually pretty normal (or were normal at one point in time).
These objects are all pretty strange , but thanks to the collective effort of the internet, they’ve been identified. Turns out they aren’t so odd after all.
“Never noticed this existing on my wall but now it’s buzzing with feedback noise.”
I’d just assume it was some random irrelevant box, but the noise would throw me off, too. Turns out, it’s something pretty much every house has, but may not get used a lot nowadays.
It’s just the noise box for a doorbell. You know, that thing that pretty much only gets used when door-to-door salespeople try to sell you something?
“Metal cylinder, no markings inside. Found inside cocktail shaker at work.”
Unless you’re an experienced bartender, you probably won’t know what this is. Luckily, Reddit user machinehead332 does:
“Looks like a thimble measure, they come in different sizes so the bartender can be sure they are measuring out the max. legal amount of alcohol allowed in a serving.”
“Mystery equipment mounted above a large air compressor. Has a power cord, and two air lines. One for air to go in, and then back out to supply the facility with air.”
This one had me stumped. But Redditor eversnow64 had a very good answer.
“This is an Air Drier. They are typically connected to systems that use compressed air. They take the moisture out of the air because the equipment that the compressed air goes to, such as pneumatic controls, does not like moisture.”
“Mason jar lid apparatus with opposing lids.”
It’s a lid for a jar, so that’s a start. But what kind of jar it’d be for, and why it has that strange spout attachment on the top? That’s the real mystery.
…Or not. It’s apparently just a vintage coffee jar lid.
“What is this thing? It peels off of the cellophane on the top and it also has some kind of tabs on the side that peel, which are adhesive underneath.”
Based on the description, it seems to be some kind of cover attachment for some kind of screen or lens.
And as it turns out, it’s a cover for a dirt bike visor. At least, that’s what Reddit concluded it was.
“Strange patterns in mildew on a painted wood porch railing.”
Don’t worry, these mysterious markings weren’t left by anything dangerous to your house (or by aliens for that matter).
They’re from snails. When snails walk around, they leave trails from where they’ve eaten algae and stuff. You’ve probably seen them before.
“What are these little doors found in 1921 basement of house. Directly under fireplace on first floor.”
Once again, Reddit came to the rescue here. Way back in the day, when most people heated their houses with fireplaces, they needed these little doors to help them clean the ash out. It’s amazing what cool details you can find in old homes.
“Metallic device. Found in Italy, Province of Lazio.”
Italy is known for growing all sorts of produce, including grapes and olives. And this detail is important, since it helped the people of Reddit figure out what this could be.
It seems like it’s a press for either olives (think olive oil) or grapes (think wine).
“What is this screwing/drilling tool? Seems to clamp to a workbench and is approx 200-300mm tall.”
This tool looks pretty odd. But if you come from a place that has a lot of coconuts, you probably won’t think so. As Redditor nitro479 points out, it’s a coconut reamer. They’re used to shred coconuts. Problem solved!
“What are these “V” shaped patterns on this expressway. These were on the road for at least 10 km.”
I haven’t seen these things on the road before, but it looks like they’re popping up in the UK, and possibly other places too. They’re to help you keep your distance from vehicle in front of you. Pretty useful if you ever have to stop suddenly.
“What is this orange “pitch” on my sunflower? It looks like dewdrops but it’s hard like resin.”
These are what Reddit user bullettprf identifies as “sunflower extrafloral nectar.” The nectar attracts ants to the flowers, which may be some kind of defense mechanism to repel other bugs that may want to munch on their leaves or petals. Pretty interesting stuff!
“What is this rolling tool? Wooden handle with a spool of metal disc’s. Each disc has the same pattern of notches.”
There was a surprising amount of debate on this weird little item. At first, people thought it could’ve been a device for cutting the tops of strudel. But it doesn’t seem to be used for food.
That’s when the people of Reddit decided it had to be a device for creating grain effects in wood. Another mystery solved!
“Found in central Edinburgh. About a half metre in diameter, 3-4 metres in height, dark metal. Located just off a main road next to a burn.”
No, it isn’t some kind of rocket that people were secretly building in the bush. It’s an old sewer vent pipe.
Apparently, this isn’t the first time someone asked about this thing on Reddit, and people remembered the answer.
“Length is around 35cm, 4 iron sticks, you can only remove 2 sticks -the right and the left ones-, the sticks diameter is around .5cm, you can also slide the removable sticks upon the fixed middle one.”
Reddit user Icy-Seaworthiness995 has a good idea of what this thing is: “It looks like an extendable / sliding hanger. Mount it to a shelf and it extends out to pick your clothes.”
Here I was thinking it was some kind of weird tripod (quadpod?).
“What is this glass tube that was buried deep under our UK garden?”
My first guess would’ve been that it was some kind of old, glass lightbulb. And from the comments this picture got on Reddit, it seems like I’d be right (for once)!
I wonder how it ended up in a garden, though.
“Aluminum container found alongside house. Was cold to the touch and the top is covered with black tape. Any idea what this could be?”
Many people who know a lot more about appliances/mechanics than I (and I’m guessing the person who posted this) do, call this thing a capacitor. It’s an air conditioning part. Probably super old, at that.
“Found at a farm house, the arm swivels and the drum spins.”
OxytoxinPlease on Reddit happened to know a lot about this kind of device. For starters, it’s a butter maker. But, “someone decided to turn this table into a decorative item for the home, and that’s when the finish was added to make it look ‘nicer.'”
So now, it’s just an antique decoration.
“Saw it on the sidewalk in London. It looks like a piece of fabric between two bolts stuck to the pavement.”
Reddit user Fawksie was quick to identify this strange little object. “It was holding down tubes for a pneumatic traffic counter,” the use writes. It’s clearly not doing that anymore, but it’s nice to know what it was for at one point.
(A pneumatic traffic counter is the thing you see on streets sometimes. It counts how many cars drive over it.)
“Found three of these wall outlets in our new house, not sure what they are. It is a 100 year old house if that helps at all.”
Redditor Diana_FooFoo has the lowdown on this item: “My electrical contractor husband said it’s an old 110 twist lock outlet.”
Huh. Why are the outlets in super old homes always so weird looking?
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“Set of 4 handles with a blunt spike under the rubber cap (not my photo) UK”
These strange bits are apparently supposed to be used with an easel. Redditor mildlydiverting, who happens to own something similar, knew this exactly: “It’s for supporting the vertical bit in place so it doesn’t push back when there’s a heavy thing on the easel.”
In other words, it helps keep an easel steady.
