What is this??

[delle]

This morning, as I was dusting the ever-undusted, I realized that I have things here I'd like to know more about.

The unfortunate thing about wanting to know more, is that you need to know ENOUGH to search for the answer. You can't enter a picture in google...... and if you don't have the proper words, you're not going to get very far.


So after not finding the answers, I thought I'd come to you, the diversely well-versed of Eplaya, to see if I could get -- if not the answer -- at least clues that would help in my searches.

And rather than just posting it in the bar, I thought it might be an interesting thing to see All Eplaya's Chillen's Crazy Shit for us to try and figure out.


So here's my first Thing:



I've been trying to find out the talismans' significance. Although I've got the Hamsa down, the two others have me flummoxed.


Clues anyone?

[ygmir]

great idea, Delle!
This could be a fun thread.

a bigger photo would help, at least speaking for myself there.

[delle]

And then there's this thing, which my lovely bought from the church basement the other day for a buck, just because he couldn't figure out what it was (well, that, and also because if you take off the bottom "lid", it makes a cool helmet)



Ideas?

[ygmir]

And then there's this thing, which my lovely bought from the church basement the other day for a buck, just because he couldn't figure out what it was (well, that, and also because if you take off the bottom "lid", it makes a cool helmet)



Ideas?

is it metal? about how big?
I bet it's a cake mold...........or an "Iron Maiden" for cats.

[delle]

Iron Maiden for cats



My cat Larry is glaring at me right now. The look clearly says "don't even think about it, bitch".


Lucky for Larry he's been too big to be shoved in there since hit about the age of one.

It's 9.5 inches long, 7.5" at its widest and about 4.5" at its tallest.
And yes. Metal.



Strange about the pics being too small. When I posted them, no matter how I reduced them, they were too large to fit fully in my post-window. Strange.

[TomServo]

The first one looks like battlefield art. I see grenade pins? Potato masher pull cords with ceramic beads? and..maybe pretty shrapnel?

[delle]

Nice, Tom!

I'm now considering calling it the "Rorschach necklace".

[delle]

I'm pretty sure that the "beads" are actually chestnuts. Kinda large.

The Hamsa (the one in the middle that looks like a hand), is a protection amulet.




For now tho, I'm just going to yell "RAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRR" at it everytime I look in its direction. In your honour, Tom.

[FIGJAM]

Want your man to go shoe shopping and tender loving care ain't workin?

Latch onto him with this damn thing and hang on!!!!!!

He WILL follow you anywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Caution: Whimpering, screaming, and fainting may become anoying!



















Iron maiden for a snake?

You tell me.

Don't show this to TrishNtek!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[gyre]

Corn?

[TomServo]

Corn?

that device was the predecessor to these..


...so you could hold on to your corn.

[MyDearFriend]

Mr. Figjam sir I believe my uncle had a similar device mounted on the corn crib at his farm. We used it to prepare food for his pigs.

Delle my dear I have seen that melon-shaped thing in my dreams.

[gyre]

Corn sheller.

[Bin Noddin]

The second item might be a betel nut container from Thailand, Cambodia or Laos. The are made from tin or silver, come in many sizes, and often are shaped like fruits or animals. Can you show a picture of it open?

[delle]

Well that was exciting!

I snapped the pic for you, Bin, but with the flash it looked exactly like it did in the first.... the old concave or convex illusion.

The Rounded part of the tin is identical on the inside. The flat bottom is just flat.
There are no markings of any kind on it, inside or out.

[delle]

Here's the first one again, bigger. Hopefully not too much bigger. I'm having a hard time judging eventual size of a picture even when previewed (which always shows it too me as too large)



As mentioned, what looks like beads are really chestnuts. The metal pieces are each about 3inches long.








Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd.... in the meantime I've discovered what the box is.
If you want to know, I'll tell you.
If you prefer hints, I'll play.

Straight out seems like a bit of a shame!

[Patsh]

I'm guessing it's a dessert mold, or for aspic of some sort.

Am I close?

[TomServo]

I still say antique grenade fragments

[Patsh]

I still say antique grenade fragments

(I meant the second photo of Delle's, the 'helmet' thing,
not the necklace...)

[mgb327]

Pudding mold and corn sheller...

[delle]

Yep.

Jiggly it is.


When we found out both kids went Ewwwwww. It seems pretty gross.
By all accounts tho, gelatin sets more quickly in metal molds.

I'm sure we can put it to another use.

[Eric]

Delle- on your necklace the two outer pieces look like a form of penannular brooch, with the Hand of Fatima it makes me lean towards a Middle Eastern origin. The "cross" looks familiar, but I can't think of a name for it.

The red beads could also be red amber, or a plastic imitation of red amber. Easy way to test- heat a pin, and poke into the material inside one of the holes where it's not visible. If it smells like pine resin, it's very likely amber (some really sophisticated imitations actually make fake amber with the pine scent, but those tend to be for up-market pieces)

[Eric]

Ah, found it! The cross is an Ethiopian cross

[delle]

OMG, Eric -- You found it! Thank you!!!


And this gives me more words to do the searches with for the intriguing last piece. Yay!!


Going to do the pin-test pronto, as on closer reflection they're not chestnuts at all (what was I even thinking there).

[delle]

Melt test is a bust for this morning. I'll have to try again later. Heated the pin to red-hot, but it's not melting.


And I know now without a doubt the answer to "what was I thinking". Although on any type of closer-than-across-the-room inspection they are definitely not chestnuts, some emotional part of my brain just clicked on that concept and wouldn't let it go -- no matter how often I've held this thing in my hands and caressed them.

Strange, but...

When we were kids in Montreal, we lived near a park that had slews of chestnut trees. Conkers was a favorite game. When a scourge came through and killed them all, some part of me was lost. I guess what happened was that thinking that they were chestnuts soothed a part of that loss, and gave me a little touchstone to a more innocent time.

Funny how the brain works sometimes.......

[theCryptofishist]

I'm not sure american (that is from the us) children even know what conkers is. Of course, maybe it's not CA children...

[ygmir]

conk, is what my dad did to me, upside my head, with his shillelagh when I got in trouble...........

[illy dilly]

O man!
This thread is gonna be fun!
I currently don't have anything that I don't know what it is.

BUT from now on, when I'm at a yard sale or a thrift store when I see something I can't explain, instead of picking it up and toying with it for a minute, I'm going to buy it, and post it here!

[Trishntek]

Adding corn sheller to my want-list for my toy box

[FIGJAM]

Adding corn sheller to my want-list for my toy box

You can have mine!

I'll bring it to you on playa.