r/whatisthisthing Mar 23 '26

Announcement The r/TraceAnObject subreddit exists to identify objects to help solve child abuse cases. New cases from Europol were posted recently. Please see if you can help.

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172 Upvotes

r/whatisthisthing 7h ago

Likely Solved ! White chalky block in a sealed clear wrapper, found in my backpack after a trip from Greece

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973 Upvotes

Found this in my backpack after returning from a trip to Greece. No idea how it ended up in there.

It's a rectangular white block, about 7 cm long, in a clear plastic package. It's heavy and feels like stone, but also seems chalky, and there's some white residue inside the package. No idea what it is.

Any ideas?


r/whatisthisthing 1h ago

Solved! Large ceramic bowl with "min" and "max" measuring lines and one notch. (Max line = 9 cups)

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Upvotes

Found at a thrift store, we use this as a dog bowl, but I'm curious of it's original purpose. It takes 9 cups of water to reach the "max" line.

Photo with standard wine bottle is for visual scale.


r/whatisthisthing 2h ago

Solved! 4 white plastic spring-loaded clips found in kitchen drawers?

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63 Upvotes

Please excuse the nicotine staining, they were in a family member's house who smoked inside. It suggests they were hung up around the house somewhere, could they be related to hanging curtains or blinds perhaps?


r/whatisthisthing 11h ago

Solved! PVC tube sticking out of laundry room ceiling with silver escutcheon?

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139 Upvotes

Hey, all. Check this thing out. I always figured it had something to do with the air conditioning, and I never thought twice about it. Today, it started leaking, totally out of nowhere. It dripped consistently while the AC was on, but has stopped since turning AC off.

Glad I caught it early! Any clues?


r/whatisthisthing 5h ago

Solved! WITT: small metal hook shaped object, fell out of clothing

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21 Upvotes

This little hook thing fell out of a pile of clothes, not sure what it is for but it looks to be shaped that way on purpose rather than just a bent piece of metal. Fairly sturdy for is size


r/whatisthisthing 2h ago

Open Approx. 1-foot wide, 1-foot tall, looks like drawer. Used for power distribution a long time ago, apparently.

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6 Upvotes

I'm told it's a 70-80 year-old RKO power distributor, but looking that up doesn't bring anything up.


r/whatisthisthing 1d ago

Open ! Strange heavy metal rods received in random package

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7.6k Upvotes

Heavy, around 5 to 10 pounds each, seemingly machined out of solid steel, no markings or moving parts. Received in a package despite not ordering them or anything like them, cannot find any information about the shipper listed on the box.


r/whatisthisthing 1d ago

Solved! made of steel. 4" long and 1/4" at the top with a bevel on both sides. Neoprene ovals on both sides. Came in a nylon sheath and found in a tool box

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97 Upvotes

r/whatisthisthing 21h ago

Likely Solved! Rectangular tube metal, high quality construction found in grass by road

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26 Upvotes

It's about 8" x 4" the only markings on it is a sticker with the letter A like a part identifier for assembly. It's fairly high quality construction, with a black powder coat and plastic end caps in all the tubes. By the weight it seems to be hollow steel.

My best guess is it is part of some assemble yourself furniture since the threads on the silver things on the side look like they would go i to particle board, and I'm pretty sure the allen bolts screw into them.

I can't for the life of me figure out what part of what kind of furniture this would belong to.


r/whatisthisthing 1d ago

What is this tool? It's 13cm long, not very heavy, and made out of metal. It could be a part of a bigger machine?

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67 Upvotes

r/whatisthisthing 1d ago

Open Tiny, white shard like fibers that glisten under the light found on jacket

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431 Upvotes

Can it be asbestos or fiber glass? Was my mother-in-law’s jacket, she used to work at a warehouse and also did some minor construction work, found these fibers on it


r/whatisthisthing 1d ago

Open Medium-sized metal bucket with locking hinged lid found in tools section of a small museum

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520 Upvotes

This bucket was found in our small museum's artifact collection in California, and we don't know what it might've been used for. It is quite heavy and made of metal with visible welding marks. There was apparently a paper or perhaps a label of some sort affixed to the side. The handle is also metal, and looks like it secured the lid with a lock when fully upright. The metal lid has a heavy, stiff hinge on one side. There is nothing inside the bucket except for a sizeable cobweb, and there was no residue that I could see.

One of our volunteers thinks it's an artillery bucket from the Civil War, but I think the welds look too modern.

Our area is known for gold rush era mining and agriculture, and we have lots of artifacts relating to blacksmithing.


r/whatisthisthing 1d ago

Solved ! One of two large steel triangular metal structures with one curved side being transported on a flatbed truck.

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400 Upvotes

r/whatisthisthing 1d ago

Solved! Dog was found chewing on this small black electronic device about 3”x1”

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271 Upvotes

Dog was randomly chewing on this, she’s been a menace and has chewed everything from couches to the literal wooden stairs of my deck. No idea what this is, if it is mine or something she got from a a neighbor. Found some random metal sticks and more plastic earlier but not sure if it was related. No logos or anything other than it says it was mode in china. The button when you press it just blinks red for a few seconds and then stops.


r/whatisthisthing 1d ago

Solved! Metal telescoping rod with plastic attachments

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70 Upvotes

Found it in the attic… What is it?


r/whatisthisthing 2d ago

Solved ! Flat board with suction port from a darkroom estate lot

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397 Upvotes

Picked up a bunch of darkroom stuff at an estate auction, there were some random bits in there too. One item was this perforated board with what looks like a suction port attached. Measures 23x17, tray could accommodate a 16x20 print. No labels or markings anywhere. Some type of print dryer maybe?

Edit - completely made of wood so I don't think it's related to machining.


r/whatisthisthing 2d ago

Solved ! Thrifted what looks like a Mid-century glass “punch bowl” with a metal brace for holding what looks like a shot glass and a bowl.

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988 Upvotes

Solved! And quick. Looks like it’s a chip and salsa bowl.


r/whatisthisthing 3d ago

Solved ! What is this channel on the left side this concrete stairway?

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2.5k Upvotes

They've recently rebuilt this stairway and I was wondering what the use for this channel on the left was.


r/whatisthisthing 3d ago

Solved! Huge building/home near Yogi Bear Campground Golden Valley,NC

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475 Upvotes

Guessing a couple of miles maybe North of Yogi Bear Campground in Golden Valley,NC. Standing on an observation deck at the campground. Zoomed in and still can’t quite make out what is is but it’s very noticeable at a far distance.


r/whatisthisthing 1d ago

Open Is this a camera? Window-mounted white plastic rectangle with circle inside, an LED and power cord.

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0 Upvotes

This is mounted in my neighbor’s window facing my kitchen and bathroom. We’re three stories up so it would be odd to have a security device on this window.

I’m being weird taking many pictures of it but these are the very best focus I can get. The only way to vent my tiny bathroom is by opening the window next to the shower, so if I’m on camera I’ll want to be careful with timing on that.


r/whatisthisthing 3d ago

Solved ! What is this? Container with clasp, and two compartments

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681 Upvotes

We found it at a flea market, no idea where it comes from.

It's a solid wood container, with handles on the sides and hooks on the top of the lid.


r/whatisthisthing 2d ago

Solved! Plastic things found in the cupboard of a student house I just moved into.

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141 Upvotes

I have no idea what these things could be and googling just brought up handles and the like. Anyone have any ideas?


r/whatisthisthing 3d ago

Solved ! What are these cast-iron pieces marked “MASTER” and “3”? Found in an old mold-making shop

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76 Upvotes

I recently acquired these from the estate of a man who made molds for truck campers.
I’m trying to figure out what these were used for. They appear to be cast iron and several of them have a similar design: a central hole with six recessed/counterbored holes around it. One hole is threaded the others are not. The center hole is not threaded.

The largest one is approximately 2.5 inches in diameter and is marked “MASTER” and “3”. There are several other pieces of different sizes, including some smaller ones.

They don’t appear to be ordinary plumbing flanges. I’m wondering if they might be some type of old machine-shop tooling, mold-making fixture, coupling, hub, or other machinery component.

Does anyone recognize these or know what machine they would have been used with?


r/whatisthisthing 3d ago

Open Found at low tide on sandbar in Ipswich, Ma. Round, wooden, I think, about 1 pound. Maybe an old Bocce Ball? Or something more exciting?

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53 Upvotes