What is it.... the game! Post unknown objects to ID... and to stump others!

Mike Feddersen wrote:

So no one wants to help me with the policeman?

I am hoping someone will know, because I just flat have no clue

Pearl Sutton wrote:

Mike Feddersen wrote:

So no one wants to help me with the policeman?

I am hoping someone will know, because I just flat have no clue

I have questions

when his arms are extended does anything else happen? are they spring action?

and what are those holes behind his hands for? to hold something maybe?

no apparent coin deposit so not a bank?

Pearl Sutton wrote:

Mike Feddersen wrote:

So no one wants to help me with the policeman?

I am hoping someone will know, because I just flat have no clue

Those holes at the end of the arms look like light bulb sockets - what appears to be the male connectors inside?

Perhaps it was attached to a vehicle to denote change of direction (turning left or right when the arm is extended) or, similarly, on a stationary object to guide drivers around something/through an intersection? Maybe to signal pedestrians to cross a road?

I find the article a bit creepy!

J Grouwstra wrote:I know what these things are, just for fun I'd like to see how fast they're being recognised. I'm actually guessing it won't prove too difficult.

A complete guess: The top one looks like a mobile animal shelter - the arm at the top allows the animal to stay tethered but circle around the hutch. The hooks on the rounded rail holds feed and water buckets. The very heavy looking scythe to cut extra fodder. The other heavy bar with the angled end - no idea what that's used for.


The lower photo looks familiar but can't identify it.

F Agricola wrote:

A complete guess: The top one looks like a mobile animal shelter - the arm at the top allows the animal to stay tethered but circle around the hutch. The hooks on the rounded rail holds feed and water buckets. The very heavy looking scythe to cut extra fodder. The other heavy bar with the angled end - no idea what that's used for.

Close, no apple yet! Think on it more!
I know the top one. The lower one, I'm at a loss

J Grouwstra wrote:I know what these things are, just for fun I'd like to see how fast they're being recognised. I'm actually guessing it won't prove too difficult.

The first one looks like some kind of mobile pasture feeding & mineral station (complete with harnessing points, so he could check & clean hooves, brush out burrs, etc) my dad would have rigged up, for the horses, years and years ago, lol.

The second one is obviously more difficult. I've opened it up; the red top comes off, the white cap underneath can also be removed, then in the container remaining you can see... white chalk powder.

Pearl Sutton wrote:

F Agricola wrote:

A complete guess: The top one looks like a mobile animal shelter - the arm at the top allows the animal to stay tethered but circle around the hutch. The hooks on the rounded rail holds feed and water buckets. The very heavy looking scythe to cut extra fodder. The other heavy bar with the angled end - no idea what that's used for.

Close, no apple yet! Think on it more!
I know the top one. The lower one, I'm at a loss

Top one: Threshing machine, maybe animal powered?

(Are these area specific to the Netherlands?)

I don't think it helps being from The Netherlands when trying to guess what that thing is for; I never saw one before this one either.
The thing you do with it is something that's universal. I think it's one verb that's needed here that would describe the function of this thing and answer the question. Yes, it has something to do with animals, that's obvious enough.

The scythe doesn't have much to do with the primary purpose of this thing, neither has the 'bar' on the other side, so those objects might not help you. Although that 'bar' is definitely area specific. It did not occur to me that people outside of The Netherlands might not recognise that thing. Anyone in The Netherlands would. For most of you here it could be mystery object #3! You don't see the full object in this image; that stick is probably 3 or 4 times as long as what you see, but it just ends at some point, without a handle or anything. It's used for just one specific thing...  

I'll give the answer to the first one, since a few people had a shot at it and I feel they deserve to know what it is.
It is... a milking station. It's for milking cows in the field.
I've had a browse online, to see if I could find more examples, and found attached picture of a similar one - it shows much clearer how it's used.

The other object I'll just leave unanswered for the moment, but I'll add a brand name: Vendex. This won't ring a bell to people outside of The Netherlands, but for people in The Netherlands it definitely will. Vendex was the house brand of popular warehouse chain Vroom & Dreesmann, which sold everyday household goods. Vroom & Dreesmann was like Woolworths in Britain; once everybody shopped there, then both went belly-up some years ago, due to internet shopping or whatever.
But so a big shop chain of household goods carried their own line of this mystery object...

Damn! I work with a Danish bloke and he rattled of some word for it, then said it wasn't familiar to him but the container looked like a milking bucket! But the scythe and size of the contraption confused us - looked too small for use with cows.

That second thing looks like a puffer - don't know what the white powder is ... it may be legal there but not here!

Maybe to fumigate bee hives or infected plants e.g. Mites?

J Grouwstra wrote:I'll give the answer to the first one, since a few people had a shot at it and I feel they deserve to know what it is.
It is... a milking station. It's for milking cows in the field.
I've had a browse online, to see if I could find more examples, and found attached picture of a similar one - it shows much clearer how it's used.

The other object I'll just leave unanswered for the moment, but I'll add a brand name: Vendex. This won't ring a bell to people outside of The Netherlands, but for people in The Netherlands it definitely will. Vendex was the house brand of popular warehouse chain Vroom & Dreesmann, which sold everyday household goods. Vroom & Dreesmann was like Woolworths in Britain; once everybody shopped there, then both went belly-up some years ago, due to internet shopping or whatever.
But so a big shop chain of household goods carried their own line of this mystery object...

Ahhh!!! That swing alarm at the top is what was throwing me! Somehow, it hadn't occurred to me that it would be for anything mechanical, lol. When we milked our cow, we did it by hand.

Wow, that looks like a much more humane way of managing a small herd of dairy cows than having them trapped in a barn most of the day. This would be really good for a rotational pasture system at least during decent weather.

I hadn't seen one like this before until a few weeks ago. They can't have been very common; it is dairy country where I live and I would have seen one before if there had been many like this.
I met a few people on the other side of the village, they have this thing standing in front of their house, on display. I went over to take a picture of it. I understand the scythe and the pole (nobody wants to guess what the pole is for?) didn't help you guess what it was, but I didn't want to touch other people's stuff and rearrange things my way, that would be too bold. I still thought somebody would guess straight away what it was - well, Pearl said she knew what it was, and I have little doubt she did (I hope Pearl's a she).

The smaller object... no inhalation of weird substances going on there. I actually already mentioned it's chalk powder that goes in there, and hinted it was a common household item, or at least it was sold at a common household store not too long ago. But some things have gone out of fashion very quickly, this item now won't easily be recognised by young people, I know. I'll come back to it in a week's time or so, hahahahaaah!

Jay Angler wrote:Wow, that looks like a much more humane way of managing a small herd of dairy cows than having them trapped in a barn most of the day.

Well... the normal practice was they get brought in twice a day, and spend the rest of their time outside. Cows have no problem being brought in for milking; they soon find out that's part of their routine and would probably become a bit stressed if they were 'forgotten'. But the normal practice nowadays is that cows don't see the field at all anymore because they're in huge stables winter and summer. The grass gets cut for them by machines and brought to them. More things aren't right there.  

J Grouwstra wrote:But the normal practice nowadays is that cows don't see the field at all anymore because they're in huge stables winter and summer. The grass gets cut for them by machines and brought to them. More things aren't right there.  

Not sure if the quote thing worked.
I drive a route past a big indoor dairy farm, the smell outside on the road is atrocious, I can imagine inside it is a significant multitude higher. And they do tours.
.
Anyway I was wondering if those inside dairy farms used ultraviolet lights to simulate sunshine for the cows?

J Grouwstra wrote:The smaller object... no inhalation of weird substances going on there. I actually already mentioned it's chalk powder that goes in there, and hinted it was a common household item, or at least it was sold at a common household store not too long ago. But some things have gone out of fashion very quickly, this item now won't easily be recognised by young people, I know. I'll come back to it in a week's time or so, hahahahaaah!

This is REALLY good, JG - got us thinking!

So it's actually chalk, eh? I did a search on chalk uses, although nothing showed up that came close to looking like that, I'm guessing it may be some type of room dehumidifier/odour absorber?

My mom guesses it is a thing to mark a hem so you can sew it.

The red thing looks like a squeeze ball that either sucks up or blows the chalk (to where I don't know). The Triangle plate with the word "vendex"- is that some sort of support plate that a person works on while adjusting it to the height of the user with the butterfly nut on the pole?

If Pearl's mom is correct, the butterfly nut is to adjust for the height you want the hem, not the height of the user. What I don't get, is that it seems that the chalk would come out all around the base, rather than it having some sort of hole that would direct the chalk just where the operator wants it. Maybe there is a hole, and the photos just don't show it.

I have no clue if my mom is correct :) I read the line about "younger people won't know what it is" so I asked her to guess, that was her guess :) I have marked hems a lot of ways, but not that one, so I have no clue :)

Don't gymnasts chalk their hands?  I can't think of any other stationary uses for powdered chalk? Pool cues use solid chalk...

I think Pearl's mom has got it though deluxe marking chalk hem maker
here's another...not the same but maybe similar function?

Yes, yes! The apple is for Pearl's mum! Hoorray for mums!

Actually, I didn't know myself it was specifically for hems, I thought it was for more general drawing on fabric, especially for making lines first before making scissor cuts. Obviously pens or pencils would be no use, but a nice sharp chalk line that can easily be removed would be ideal. It is certainly a clothes making article. I will ask my mother how she exactly used it.

I googled for 'hem maker' and a picture returned that was revealing to me, I attached it. Now I know better what the pole is for, because to be honest I didn't.

How to make lines with this I was never a mystery to me and is very easy. The red thing is squeezable, and then out comes the chalk from the narrow beak. Hold it onto fabric and and you get nice lines. It's a very straightforward and simple to use item this way.    

YAY! Mom is pleased! And she gave her apple to Judith, for having faith in her.
Apple for J Grouwstra too, for a good game :)  That pair took a while!

I paid .25 cents for this yesterday, I know what I will use it for, does anyone know what it actually is? I have some guesses, but not certainty.









On the bottom picture I tweaked the contrast, trying to show the measurements marks.

It is clearly a measuring guide for when you need equally spaced items. In following with the current theme of sewing, it would be awesome for laying out button holes on a blouse. The measuring guide would be for the diameter of the buttons. My mother used to charge $0.25 per button hole for making them for her friends when she was in high-school, as she'd saved up and bought a Singer Sewing machine with a special attachment for making button holes. In those days, most people had to sew their button holes by hand. Nowadays, it would be a rare person who had a clue how to do so!

I just googled "images" "buttonhole marker" and that's exactly what I found! I've never actually seen one before. I can imagine all sorts of crafts I'd use it for also.

Whoo!!  Apple for Jay Angler!!
I could think of all kinds of craft uses for it too, that's why I picked it up. I was thinking spacing pleats, or dividing lines on paper or wood. It holds still enough when extended to move it and mark the same spacing again.
Cool! Well worth the quarter I pad for it :D Thank you for ID'ing it for me!! :D

Another question from yesterday's shopping... Metal item, most likely stainless steel, small chance it's polished aluminum. About 5 feet long by about 18 inches wide, lip around the entire perimeter about 1 or 1.25 inches.  The "Top" pic shows the surface, the "Bottom' pic is the same section, flipped over. You can see how the lip is folded on the sides (just flat at the ends) and hollow underneath. Maybe sat on something? What was it made for? In my world it's about to become an evaporator tray for a solar water distiller!

Full


Top


Bottom

looks upside - what's on the other side?

That is top and bottom pics. I took the full shot, walked closer, took the top shot, turned it oven, took the bottom shot. If I can draw in ascii... a cross section, top up, would look like this:

Top

/\_________________/\

Bottom


It's shiny metal (grubby, but will be shiny) so it's hard to tell the innie edges from the outies. The top is outie, the bottom is innie :D

Hmmm... cafeteria countertop? The surface that you slide your trays on?

Joylynn Hardesty wrote:Hmmm... cafeteria countertop? The surface that you slide your trays on?

Don't think so, too high of lips at each end. Something food service, I'm sure. It puzzles me. I think I have seen one before.

In the picture, it looks like you're using it like a ramp.

I found this odd thing while I was at a chemistry class today. It looks a bit like a detatched tire tube nozzle except it doesn't have a hole at one end. I have no idea what this thing would connect to.

By the way, any luck identifying the metal sheet?

Pearl Sutton wrote:That is top and bottom pics. I took the full shot, walked closer, took the top shot, turned it oven, took the bottom shot. If I can draw in ascii... a cross section, top up, would look like this:

Top

/\_________________/\

Bottom


It's shiny metal (grubby, but will be shiny) so it's hard to tell the innie edges from the outies. The top is outie, the bottom is innie :D

Looks like something to make pastry/bread/pasta on?

The metal thing:
Ryan M Miller: It wasn't being a ramp, I just pulled it out of the car it was in to pose it. Left it diagonal so it could be seen a bit better, took pics, then popped it back into the car again. Way too thin/light to be a ramp.

F Agricola: Hm, I don't think so, the edges are sharp, would be hard to keep clean if you were working in it, and only 18 inches or so across, not much pastry making space. More likely to be... maybe a part of a display case? The weird profile is puzzling me, it would hold stuff in place, but there's no easy to wipe off edges, so it wouldn't be the top of anything. And it's lightweight, not structural, so it could only be a self supporting shelf it was held on both long edges. Which would be weird because then it's still not a good top, and how would the rest of the cabinet work... Not structural enough to be something that it carried around, and unwieldy, as it's 5 feet long or so. I got it to my car by carrying it on my head, that's about the only way to make it behave. It will make a great solar distiller tray, just puzzles me.  

Ryan: Interesting thing! Is the black line a little rubber gasket?

That little thing reminds me of those metal tips, for fiberglass tent poles - the bendy ones you slide through a fabric pocket, on a tent, that then stick into a little grommet, to keep them in place. I don't know if I'm describing it right, lol. But, there's my 2cents.

Looks like we have a stack of things not identified! The policeman, Ryan's little thing with a hole, my metal shelf... Let's add another to the pile!

At a thrift store today I saw these, they interested me, I pad 50 cents per bundle for them, 3 bundles. Each bundle has 2 of the hooked parts, and one bar. No obvious way to make them hook together solidly, the end hooks on the bar are loose if you hook them over the hooky parts, the spaces aren't the right size to hold, the crack on the bar doesn't let the hooky parts through. They don't seem to work together at all. What on earth did I drag home?! I'm puzzled.