# What is this “Tool” used for?



## Voxman (Sep 4, 2016)

Found 2 of these buried around my house in 2 different locations a few feet from my concrete block wall. They weren’t buried very deep and not found with anything else around them. I don’t know if they are a tool for masonry or some other odd use. Forgive me if I fail to get the photo loaded...it seems I’m too dumb to figure it out. I’ll keep trying.








Thanks!
Gary


----------



## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

Hi Gary. No real idea but the steps make me think it could be related to snapping a line for mason work. My snarky answer was, it's a penny with a fish below it.

Sorry,
Bud


----------



## fireguy (May 3, 2007)

Bud9051 said:


> Hi Gary. No real idea but the steps make me think it could be related to snapping a line for mason work. My snarky answer was, it's a penny with a fish below it.
> 
> Sorry,
> Bud


A fish? Look again. I see a face. See the eyebrow? The nose, mouth and the chin?


----------



## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

I see some letters but can't quite make them out. ??

Bud


----------



## Voxman (Sep 4, 2016)

By the way, it is made of heavy metal with like a heavy painted/porcelain coating. It says "MADE IN CHINA" . Still a mystery to me.


----------



## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)




----------



## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

My guess is that it's some type of spacer.


----------



## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

Or remains of a lost child's toy.


----------



## DexterII (Jul 14, 2010)

Not being sure myself I can't rule out the possibility of a fish, so just to be safe would probably keep them on the porch for now. I like fish, both catching and eating, but wouldn't care to have fish cent lingering around the house for too long.


----------



## t.carpenter00 (Jan 23, 2018)

Neal, that's a good picture of Milwaukee's new cordless chainsaw. 

Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk


----------



## ron45 (Feb 25, 2014)

The writing says made in china.

Looks like a step off of a carburetor. 

Something along this maybe.?


----------



## ron45 (Feb 25, 2014)

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=278191


----------



## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

Maybe a parking brake pawl off an older Ford tractor. Marksr???

Scratch that. "Made in China".


----------



## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

My NAA doesn't have a parking brake [wish it did] but I think the 'paw' does look something like that. maybe aftermarket from China ???


----------



## CaptTom (Dec 31, 2017)

Easy. That's called a "penny." We used to use them for currency, but they're essentially worthless now. Someone probably dropped it, and figured it wasn't worth the effort to bend over and pick it up.

But what is that orange thing next to it?


----------



## CaptTom (Dec 31, 2017)

Problem solved. Google image search found your answer:


----------



## CaptTom (Dec 31, 2017)

I really was trying to find an answer using Google. Obviously the penny was making it think "coin purse." So I cropped the photo, leaving just the mystery tool.

Google gave it a good try, but seems to have strayed even farther from the mark this time. But it wasn't completely ready to let go of the purse idea:


----------



## t.carpenter00 (Jan 23, 2018)

What about a riving knife finger? Maybe off of a cheap table saw? 

Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk


----------



## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

I always use Google images to try to find answers to that type of post. BTW, that was a funny post about the penny. Anyway, the fact that it was found near the block wall & that there were 2 of them caused me to guess that it was a spacer but when I googled concrete block spacers, google images didn't match. The carb step guess sounded good but there wouldn't have been 2 of them.


----------



## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

If you cut the penny out of the picture google best guess is inflatable or plastic boat gas tank.


----------



## cee3peeoh (Sep 12, 2017)

Since you found two, could they be cheap antikickback pawls?


----------



## l_n_r_carrs (Jun 23, 2018)

Duh, some great ideas guys. That thing about a step is good, looks like it could be a gauge for something, probably not a carb because it's it's covered in porcelain. Still scratching my head on this one.


----------



## CaptTom (Dec 31, 2017)

Wow, you've really stumped the experts!

I didn't realize it was porcelain, I thought it was a plastic coating. But the "Made in China" markings mean it's probably not too ancient.

How far apart did you find them? Could they be a pair of parts off one mechanism? Or far apart, suggesting something so common that someone lost two during a job?


----------



## Voxman (Sep 4, 2016)

Here’s a few more clues to my mystery “doodad”. Found these less than a foot underground in same general area within 10ft of each other. I was digging about 2-3 ft. from my foundation wall. House built in 2007. Located in central Florida. The “eye” of the “fish” is filled with rust so at one time there was a clear hole through it. I have a decent knowledge of construction and tools used but there is nothing I can remotely connect this thing to any one use. I lean towards masonary work but can’t imagine how it was used. It’s possible I guess that it came inside something like a window but not needed after window installed. Couldn’t be very important to worker if I found 2 of them discarded/lost. Then I thought of roofers too. They’re bright orange so that would indicate to me if dropped, one could readily find it in the dirt. Of course all this is assumption that it is even a tool....
Still it’s a complete mystery to me.

Thanks 
Gary

P.S. you may be shocked, but NOBODY at Lowe’s or Home Depot has any idea at all.


----------



## cee3peeoh (Sep 12, 2017)

Are you sure it's porcelain? Might it be a thick enamel?

Porcelain is too fragile for tool usage. It is more used for food preparation. When I think of porcelain I think of the 30's through the 50's cookware. Porcelain can take heat so maybe that's a clue. Possibly a cooking rack adjustment on a grill?


----------



## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

cee3peeoh said:


> Are you sure it's porcelain? Might it be a thick enamel?
> 
> Porcelain is too fragile for tool usage. It is more used for food preparation. When I think of porcelain I think of the 30's through the 50's cookware. Porcelain can take heat so maybe that's a clue. Possibly a cooking rack adjustment on a grill?


 You got me thinking and I found this shape (tongs)


----------



## Voxman (Sep 4, 2016)

I’m probably wrong about it being porcelain. It’s makes more sense to be heavy enamel paint. Because I’m up right now at 3:39 am, I just thought of putting this up for sale on eBay to see if anyone might know what it is. Any websites you all can suggest putting this on that would reach a large number of people? I tried Facebook but got nothing.
Thanks 
Gary


----------



## Voxman (Sep 4, 2016)

Totally off subject but why does the time stamp on the threads appear to be about 5 hours off ?
Just wondering!


----------



## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

Voxman said:


> Totally off subject but why does the time stamp on the threads appear to be about 5 hours off ?
> Just wondering!


 Go to user CP and options and check the time zone you are in. if you change it remember to go down the bottom and save the changes.


----------



## FrodoOne (Mar 4, 2016)

Nealtw said:


> Go to user CP and options and check the time zone you are in. if you change it remember to go down the bottom and save the changes.


Thanks for that.

I realised that the default "Time Zone" was ITC/GMT but I was not aware of the change available in "Options".


----------



## cee3peeoh (Sep 12, 2017)

Voxman said:


> I’m probably wrong about it being porcelain. It’s makes more sense to be heavy enamel paint. Because I’m up right now at 3:39 am, I just thought of putting this up for sale on eBay to see if anyone might know what it is. Any websites you all can suggest putting this on that would reach a large number of people? I tried Facebook but got nothing.
> Thanks
> Gary


The only problem with eBay is whatchagointacallit?


----------



## t.carpenter00 (Jan 23, 2018)

Hey, can you send a picture with it flipped over the other direction? Just the opposite of the 1st picture? 

Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk


----------



## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

I can't find an image to prove it but I betting on the anchor for a mason's line. They build the corners and then run a string from corner to corner to keep the block run straight.


----------



## deamer1 (Oct 17, 2018)

I suspect that it is a part of the forms used to pour a basement/wall etc. They are placed to help hold the concrete forms in place during the pour and curing. Then taken out (breaking/bending/or possibly pulling them out) to remove the concrete forms. 

When a section of a concrete form is placed it is then pinned through the hole to hold it in place. Each section of the forms would have multiple pinned places. When the forms are removed....Sometimes the clean up isn't as good as it should be. 

Just a thought for you. Enjoy your week!


Deamer1


----------



## t.carpenter00 (Jan 23, 2018)

They're called masonry line blocks. And they kind of look like blocks. They are L-shaped and do not have teeth on them. If you look at that picture it has very dull teeth, a hole for a hinge or a pivot, and the angle is a stop. The question is obvious oh, what is it. But it is not anything to do with masonry or concrete specifically.

Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk


----------



## CaptTom (Dec 31, 2017)

I keep coming back to concrete form parts, but have come up blank pulling that thread. But the line blocks made me think of something else.

This might help jog someone's memory.

What if the two of them were opposite each other in some device? My mind jumped to "cam cleats" used on sailboats. Obviously this isn't it, but maybe there's something out there with a similar function.









Grasping at straws here.


----------



## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

CaptTom's reply makes my ole mind wonder of they were used to secure a blaze orange safety tape in some manner. Pivots to allow the tape to slide through to tighten but latches in reverse.


----------



## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

I'm starting to think that it was made by Leggo.


----------



## ZTMAN (Feb 19, 2015)

That is not a tool. It is West Virginia dental floss.

Truth be told, the tooth brush was invented in WV. If it was invented in any other state, it would have been called a teeth brush. :biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2:


----------



## cee3peeoh (Sep 12, 2017)

Looking at the item it is obviously made to hold something but not mar it because the teeth are rounded not sharp.


----------



## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

Talking about teeth, the bottom tooth on it is at a different angle than the other teeth. That must mean something.


----------



## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

Guap0_ said:


> Talking about teeth, the bottom tooth on it is at a different angle than the other teeth. That must mean something.


 overbite.:biggrin2:


----------



## t.carpenter00 (Jan 23, 2018)

That rusty spot is the head of a rivet. 

Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk


----------



## l_n_r_carrs (Jun 23, 2018)

I think maybe take it or send a picture to a plumbing shop or shops, Electricians/appliance repair shops, Lawnmower shops. Is there such a thing as a (what is this weird thing.com).


----------



## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

> I think maybe take it or send a picture to a plumbing shop or shops,


Don't forget Mattel, Leggo & FAO Schwarz. Toys R Us are gone so forget about them.


BTW, I think that the hole is so that it pivots on a flat surface & the teeth lock into something.


----------



## RockyMtBeerMan (Dec 12, 2018)

Looks like an anti-kickback part for a saw or router; would need to be be spring-loaded.


----------



## Voxman (Sep 4, 2016)

Here is a few more photos of object.
I tend to think a plumb line device used in mason work but like everyone else I can’t find anything remotely like it on any web search.


----------



## CaptTom (Dec 31, 2017)

I can't do a proper graphic right now, but imagine putting the 2nd part opposite the first, in a mirror-image position, both riveted to some sort of base, and spring-loaded to keep them together

Something (cable? string? wire? rope? metal rod?) is threaded between them. It can be pulled one way, but the teeth hold it from going back the other way as long as there's any tension on it. Like the sailor's "cam cleat" I posted earlier.


----------

