Mystery part

hewittca

New User
Hi all,

I found my way here after a suggestion that you fine folks might be able to help me identify a strange part I found buried on my old farmland. I am guessing it is a part from some sort of tractor or farm equipment. I'd love to figure out what this is and possibly get it in the hands of someone who could use it for a restoration. It is made of copper and has 165F/74C stamped on it (a reference to temperature I assume). It also has 1981 or 1861 stamped on it, I cant tell which way it goes. It is made of two pieces soldered together and when it is heated the top piece is free to rotate on the bottom piece. It fits in the palm of my hand. Outside of that I have no clue what it could be. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you!
 
Here are photos of the part:

52599334700_6311ae5fb1_c.jpg


52599169614_7057e5dd26_c.jpg


52598908016_5cb2fc70d0_c.jpg


52599169609_3fc8d6896e_c.jpg
 
I am going with the 1861 date. The temperature marks might represent a heat
control tool on a cooking utensil. I doubt the tractor or equipment origin.

Looking forward to a definitive answer. Happy New Year! Don
 
Hello Hew welcome to YT! I believe it is possible that it
may be an engine coolant temperature control device
generally called a ..thermostat.. not sure how exactly it
would work but your description of its reaction to
being heated definitely could have been utilized for
such a purpose. Using C wrenchs line of thinking old
would cook stoves often had a heated water
compartment or tank on them, whether they could
have used this item to control the temperature of the
water is another possibility. Another possibility is a
part of hot water or steam heating system.
 

You rock! Although it is not at all what I thought it was, it's nice to finally know what it is. Thank you so much!!!
 
At my factory job, I was working in the overhead of the work area, and broke one of those things off. Water everywhere, then the fire trucks. The fire dept shut off the water. Stan
 
I think you are on it. 1800s water heaters for bathing and general use had several differing methods of temp control and less real safety. Jim
 

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