A Mystery Part That Needs ID
By Sean O'Hara
This little mystery part surfaced in reader Mdjordan523’s shop, and he’d like to identify it. The only identifying mark on it is the number 059786 002 stamped into the side, and it’s cast iron — that’s about all he has to go on.
There don’t appear to be any fastener holes in it, so we’re guessing it fits in a larger assembly, but that’s pretty obvious. It looks a little like a transmission lever cover plate off a large tractor or something, but in reality we’ve got no clue.
If you do or would like to hazard a guess, let us and Mdjordan523 know in comments.
Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]
April 9th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
My guess is a spacer or base of some sort. The four areas in each corner is where the bolt could go through to a table etc.
And guessing from the color, it would belong in the Ridgid family.
April 9th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
It almost looks like a weight plate from a home gym I just got rid of. That can’t be it, can it?
April 9th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
It’s a Splinter Block from the Hubs of Hell… see the “H”? Takes a whole bunch’em to hold the Hubs of Hell together, so there’s extras scattered all over Hell.
April 9th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Its my retainer! I lost it in eighth grade on a field trip to a foundry.
April 9th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
No, no, no, it is very obviously the mold for the Honda “H” logo. Look closely and tell me it’s not.
~Kevin
April 9th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
It’s the collagitator from the gibbleflabber on a herglewoffer. Actually it’s an Eskimo ruffian’s brass knuckles, to use with his sealskin mittens.
April 9th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
its a bottle opener prototype, from someone with a lack of visual perspective
April 9th, 2009 at 10:57 pm
This is almost as good as watching the guys on Ask This Old House come up with creative explanations for “what the heck is that” gadgets.
Personally, I think the first two posts are probably most likely to be right.
cl
April 10th, 2009 at 1:59 am
almost looks like part of a bending jig, although I suppose that would be milled, not cast, an would have holes for the bolts to hold the flat in place.
it looks about the same, in terms of construction and quality, as the locking ‘o’s for a weight bench I bought a few years back. maybe the ears on the inside are meant to be tapped and the whole thing can be locked into place inside something else? maybe it slides along some sort of I beam? has anyone checked to see if it will fit over an I beam in such a way that it could slide and maybe used to hang something?
April 10th, 2009 at 9:11 am
is the back notched to accept the small lip on the top? (so it can stack?)
it looks *very* familiar, and all that comes to mind is a balance weight for some sort of machinery. the tapers on the inner edge would allow it to snug fit into something
April 10th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
There is a web site “What is it?” that runs a contest to identify seldom seen objects, not suprising is that they are almost allways tools. My guess for the subject object and the current “What is it?” on http://55tools.blogspot.com/
is that they are both used for tying / handling / guiding /manipulating stranded wire cable, but that’s what I always guess. Allso the one you have is un-used.
April 10th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
It does look like a riser block, maybe for a band saw?
April 10th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
It’s Paul Bunyan’s belt buckle.