"My Poor Little Sister Was 3": These 31 People Found Some Really Weird Objects They Couldn't Identify, And I NEVER Would Have Figured Out What They Were Without The Internet's Help

"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."

—arvidsem

"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."

—tomrlutong

"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."

—SignificantDrawer374

"This is the answer. I use them daily."

—ducanusthespaceanus

"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."

—Freak_Engineer

"Definitely the inside of a Clover Vertica used by Starbucks."

—D1553N7

"Clover vertical boiler assembly. They develop leaks and are replaced as a unit."

—Ok-Relationship3153

"Billiard cue clamp, for repairing the tips of billiard cues."

—_zatoichi

"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."

—PKsHopper

"Old style 'breeder box' missing the dowels and mesh. Hangs in the tank to protect young fish from the adults."

—Jet3lack

"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."

—A-Wolf-4099

"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."

—Carcinog3n

"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."

—babayfish

"It's a planimeter. You use it to measure the area of a shape. Very cool."

—Betty_Boss

"Keuffel & Esser is an American company founded by Germans in 1867. Always precise. Always professional. Quality drafting instruments. A really nice piece."

—DamnedOldGoat

"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."

—corwinw

"Looks like the CRTs from a rear projection TV."

—Infamous-Umpire-2923

"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."

—Paladin5890

"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."

—87harrison87

"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."

—kermityfrog

"It's a bulb for a thermostat. It operates a switch based on pressure in the bulb."

—modinegrunch

"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."

—how_about_no_scott

"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."

—c0813

"It's fiberglass! Don't inhale that!"

—Teerendog

"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."

—zombiejuliet