What is It? Game 35

Posted by Alex in What Is It on August 30, 2007 at 2:47 am


Yay! It’s time for another round of Neatorama’s guessing game, in collaboration with the always intriguing What is it? Blog. Can you guess what this strange object is for?

More photos (and clues about its size) at What is it? Blog. Contest rule is darned simple: place your guess in the comment, post no URL (let others play), and one guess per comment. You can submit multiple comments. No prize this week, just bragging rights.

Good luck!

[Update 8/31/07: Here's the answer:

These are horn weights for a bull. To keep bulls from seriously injuring each other when fighting, these weights were placed on the horns to make the ends point downward. They were also used to fix mismatched horns, where one horn grew slightly higher than the other. If a horn weight was left on for just a few weeks, it would easily change the higher horn’s angle of growth. Modern versions can be seen here.



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COMMENT

28 comments to "What is It? Game 35"

  1. james dylan
    August 30th, 2007 at 3:03 am

    without looking at other pics, or size, i would haveto say that its used in a factory to pour some hot liquid substance like molten metal.

    do i win? :D

  2. Britt
    August 30th, 2007 at 3:11 am

    Looks like a CRUCIBLE!

  3. Alex
    August 30th, 2007 at 4:05 am

    Not even close!

  4. Rosi
    August 30th, 2007 at 4:27 am

    This is Frankenstein’s monster’s head, turned upside down, before it was filled with brains and attached to the body.

  5. Mike
    August 30th, 2007 at 5:54 am

    Smelting Pot

  6. Harley
    August 30th, 2007 at 5:55 am

    It’s a clamp.

  7. peach
    August 30th, 2007 at 6:48 am

    its one of those beefeater hats designed for frankenstein.

  8. anon
    August 30th, 2007 at 7:32 am

    It could be used to carry ice… ^__^

    Seriously looks like a smelting pot though.
    Straight out of T2 or AotC.

  9. matt
    August 30th, 2007 at 7:45 am

    it’s a smelting pot squared. it’s for pouring hot metal AND cooking delicious fish dishes.

  10. SenorMysterioso
    August 30th, 2007 at 9:04 am

    I thought smelting pot until I looked at the other pictures

  11. Sid Morrison
    August 30th, 2007 at 9:06 am

    I’m thinking it is a torch tip. The screws on the sides are for securing it to a wooden handle. There’s a hole on the bottom you can’t see (go to the link for more pix) — this hole is actually on the end that faces up and it is where the combustible wad is inserted for burning.

  12. Randall
    August 30th, 2007 at 9:33 am

    Its a Fobinator cap. When not in use, a fobinator will randomly emit gesren fluid at various pressures, the result of which may be embarrassing or fatal (or both!) When I was working as a pimble on a stannal rig in the Ural mountains, I carried at least three in my hip pockets everywhere I went. I never suffered from ‘the slobber’ (Guion’s syndrom), but I did develop a particular gait.

  13. Ali S.
    August 30th, 2007 at 9:33 am

    Hmmm Alex said it isn’t a crucible nor a smelting pot…so I say it’s a fancy new Ikea Fondue Pot! :P

  14. neko
    August 30th, 2007 at 9:56 am

    it’s a MINIATURE CANNON.

    the hole on the back’s for the fuse.

  15. Drew
    August 30th, 2007 at 10:15 am

    It’s a banana holder.

  16. Levi
    August 30th, 2007 at 10:32 am

    im gonna guess that its some kinda thing to secure a cable on a suspension bridge…

  17. Andy
    August 30th, 2007 at 11:11 am

    A top piece for a galvanized post of some sort. Covers the post, creates a blunt surface.

  18. Alasdair
    August 30th, 2007 at 11:16 am

    Ok, it’s either a medivil pot for pouring molten liquid down on invaders from the castle, or a cannon

  19. ruby
    August 30th, 2007 at 11:37 am

    My Dad worked as a ironworker for over 40 years. I have seen many of these on the end of very very long rods that they would dip into the molten metal…this is used to pouyr molten metal.

  20. hiller
    August 30th, 2007 at 11:44 am

    A “Don’t Spill the Beans” container. Duhz.

  21. Ali S.
    August 30th, 2007 at 12:05 pm

    Ye Olde Chamber Pot?

  22. S.
    August 30th, 2007 at 1:48 pm

    It’s one of the Iron Giant’s fingertips. After they blew him up, anyway.

  23. Steve
    August 30th, 2007 at 1:51 pm

    It’s part of a pressure clamp or valve of some kind. most likely used for water at the end of a pipe or hose.

  24. Justin
    August 30th, 2007 at 6:53 pm

    Well I was pretty sure it was a piece on a train, until I found out it was only 2 inches tall. There is a Durbin, west Virginia and I think they are pretty famous for their old locomotives.

    So it might be a piece on an old locomotive, but I have no idea where it would go or what purpose it would serve. Maybe someone else does.

    Incidently, can anyone make out all the letters on the other side? S T L (something) K O ? or maybe the K is an R or an &. I cant really make out the letter before if there is one.

  25. MdG
    August 30th, 2007 at 8:18 pm

    I’m at a loss for what word you might use.. but is it something you’d put on a prisoners hand? screw those bolts in tightly and then they’re sorta disabled??

  26. art
    August 31st, 2007 at 5:59 am

    It is a specialized sort of crucible for thermite welding. The thermite reaction forms molten iron, which runs out of the hole in the bottom. Possibly used to weld railroad tracks together.

  27. todd shaffer
    August 31st, 2007 at 2:45 pm

    A cable splice clamp

  28. Alex
    September 1st, 2007 at 12:52 am

    Ooooh! A good one - no one got it right: it’s a horn weight.


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