What is this? Lenses Holder? Coaster Mold? or?? Give me a clue!!

Question

I came across a peculiar item and have no idea what it might be. The two pieces donâ€™t fit together, but they seem to be made of the same material and are roughly the same size. Theyâ€™re heavy and dense, likely steel or iron. They came together in a small cardboard box (pictured), and one has a faint smell of gas, possibly from some kind of oil or lubricant. Both feel really smooth. 4 1/4" x 4 1/4". One without slot is 1/4" thick and the piece with the slot is 3/4" thick. Any ideas, a machine part, mold, lenses holder what??

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krazzykats · Accepted Answer

I posted about it on motors, thinking it might be something related to a machine.

Turns out, itâ€™s actually a Japanese calligraphy ink stone with a lid... so now we all know! LOL!

Still a pretty neat item, and I did hand calligraphy in my past life but never used or had one. ðŸ˜

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nyr134 · Answer

It may help if we knew where you found this, for example, an auto repair shop, a watchmakerâ€™s estate? You posted the query in Motors - does that provide a clue to the itemâ€™s use?

There is a narrow circular hole between the round part and the triangular part, correct? If so, that limits what the box likely contained.

tony1963 · Answer

It reminds me of a tail light booster valve for a 1987 Volvo 740 GLE wagon.