Does anyone have a clue???

[d2]

A friend of mine found this in an old house he bought. It is a brass ball that is hollow. There are two caps, one on either side that are threaded. I dont know how much it weighs, a pound or so, but since I have seen it it's driving me crazy. I will appreciate an educated guess or a WAG. Thanks...d2

 

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[Silver]

Shot put

 

[creskol]

Shot put

I agree .. a brass shot put!

 

[taz42o]

looks to small for shotput , 2.5"?

 

[d2]

It's not much bigger than a baseball so I dont think it's a shotput...d2

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Old sports shot put. Awesome~

We know for a fact, it wasn't a cannonball. Civil War cannonballs were never made of steel or brass

 

[d2]

Could it be a brass ball off of a govenor on a steam engine. I know there is supposed to be two but I cant find a picture of how they are attached. This thing is as hollow as a gourd...d2

 

[taz42o]

It's not much bigger than a baseball so I dont think it's a shotput...d2

If its bigger than a baseball ( 2.8-2.9 inches) then it is probably a shot put ball ( 6 lb. brass shot put ball 110 mm or 4.3 inches). In you pic it only looks 2.5 inches. shot put balls usually had two holes for a spanner wrench or a slot like a flathead screw in the plugs. I dont think its a governor ball.

 

[d2]

There are two plugs, one for each side...d2

 

[creskol]

Anybody seen the Brass Monkey .. Where did that brass monkey go??

 

[heathm]

looks like a bed post globe

 

[Monty]

Door knob with cylinder locking mechanism missing? Monty

 

[Old Town]

Boys, 4-H has this correct. It's a shot put. You can get these in brass in sizes running from about 90mm to about 110mm diameter. You fill them with lead "shot" to vary the weight in training. Light early in season and up to specs later on. I ran track in high school and did a version of the decathlon. Have used this very same 2-plugged brass shot put. Why 2 holes and not one is mystery to me. But it's what 4-H says it is.

OT

 

[LandStar]

The caps have O-Rings on them, so the ball was meant to be water tight...A float of some kind Would it float

HH,

 

[Old Town]

It's a shot put. If it were horse and somebody called it a turtle wouldn't you be a little flustered? Enough with the guessing. We know what it is. The O-rings are there to keep water out when used in wet conditions like a rained-on field. You do not want any foreign matter inside a regulation shot put used in competition. Not even a few drops of water. They actually weigh these things at state matches to the fraction of a gram.

If you don't believe it's a shot put, Google "brass shot puts" They've got lots of nice photos just like the OP provided.


OT

 

[Monty]

But are you really sure it's not a cannon ball or a doorknob? Hell, I was just guessing anyway! Monty

 

[shaun7]

Monty, I'm as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow. If someone stuck a .45 acp round under your nose and another person said it was for a .458 Winchester, how would feel after telling the goofball it was a .45 acp pistol round several times?

The poster I was frustrated with chimed in after 4-H nailed it and I reinforced the item twice. He, the poster I'm annoyed by, then wrote in again with a stupid point thinking a shot put was a float of some kind. A thick brass ball as a float.

I went on to say I'd actually used this very same item with two plug holes and further explained why it had to be waterproof. Then I suggested he go look it up. None of this was done. If the annoying poster is not going to read all the other poster's answers than he is lazy. Or if he does read them but chooses to ignore the obvious correct answer, he is both lazy and stupid.

Have seen this kind of thing several times on this forum. We have some good CW guys who know their stuff. I'm blown away by some of the ordinance experts. I don't know cannonballs but I do know shot puts. This is a shot put.

You came in well before I positively backed up 4-H who had it right coming out of the gate. Now I'll say this one more time for anyone who finds me annoying: Go Google brass shot puts. You'll even find the exact model name and maker as in the photo by 4-H (I think 4-H provided a photo) You will see that although I might be overbearing on this issue, I'm correct, or I should say, 4-H is correct - It's a shot put.

Correction, Silver had it correct first. Then 4-H, and then me. Three people and not good enough.

Old Town

I see the green check and I googled brass shot puts and I agree but I have 2 questions if you dont mind. You stated that "You can get these in brass in sizes running from about 90mm to about 110mm diameter." Since 90 mm = 3 inches and this shot put is only about 2 inches dia., do you still stand by your ID?

Second question where are the spanner wrench holes? Just curious.

At least we know its not an "urgent exploding cannonball." Hmmmmm.
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,251347.0.html

That would be 75mm=3"

 

[shaun7]

That would be 75mm=3"

Thanks. I guess i used a bad conversion ink. 90mm = ? 3.54330709 inches?

This brass ball is about 2 to2-1/4 inches so the same questions still apply.

That's more like it

 

[oldcoon]

Could that ball carry enough weight to be s shot put?
When I went to high school, many moons ago,
we putted a 12 pound shot.
It was solid iron and about the size of a softball.
In college and international competition, the last I knew, they putted a 16 pound shot.
It was solid iron and maybe a little bit bigger than a softball.
If that object is a shot put, its a new one on me.
I have never heard of, let alone seen, a shot put you could 'open' up.​

 

[Old Town]

cypress, I swore to god I'd stay out of this further. But you might be on to something.

OT