What is it? Set 475

2766 Wax melts, rubber O-rings compress into metal part, and the part drops. --Part of an unreliable fire prevention mechanism? Or as part of a thermostat on something like a carburetor (that wasn't used so often that it bothered the owner to replace the wax piece often)?

Bill

Thats what I thought, but there are no grooves for the O rings to sit in.

It's like the O rings are only to loosely "clamp" the outer metal bit to the white nylon looking inner part.

Good guess, harness cutter is correct. The last one is still unidentified but the rest of the answers have been posted here:

Rob

I thought I posted this twelve hours ago but it looks like I forgot to hit send, found this post when I got back on my computer this morning. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Is the challenger ever going to confess?

I hate answering these things since I'm usually wrong but I swear to god, I had that in my hand one time. Exactly the same thing, the 2 o-rings, the plastic hub thing.

I've been racking my brain trying to remember but I'm sort of sure it's actually a hinge of sorts.

I think a metal rod goes into the white cap thing, the o-rings are just for tension for the cap and the cone end fits into a pocket, like a peice of wood or something.

I just keep associating it with something I was putting together, like a desk or drawer assembly, maybe from IKEA.

It was used for a flap or something, to give it a smooth feel while it was being lifted.

Even if I'm totally off, it's from some common household item, not some tool that 5 of was made or anything like that.

So I'm saying it's a hinge.

-bruce snipped-for-privacy@ripco.com

Huh? Ink wells? I saw "palm gavel" and the block:

I'm going to revise my answer a bit.

It's still a hinge of sorts but what I think it's from is a blind assembly of sorts.

The next door neighbor has a Subaru wagon and in the rear compartment there is a detachable blind of sorts. It's meant to hide anything you have back there.

Besides pulling out like a ventian blind, it's also detachable and I think that is what the cones are for. The cone ends snap into a couple of nylon holders and that white plastic part is connected to a rod which connects to the spring/lock mechanism. The whole part squeezes into a hollow tube.

Either that or the visor assembly for the driver/passenger sun blinds.

So I'm sticking with "hinge" but for automotive use rather than furniture.

But I'm sure now, it's from a blind assembly.

-bruce snipped-for-privacy@ripco.com

A wider shot of the museum display is at the address below, I think the one on the left is glass, then pottery, and the last one which looks somewhat like a gavel block is wood, I'm guessing the top part is a lid.

The person who was challenged sounded like he was determined to find an answer, no matter if it takes all year. I figure we'll get the answer sooner or later.

I'll send your ideas to the guy trying to figure it out and will post his reply when I receive it.

I heard back from the guy trying to solve this item, the challenger said that it's not part of a hinge or car partition blind.

It's not entirely dissimilar to the working end of a solder sucker.

Thanks, Rob. I neglected to post my guess, this week. Just off in space some where.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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Good guess, harness cutter is correct. The last one is still unidentified but the rest of the answers have been posted here:

Rob

Well, I wouldn't believe all you've been told, necessarily... :)

W/ the o-rings it has to fit into something; otherwise they can serve no purpose whatever. It can't be a tight needle valve because the elongated grooves won't completely seal.

The O-rings could simply be to hold the nylon bearing. I'm sure the point must to support something steadily.

D

Perhaps to balance something - similar to a bubble balancer for tires.

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Well, how would it do that other than by being a balanced on the outside if it isn't part of anything else?

And, Rob just said the center isn't nylon by a soft silicone...

Unless it's a viscosity or similar related test element, I've no real clew...

Is the outer machined Al as it appears, Rob? I notice there appears to be a groove around the tip of the center piece at the bottom end--does it fit a rounded bottom internally? What's the actual shape of the indention in the top end of that piece--

I don't know that these give me any ideas but perhaps it might raise thought or two...

Yes, the guy said that without the o-rings the silicone piece falls out.

I sent your questions to the owner and will post his reply when I receive it.

Here is the reply that I just got from the owner:

The outer appears to be anodized machined aluminum, although others have thought that it might be titanium alloy. (I think the former more likely.) The centre piece appears to be a simple silicone/rubber cap, I don't see a groove. Yes, it looks like it fits a rounded end internally, although not necessarily I guess. The inside of the silicone cap is rounded, as is the outside, and the inside of the aluminum piece.