It may feel like things are always changing these days, but one thing never does: people constantly finding odd thingamabobs and doohickeys that they just can’t quite seem to identify. Fortunately for us, the geniuses over at the r/whatisthisthing subreddit are always ready and willing to assist. Here are 31 recent finds from the subreddit and what they turned out to be:1. This tiny, silver item found in the bottom of a dishwasher:
“Those are the little caps that are on the handle of the Paris Hilton knife set that was sold at Walmart. Here’s a picture.”
“Spot on, good call!”
The original poster, a_whole_season, replied, “Solved! That’s actually really funny that that’s what it is, thank you!”
2. This IBM device inside of a suitcase:
“It’s a diagnostic computer for testing old-school mainframe computer peripherals: tape drives, the big washing machine drives, etc. It’s got a bunch of connectors for everything they could run into and an acoustic modem for the techs to call home to run the diagnostics.”
“Hard drives used to be refrigerator-sized units. That thing in the picture is a maintenance device that field techs would carry to troubleshoot one.”
3. This metal box on the side of a building:
“That symbol is Brinks Security. It’s a housing box for an alarm bell.”
“It’s an alarm box that houses the bell. The bell rings when the alarm is tripped. Really old style.”
u/Existing_Arm10 / Via reddit.com
4. This cord with an unusual connector:
“A multimeter lead, like from this. It’s for testing the power in electronics. The needle tip lets you be precise about which part you’re testing, whether it’s a circuit board or a crusty battery lead connector.”
“This is the answer. I use them daily.”
“100% a probe line for a multimeter. You basically have two of them (one red and one black — someone is not going to be happy missing his line) that are connected to the meter. Measures stuff like voltage, amperage, resistance, circuit continuity, etc., in both DC and AC. The more fancy ones can also measure capacity and inductivity.”
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5. These orange cannisters with attached tubing:
“Definitely the inside of a Clover Vertica used by Starbucks.”
“Clover vertical boiler assembly. They develop leaks and are replaced as a unit.”
6. This wooden object with an attached metal file on a chain:
“Billiard cue clamp, for repairing the tips of billiard cues.”
“Yep, this. The file was used to remove the old tip (if not gone already) and make sure that the top of the cue was flat, free of old glue remnants, but rough enough to receive a new glued-on tip. Glue was applied to the underside of the new tip, the tip was placed on top of the wooden cue, and the clamp was then placed over the cue end and secured until the glue dried. It’s typically called a ‘tip clamp,’ as far as I know.”
7. This translucent green frame found with aquarium supplies:
“Old style ‘breeder box‘ missing the dowels and mesh. Hangs in the tank to protect young fish from the adults.”
8. This saucer-shaped boat:
“It’s a life raft you would find on offshore oil rigs. It’s shaped like a UFO, so when you’re in rough seas, you just don’t roll endlessly. You’ll get shoved around, but there’s nothing to catch.”
“I can confirm this, I have been in them hundreds of times for training. Unfortunately, it turns into a hot, stinky ride that beats you to death while you are getting vomited on by the guy next to you. Source: 23 years in the oil and gas industry.”
9. This heavy, green metal lever found on the wall in a shed:
“It’s for killing chickens. The neck goes in the slot, pull the lever, break the neck, cut the throat, and drop headfirst into the bleeding cone.”
10. This long metal cylinder found on a beach in Finland:
“When I first saw this, it made me think of a wire spool from an SS.11 wire-guided anti-tank missile. It’s an early guided missile that, when fired, had a small pair of wires remain connected to the missile as guidance controls were transmitted from the launch vehicle to steer it to the target. The wires were very small but strong and housed in an aluminum housing exactly as shown.”
The original poster, Tiinalitukka, replied, “Solved! I sent these pictures to the Finnish Police. They called me and told me it is the property of the Finnish Army and that they will come pick it up. Should not be dangerous.”
u/Tiinalitukka / Via reddit.com
11. This engraved metal item found in a creek in Ontario, Canada:
“I work with Hoselton’s. They make the awards we give away at work.
They do a number of corporate items and awards, and sometimes letter openers. This looks like a letter opener, and judging by the engraving, it was done for Xerox. When working with us for our awards, they made a custom design that spoke to our brand. I would assume they did the same for Xerox, and the design of the handle might have some significance to the company.
Update: So, I’m a designer. I decided to dig a bit deeper. The handle is the shape of the Xerox Research Center in Mississauga from above. The address is 2660 Speakman Drive. If you use Google Maps, you can see it. The building was built in 1984, and the letter openers were probably made to commemorate the occasion. It’s a gem of a building.”
u/carbonated-soup / Via reddit.com
12. This device someone purchased at a garage sale:
“It’s a planimeter. You use it to measure the area of a shape. Very cool.”
“Keuffel & Esser is an American company founded by Germans in 1867. Always precise. Always professional. Quality drafting instruments. A really nice piece.”
13. This small, multilayered metal and plastic item found at a campsite in northern Minnesota:
14. This pile of Styrofoam and electronic components found in North Cascades National Park in Washington:
“This is a retired meteorological radiosonde (weather balloon instrument package), specifically a vintage VIZ/Vaisala or Lockheed Martin Sippican model from around the 1980s or 1990s.”
15. This blade with a wooden sheath:
“It’s a kris. Not sure of the specific features that would identify it by region/origin.”
“Never hold it by the blade…the oil from your hands will make it rust. You can oil it with mineral oil. Traditionally, a bit of clove oil is also used. In the past, they would use arsenic on the blade, so when you got stabbed, you would die from arsenic poisoning.”
“Besides all the comments about it being a kris, if it is in fact ivory, be aware that selling or trading it is illegal in many countries and regions without proper documentation.”
u/hugelyracistbanana / Via reddit.com
16. This metal enclosure holding circuit boards and glass lenses:
“Looks like the CRTs from a rear projection TV.”
“That’s definitely the R, G, and B projectors from a rear-projection big screen television. My brother and I tore our old big screen apart when we were teenagers.”
17. This wood-handled tool with a small, hammer-like head:
“It’s a cobbler’s glazing iron, for shoemaking.”
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18. These small, gray hooks on the outside of a building’s window:
“Old-fashioned window cleaner anchor bolts. In rather old high-rise buildings, they would lean out the window, tie themselves to one of the double bolts, and then climb out and clean the windows while being secured. Here’s a photo of them in use.”
u/cjandstuff / Via reddit.com
19. This “Spirit of Excellence” can found at a thrift store:
20. This metal shard sticking out of a row of urinals:
21. This rusted piece of cast iron:
“I can 100% tell you it’s from an old cast iron toilet cistern. It’s the inside part that is drawn up when the chain is pulled, creating the siphon effect so the water flushes down the flush pipe. I restored two for my previous home.”
22. This bag of wooden blocks and peach pits:
“Possibly the Roman game of Tali. If the dice only have four sides and are labeled one, two, three, six (or sometimes one, two, four, six), then it’s likely. The other part of the game is knucklebones, or in this case, peach pits, where you throw them into the air and try to catch as many as possible.
Look up Tali or Roman dice games, and Venus Throw on Wikipedia for details.”
23. This smashed metal container with rods inside:
“1940s–50s dry cell battery that’s been squashed and broken. A variety of sizes were available. Good old-timey advertising days.”
24. This yellow, plastic piece with a spring:
“Part of the handle of a grabber similar to this.”
The original poster, andrewh2000, replied, “That pointed us in the right direction, thanks! Spring-loaded handle off this spider trap, and it had somehow become detached.”
25. This tiny metal object connected to a wire in an old pub in the United Kingdom:
“It’s a bulb for a thermostat. It operates a switch based on pressure in the bulb.”
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26. This wooden drawer with a handle and three inserts:
“I know this one. I’m a film/TV electrician. It’s called a ‘buzz box,’ and was the way we used to distribute power around a loooong time ago. Three bars for three phases, and we had cables with clamps on them that would attach to the bars. I’m looking for some pictures, will post when I find them.
This is the modern equivalent: a spider box.”
27. This sharp, steel, beveled item on a string:
“Knife-style straight edge for machining, hopefully hasn’t been used as a knife yet!”
28. This ceramic brick with holes throughout:
“I think it’s a propagation vase that’s missing little test tubes. Something like this.”
29. This antique, wooden desk with odd drawers and holes:
“Your desk was a melodeon in a past life. The holes were for the pedals.”
“And here’s what it sounds like (along with some interesting information about how it works). It sounds a bit like an accordion because it works in a similar manner. I imagine they were difficult to repair once those air bladders wore out, so it was common to just pull the rotten guts out and use them as a desk.”
u/ShotgunSenorita / Via reddit.com
30. These tiny, white fibers on someone’s jacket:
“Looks like fiberglass to me. I once went to a mini golf place, and its flags were made of fiberglass. When you removed the flags to put into the hole, that shit would come off and get all over your hands. If you were unlucky, they came off as splinters.”
“It’s fiberglass! Don’t inhale that!”
“Fiberglass. I agree. When I was about 7, my parents insulated our garage. The rolls were branded with the Pink Panther, one of my favorite cartoon characters. It took my parents three days to get the splinters out of our hands. My poor little sister was 3.”
31. And finally, this small, metal threaded item featuring a mustachioed man:
If you enjoyed looking at all these interesting objects, check out some other items identified by the internet here:
People Were Totally Stumped By These 29 Weird Objects Until The Internet Solved The Mystery
Comments have been edited for length and clarity.
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