# What is this object?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 30, 2015, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886 "2015-06-30T18:26:19Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2015, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/21 "2015-06-30T22:17:32Z")
Over at Internations Skeptics, they’re arguing that it’s a control for bell ringing. I suppose there could be two sets of bells, one with 5 bells and the other with 3, and only certain ring orders would go together. I suppose that’s possible, but I’m skeptical as to how this wheel would control that and why you wouldn’t have controls that would give more flexibility instead of being limited to twelve sequences.
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### Author:  [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2015, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/22 "2015-06-30T22:31:05Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#):
>
> Oh, yeah! Didn’t that air back around, um, post five?
It’s a rerun
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### Author:  [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2015, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/23 "2015-06-30T22:31:38Z")
> [@am77494](#):
>
> It looks like an embossing / labeling wheel to me. It could be used to stamp serial number on parts or steel plates. It could be part of a multi-wheel stamper where different wheels could be aligned to produce different strings of numbers. The redundancy could be there to reduce the rotation needed to change numbers or to keep using the wheel even when some numbers wore off.
The numbers are all readable (not mirror-image) as shown in the photo. If this were some kind of a stamp or prehistoric Dymo labeler, then the numbers would be in mirror-image form. Unless the photo itself has been reversed.
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2015, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/24 "2015-06-30T22:42:37Z")
It’s a numeri metallumrota
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### Author:  [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2015, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/25 "2015-06-30T23:27:43Z")
> [@davidm](#):
>
> [http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/imagehosting/48608559291655bb2a.jpg](http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/imagehosting/48608559291655bb2a.jpg)
>
> From a thread here: [http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=295095](http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=295095)
The thread link isn’t working for me - what forum of the international skeptics board is this thread in (I can read threads there without a problem)?
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### Author:  [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2015, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/26 "2015-06-30T23:54:02Z")
It’s under: _International Skeptics Forum » Members Only » Forum Community » What’s this thing?_
Maybe you’re having trouble because it’s under “Members Only”? I didn’t realize that when I posted it here.
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### Author:  [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2015, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/27 "2015-06-30T23:59:23Z")
More views!
[ ](http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/imagehosting/4860855931a2571c3a.jpg)
[ ](http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/imagehosting/4860855931a2558b26.jpg)
[ ](http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/imagehosting/4860855931a25687c3.jpg)
I’m doubling down on my claim that it’s a free standing device rather than part of another machine.
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### Author:  [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2015, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/28 "2015-07-01T00:05:25Z")
I’ll add that the person in who has it does not know what it is? It was found in a basement or an attic or something.
It might be helpful to know where it was found. If it was found in a bell tower, for example.
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### Author:  [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2015, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/29 "2015-07-01T00:10:22Z")
Total guess, but could it be used to keep track of a pattern when operating a loom or a knitting machine? The notches in the edge could be used to advance the wheel as the machine cycled.
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### Author:  [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2015, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/30 "2015-07-01T00:11:44Z")
> [@davidm](#):
>
> It’s under: _International Skeptics Forum » Members Only » Forum Community » What’s this thing?_
>
> Maybe you’re having trouble because it’s under “Members Only”? I didn’t realize that when I posted it here.
Yeah, I bet that’s the problem. Ah well.
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### Author:  [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2015, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/31 "2015-07-01T00:20:33Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#):
>
> Yeah, I bet that’s the problem. Ah well.
You could always join. It’s free (at least I don’t recall paying to join).
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### Author:  [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2015, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/32 "2015-07-01T00:26:44Z")
> [@Kevbo](#):
>
> Total guess, but could it be used to keep track of a pattern when operating a loom or a knitting machine? The notches in the edge could be used to advance the wheel as the machine cycled.
I could be wrong but that edge looks more decorative than functional to me. They don’t seem deep enough to prevent slippage.
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### Author:  [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2015, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/33 "2015-07-01T00:27:44Z")
> [@davidm](#):
>
> You could always join. It’s free (at least I don’t recall paying to join).
Maybe I will (another password/user id!)
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### Author:  [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2015, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/34 "2015-07-01T00:31:04Z")
> [@davidm](#):
>
> I’ll add that the person in who has it does not know what it is? It was found in a basement or an attic or something.
>
> It might be helpful to know where it was found. If it was found in a bell tower, for example.
Wow, did I screwup that first sentence. Obviously I meant to say that the person who has it does not know what it is.
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### Author:  [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2015, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/35 "2015-07-01T00:36:35Z")
This does not appear to be a giant grid sphere at all.
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### Author:  [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2015, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/36 "2015-07-01T00:46:30Z")
> [@AndrewL](#):
>
> This does not appear to be a giant grid sphere at all.
Well then we can rule that out.
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### Author:  [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2015, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/37 "2015-07-01T00:48:32Z")
There’s a small contingent on the other board that seem to think it involves liquified owls. I’m skeptical.
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2015, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/38 "2015-07-01T00:52:09Z")
> [@AndrewL](#):
>
> This does not appear to be a giant grid sphere at all.
It could be a piece of one.
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### Author:  [@Nefario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefario)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2015, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/39 "2015-07-01T01:04:13Z")
- It doesn’t seem to be free spinning; that’s a VERY heavy spring under the screw which would seem to provide friction.
- It seems to be complete and intended to be freestanding.
- Those were never gear teeth, I think just serrations to turn the wheel or decorative.
- The inner ring of numbers contains 2X every iteration of the numbers 1-2-3.
- The outer ring only contains numbers 1-5 (obviously!). The factorial of 5 is 120 and we have 12 divisions. Not sure what all that means… :rolleyes:
How 'bout some type of numbers or lottery game where one sticks their hand through a curtain. turns the wheel blindly, and “draws” the number they stopped on? The holes could be finger holes to give the player a feeling of how they turned the wheel. I don’t see any logical sequence in the 1-5 numbers which leads to my theory of making a blind choice within a limited range of numbers.
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### Author:  [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2015, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/40 "2015-07-01T01:05:23Z")
> [@davidm](#):
>
> Well then we can rule that out.
But perhaps it IS what the grid sphere is…which is always disappointing…art.
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