this post was submitted on 26 Sep 2024
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What is this thing?

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Found this broken piece in the creek bank. Southwest Pennsylvania. Farmhouse was built in 1922. Coalmining country.

Would have been about 18" in diameter. There is a rough coating in the glaze on the inside and outside of the bowl section. Abrasive enough that I figure it served a mechanical purpose. There are three grooves on the rim that aren't symmetrical to each other.

There might be a makers mark in the center of the glaze inside but I can't make it out. There is also a light blue/green stain on the bottom that might be a mark.

Any ideas?

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago (3 children)

probably one of those ceramic power insulators

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

I'm starting to think it is part of an insulator. It's just so big to be one. It's almost double the size of the the vintage 1950s one above. Maybe one section of a huge high voltage assembly?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Looks like it to me, albeit a bit large ...

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

It's absolutely huge if it's an insulator.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Looks kind of like a lid for a fermentation crock?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

crock-Pot or a bowl probably

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

The surface is too rough for use with food. It's like small gravel or big sand at the surface.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

It “could” be a sewer/pipe cap but your geographic location and time period suggests it probably isn’t. I’ve seen reasonably similar items that serve this purpose.