fakeer
Jr. Member
So I found the mystery object in a park next to a tree.
As seen in the photos, it was completely caked in sediment and a black substance. I took a preliminary wack at the chunk with my digger to see if I could expose the metal and where it broke off, a black liquid trickled out. I assumed it was some type of sap or honey as I found it near a tree and bagged it for later inspection.
At home, I hammered off the rock build-up and since I kept the formation under running water during this process, the black substance began softening up. I took a flat head screwdriver and managed to pry off all the gooey black substance which I realized must be some type of tar. And then I realized the black liquid I saw after my test-wack must have been oil.
Anyway, enough background.
The object is made of brass I presume and must weigh a couple pounds. There's a primary hollow fitting, a ball and socket type joint on one end and a quasi hook on the other. There are two square terminal style pieces on the hook end where it seems something would clip or slide in. There are a series of five notches present on the bottom. One of the edges contains the inscription "536862.ST."
In light of the tar/oil, I guess this thing must have been used for some petrochemical related purpose. Either that or there was an oil pocket nearby. Eureka!
And sorry for the illogical photo sequence - not sure what's going on there.
