What is it!

[AntiquesOnTheSide]

My wife has been collecting antiques for a very long time but this one has her stumped.  What is this!

[cogar]

That is a good one, have never seen anything like it. Can't even come up with a good guess as to what it may have been made to use for.

With the pointed ends it looks like it may have been used to separate "layers" or "bundles" of something or to crush or grind something. 

[syl]

How heavy is it? Is it hollow or solid? Where did it come from? It looks like some kind of old kitchen utensil but I can't imagine what.

[AntiquesOnTheSide]

It is not heavy.  It is hollow and made of tin.  It is rough on the outside of the cylinder but not sharp like a grater.  It remains a mystery. 

[syl]

Maybe it was somebody's high school metal shop class project the object being to create these shapes and then solder them together. But it doesn't really do anything. Just a thought.

[KC]

This reminds me of something that was used in the cotton industry......

[greenacres]

to me it looks like a cornbread mold.

[regularjoe2]

I may have an idea of what this was used for .

I'd like to know if the bottom (roughed/punched) of this item is either fairly , or lightly worn down .

Perhaps an Image of this surface could be posted by you ?

Cool little item that Mrs. AntiquesOnTheSide picked up .

[talesofthesevenseas]

This is a good one. Looks with the pointed ends like it would be swung from side to side to comb some kind of material (like cotton as suggested above) or maybe some kind of food like cotton candy. Hmmm... It definitely has the appearance of a kitchen tool, since the pointed ends are not bashed in, that to me would indicate it was something NOT done in a confined space like a tub, where you would hit against the sides. It's not rusty, so it wouldn't have gone into liquid.

LOL and I have to add it would double as a handy-dandy self-defense implement, should any undesirables invade the kitchen while it was being used!!

[KC]

I like the later definition....my grandmother could have wielded that sucker real well when all the grandkids barged in!  LOL

[talesofthesevenseas]

"YOU KIDS KEEP YOUR GRUBBY LITTLE FINGERS OUT OF THAT PIE!!!!!"

[roger65]

do the ends have holes in the ends? i was thinking maybe some type of bee smoker. i have never seen one like it but it made me think of a bee smoker. just a guess

[AntiquesOnTheSide]

No holes on the ends.  No signs of wear at all on the bottom or anywhere for that matter.  The bottom and both sides have dimples made from the inside that do not penetrate the tin.

[talesofthesevenseas]

It has no "door" or opening in it either, right? I have been racking my brain on this one, trying to thing of what you could do with such a thing!

[cogar]

HA, I got it.

It was used for washing clothes.

That thingy would scrub the dirt right out of them and it wouldn't sink in a tub of hot soapy water.