Life rarely resembles a movie filled with plot twists and turns, but sometimes it still gives us small mysteries to color up our everyday life. The heroes of our today’s article have encountered situations that require some answers.
“Found in the seem of my work T-shirt sewn in.”
“Came home to find this device attached to my front door covering the key lock. What is it and what should I do?”
- We’ve removed the device. It’s an anti lock device to pull out or detach locks, so it was an attempted burglary. Thankfully, they weren’t able to enter. © soupy***rior / Reddit
“I found this egg thing at a beach. It floats in water and is really hard. Also the text says Maxer.”
- It’s an egg surrogate. I’ll use chickens as an example. Sometimes when my chickens lay a fertile egg, they get broody. So my wife will take one of these surrogates and carefully switch it for the real egg and take the real egg to the incubator. That way, the angry chicken can still feel like she’s sitting on her egg, but there is no need to worry about damage due to angry moody chicken. © mechanic461989 / Reddit
“Metal shards inside the shower head of the place I’m renting? What are these and why are they in there?”
- Surely they are solder from copper plumbing. If you overheat the pipes while soldering, long strands like this can form on the inside. Definitely a sign of improper soldering, if that’s what they are. © DabblrDubs / Reddit
“The drop-looking thing is bottom heavy and the wheels turn on the black thing. I can’t seem to understand what or how.”
“A teacher I work with found it at an antique shop in Wisconsin. A wooden device maybe for stretching something or measuring?”
- Actually, this is now so commonly confused as being a hat stretcher, that they are now reproduced and sold as ones. And yes they can be used as such, but they are not originally designed for this purpose. And this antique one wasn’t made for that. To add to the confusion, the real name is also similar.
This is actually called a band stretcher. This device locks inside a brim block and holds the material tight inside the block while it is steamed. The size indication is a safety feature meant so you do not overstretch and break your brim block. © StefanLeenaars / Reddit
“What are these things? They are cast iron and found exactly like this.”
“Leather strap with 2 cup-shaped objects, probably lead, attached with holes in. Found in a 16th-century English farm house.”
“A 7-inch wooden post in front of toilet. What is it?”
“We finally figured it out. Outside this picture is a shower with glass door, the post is a door stop for the shower door.”
“This slide-looking thing on the playground. It’s raised in the middle, and clearly not a slide.”
“Thrown into our garden — pink modelling clay (or something similar) surrounding a metallic bullet-shaped item. What is it?”
“I was given this small silver object as a pre-wedding gift with no explanation. It has small lines engraved on it.”
- This is a miniature sterling silver wedding vase. The nozzles symbolize husband and wife, and the patterns symbolize the couple’s journey. © Sparky81 / Reddit
“What is this plate / serving dish? It has a handle attached on top and a very small cup in the middle. Never seen one before.”
“What is this spoon with a tong-like attachment? Seen in an antique store in Lyon, France.”
- It is a spoon designed to separate the fat from the sauce, called “cuillère dégraisseuse.” You scoop up the sauce, hold the spoon above your succulent meat and depress the spring: the good juices fall through the hole until you release the tension, et voilà. © JFCarter / Reddit
“Strange substance appears on kitchen walls. Any ideas what this is? I’ve wiped it off before and it reappears.”
- Since it’s a rental, is your landlord entering and baiting for bugs? When our building had roaches, they would place bait in the kitchen cabinets, and it looked like that! © christinecat / Reddit
- That is definitely what it is! We’ve had German roach problems (I’m moving out thank goodness) but I was never told they’d bait it. Thank you, I’ve been so confused. © -ag-girl / Reddit
“Found this during a home inspection. What is it?”
“My many-years-old rain jacket has a smooth, somewhat flexible, seemingly plastic object sewn into the upper arm of the right sleeve only. What is it?”
And here are some life hacks that can simplify your life.