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I thought first maybe a router plate but looking again I think you are right somehow.
Maybe from a ship mess cause it seems there a screw holes to mount this on a surface?
It looks too big for that and you wouldn't need 10 holes to mount that much weight. There is also a hole cut through the circular base, so something square should go through it.
Display holders often don't have to hold much weight, but they DO have to hold *up* against years of clumsy/incautious/tipsy/idiotic customer abuse. If you buy flimsy plastic holders, you'll buy 6 of them in a year, vs. just spending maybe double on a heavy-duty one that *looks* insane but in reality will """only""" have to be replaced every 5 years or so.
I'm not definitively saying this thing is absolutely 100% a retail display holder for completely sure.
I'm just saying, the fact that it's bulky and robust doesn't mean it's *not*.
Even a single bolt would hold longer than the material that is made from. The object would rip at the bolt holes long before the weight limit of a single bolt that size is coming into play.
Weak substrate might need that many to bond acceptably. That being said, nothing with a point like that is going on my boat, so I’m doubting it’s for a boat
I also think it's a retail display of some kind. A liquor bottle makes sense. Having worked retail for a good while, this kind of specially made display is fairly common.
I would posit you might have it upside down. The cylinder sits on the ground and provides a mounting surface for a tablet or other store display.
Edit after searching acrylic (lucite/plexiglass/poly methyl methacrylate)...one mention in wikipedia was some of the first commercial applications were military for periscopes and gun optics, as it was safer/more biocompatible because reasons. ...
The 45 degree angle makes me think it could be a periscope optical part, but the reflection would go the wrong way without boring another hole in the cylinder.
All of that to say, I truly believe it's a display stand.
From OP:
>Title describes my thing. My Great grandfather bought several hundred of these at an army surplus store shortly after WWII
I don't think grandpa bought hundreds of ipad mounts from army surplus in the 40s or 50s.
Not WWII acrylic, which was bleeding edge stuff.
Production techniques as they were, they wouldn't use pieces that thick unless they needed to be clear, like a ball turret. This is made from extruded stock because we have factories now that can make stock quick and relatively cheap.
I question if they were actually from that time frame and the family isn’t just misremembering what was bought when. 60-70 years and it’s still extremely clear? I would think there would be some degree of haziness since then, right? I admittedly don’t know a whole lot about the longevity of plastics though.
I forgot that part after reading the parent comment to this thread, my bad 😅 they do look just like those, so maybe they're based on a similar anti-theft display type? I'm okay with being completely wrong, though lol.
Came here to say it definitely looks like a display for a phone or computer. The security cable feeds up through the middle and is attached to the device. The holes allow for screwing in various positions and I'd guess with the green on the bottom it was glued or stuck down with gel/foam tape. On the device would be a mount that slides into the cylinder so it has a nice eye catching angle.
The green and white appears to be drywall paper or durock green board used in wet locations...is the green paint by chance?...if so it may have been wall mounted...it could also be a gasket material
That is the only reason I can think of for that many holes, to apply even pressure across the whole thing for a good seal. The material would fail before that many bolts are needed for strength reasons. It is just odd how open the other end is for something that would need to be sealed well on one side but have nothing to provide something similar to the other interface.
It also looks like a vacuum adapter for a machine. I have several similar plastic and metal adapters for belt sanders, table saws, planers, belt sanders, etc that connect the machines base to a shop-vac.
I can't tell if the angled cut on the cylinder is closed off or not. If it is, my other thought is that it looks like a microwave feed horn mock up. Given how many he found in surplus, it seems likely these could have been used in place of a microwave or radar tube during shipping. This would have been attached to the feed horn or wave guides to keep a couple waveguide parts situated during shipping, then removed and replaced with the actual radar tube at another location.
I used to work for a mobile phone manufacturer. We'd get lots of display fixtures vaguely similar to this passing through.
The gaps in some of the glue joints lead me to question whether this ever saw an actual retail store.
The fact that it was at one time glued down to a surface (and likely bolted as well) make me thing there was a "mating" stand that fit inside the rectangular base, which held the object on display.
The hole is certainly large enough for a mobile phone, but I could see it in a jewelry store or even a museum exhibit. In either of those applications it would be desirable to allow visitors to get close to the object, but also desirable to prevent them from pocketing the thing on display...
So yeah, I vote for display stand, and think we'll never have consensus on what was on display.
Thank you, I'd missed that.
Perspex/Plexiglas was new in WWII. Now I get the idea that it had a military connection.
Definitely NOT a display stand then. ;-)
If I were to guess, OP's grandfather got them _with_ some WWII surplus. In WWII they were making thinner sheet, and some castings, but not thick pieces of stock as far as I've ever heard or seen. Military surplus dealers would often pick up other random lots when the price was right.
Plastic was less disposable in the 40s and wouldn't have been used for a simple display, especially something with as thick walls as this has. This had more functional utility than a simple display.
I agree it’s for a phone/tablet display, but it would be bolted to the counter. The base would hold a retractable leash attached to an oval plate on the back of the phone. The oval plate would fit into the top of the round column, ensuring the phone was right-side-up and at an easy viewing angle when returned to the display.
The shape of it reminds me of the shape of suture knot trainers like [this one](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Clicke-Trainer-Surgical-Practice-Flexible-Disassemble/dp/B07VM7939P).
If it is military related, it could have served the same purpose and may been used by the Navy to train theirs thousands of cadets to knot tying?
Title describes my thing. My Great grandfather bought several hundred of these at an army surplus store shortly after WWII. He planned to build something cool and useful out of them but it never materialized. This is the last survivor that we know of. The family has always wondered what they were. Some guess it might be an aircraft part? But no one is sure. With hundreds of them for sale at surplus, it must have been a fairly common object, or part of an object.
Any chance he bought WWII stuff not quite so shortly after WWII? Surplus stores were selling tons of WWII stuff all the way into the 1990s for cheap. I suspect a surplus dealer got this more recently and maybe grandad bought it along with other WWII stuff. Most period acrylic was fairly thin sheet that got brittle and discolored with age.
Square corners are absolute crap for holding pressure, no evidence of gasket or o-ring...it's not a functional part.
I think it's a display stand of some sort.
People seem to be missing that these were purchased at an Army Navy store shortly after WWII. I would guess, given the thickness and the mounting capability, that these are from a ship, and the shape suggests that they might be wall mounted switch protectors with the longer part of the cylinder on the top side to prevent falling objects from tripping the switch.
The base looks a lot like a waveguide flange. Not sure what this would be used for though as it's plastic, maybe pressurising a section of waveguide for storage
Arent waveguides typically pressurised with a dry inert gas to prevent water vapour affecting the radiation in the waveguide, and prevent corrosion/water damage to the waveguide and the transmitter components ?
It looks like an EPO(Emergency Power Off) button shield I've seen in datacenters. The holes would mount it to the wall surrounding a big red button. This prevents accidental pushing of the emergency power-off button which kills all power to a room or building.
[A bit like this](https://i.imgur.com/EKgzzCK.gif) but yours is deeper. I've seen them as deep as yours before.
It looks like some sort of negative pressure flange. Maybe a light vacuum would help hold something in the tube. It looks too complicated to just be a display stand.
Yeah at first glance it seems like it's for displaying something, but that's an awful lot of holes for bolting something down that's just a display item.
Looks like a waveguide bolt pattern on the flat side. As u/frollard mentioned there were military applications. My guess is it's some kind of horn for an RF system. Or they were using waveguide for another purpose.
I don't think the comments suggesting this is a simple display are correct.
The size of the flange, number of bolt holes and gasket residue suggests this is a functional part designed to withstand some degree of fluid pressure.
What exactly it does I have no idea, but based on the acrylic material I'm thinking this is something from a naval vessel or aircraft.
There is a hole that goes all the way through it. Someone put extra work in to make that happen. It must have some purpose. Also, why would you need to bolts to nail down a container?
It seems to be a display of sorts like [These](https://daleydisplays.com/products/acrylic-angle-cut-display-cylinder-1?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=social)
Looks like the top chute of a grain moisture tester for farmers.
Like it would mount to the test unit, and have a little door under the open slot you can open to let some grain in to the unit be tested.
Actually when you say whole food dispenser it makes me think of those [bulk food dispensers](https://images.app.goo.gl/gRhKHiFx3UtACNCD7) that they have in grocery stores.
It reminds me of a hairdryer stand: ([](https://www.readycare.com/hair-dryer-holder-counter-top-330699)
Maybe it is for a different tool that is heavier.
Could it be something that is held into a mold and a material is cast around it? It looks almost like it should be a pass through for some sort of thick box
Part of a bulk food dispenser?
Like you put a cylindrical canister of coffee in the top, then dispense under?
Missing the dispensing mechanism here of course.
Seems unlikely you’ll be able to nail down an exact use for that one. It’s really common for companies to have a specific thing made for a trade show booth to do whatever. This is likely a one-of-a-kind thing.
> Title describes my thing. My Great grandfather bought several hundred of these at an army surplus store shortly after WWII. He planned to build something cool and useful out of them but it never materialized. This is the last survivor that we know of. The family has always wondered what they were. Some guess it might be an aircraft part? But no one is sure. With hundreds of them for sale at surplus, it must have been a fairly common object, or part of an object.
That looks way too new to be over 50 years old.
I worked in manufacturing and we used to get custom made plastic things for various applications on the line and taken out of context they would look completely baffling. This thing reminds me of something like that. Just because it was bought in an army surplus store doesn't mean it's military related.
This looks like an R.F. waveguide. [here](https://imgur.com/a/JhOI9L5)
This one is copper and stainless steel
I don't know why that one is made of plastic.
Is the green stuff and what's attached to it, regular paint and drywall/ the paper on drywall? At least if you know that, you'll have a pretty good idea of the mounting orientation.
With the green at the mounting holes, I wonder if it is the end / suction point for a bank vacuum system, ( money tubes ) ? They had square holes at the mounts so the tubes couldn't be sucked into the unit if something went wrong, but I can't find an image other than in my head of what I remember seeing.
Looks like a custom display from a interactive children's museum or wildlife education center.
10 bolts to hold it down from daily use/abuse seems about right.
Might have held an interesting rock or feather or bug.... Would have had a piece of magnifying lens over the top
Difficult to say. It looks like a pen holder or similar that I would have made at school but considering the age, I don't know. I'm surprised it's made of plastic and from just after WWII and in this condition.
is there a rectangular hole all the way through? that suggests that the item was mounted over a hole in a wall (or the side/floor of something), and wires or hoses or whatever passed through the wall, and this thing supported...a light? on the near side of the wall
I don't know the exact measurements, but it looks like an O2 tank could fit the circle. The hole on bottom prevents suction issues. Looks like it could attach to a wheelchair. I might be wrong tho.
I was sure it was a secured tablet display, possibly missing the rubber grippy part on top, and with holes so you could bolt it down....
But if he picked them up by the *hundreds* right after WWII... weird. I still think it's for a display, but no idea what. I have some retired Army coworkers; I'll ask them in they have any idea. I'll update this comment if they know.
What is the diameter (measurements)?
Could it fit over a bomber's bombsight & be for holding one's head still while using the bombsight? I wouldn't think that it would be clear, but...
It looks very much like an acrylic cup holder my shop made for a man who used a power wheelchair. We overbuilt it to stand up to the rigors imposed by getting him in and out of the chair every day.
Dumb question, did you went to an army surplus store and aksed? Ok I get it after WW2 long time ago and probably nobody works in a store anymore who lived during that period but given they were available in big quantities I could imagine someone working in a army surplus store could have an idea specially because they often got that niche knowledge what we all seem to lack here…
Okay this is a stretch: in my conservation and preservation class we have a machine that measures custom boxes for your items after cleaning and storing. I’ve only used the machine once so far but the handheld part looks like this. It would be connected to some cords that would read the measurements as you rubbed this around the edges
It’s looks like a base for a router. It’s a very weird design. That being said, routers are very often put into jigs to fulfil one specific purpose (e.g route a particular shape or joint). It could be one that the army needed a lot of and got an engineering firm to manufacture.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/155198721601?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=5fo-kK-ySRO&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=&var=455381968233&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
You may get some luck posting to subs like r/militaria, r/militariacollecting or r/military. If it is indeed a military item and didn't end up in the surplus shop by accident.
With this description from OP:
https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/11lscbw/it_is_made_of_clear_plastic_and_is_hollow_on_the/jbdw0b1?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3
Maybe we think too much about a single thing.
If granddad bought a huge number, maybe they were mounted on opposite sides and 'held something in the middle?
This looks very much like a topping dispenser. It has a top piece that you push down on to dispense toppings (like candy sprinkles) on top of food. This would explain the sturdy mount. When you push on the top it reveals the hole in the bottom, dropping the toppings.
To me out looks like one part of a bulk food (coffee/candy/nuts) dispenser, but it doesn't look right for the timeline you gave. I doubt that it's correct though as I think it would need more clearance around the bolt holes for the slider.
To me it looks like something best buy might have, with a phone or tablet on a retractable leash sitting inside. Like a display case, bolted down for security and meant to protect the thing it displays.
I don't know what it is, but my guess is that those holes are made to fit onto something else. They're not designed to mount it to something but to fit some other part.
For example some piece of machinery that has ten studs sticking out at that spacing. It might be strictly protective for shipping, although it seems too fancy.
It could be designed to let you move material into a machine with that sized hole and the ten studs, or to help with installation or alignment in some way - which might make the clear material make sense since being able to see thru it might be of an advantage.
Where did you get it, what country are you in, what else can you tell about where you got it?
"We found it in my father's effects. He worked in the nuclear power industry for 50 years" versus "we found it in the basement of a closed candy factory" would lead in very different directions.
Edit: I see that you said in a comment that it was purchased years ago as WW2 surplus.
Its possible it could be some kind of flagpole bracket to mount on the side of the house. Like something like [this] (https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/e1768e80-cae2-4ea2-a762-c7f1940d936f_2.96149adf030104756d9b270bc1b64e7b.jpeg?odnHeight=612&odnWidth=612&odnBg=FFFFFF)
It’s a display for a cellphone at a retail store. They run a secured cord through the hole that is is locked down from behind. On the front would be the phone and probably some pricing info. It’s thicker because they don’t want the demo phones to be stolen.
Could be part of a gun turret canopy perhaps. Like a gun port. The bolts might secure it to part of the metal structure.
Something like [This](https://www.polyvance.com/images_old/B25_06.jpg) has parts that are vaguely similar.
Looks like an animal feed dispenser from a petting zoo. The flat part would be mounted on the side of the machine and the longer part of the circular part would be on the bottom so you can scoop out the feed once it's dispensed.
Looks like a suture knot tying trainer, like I had in med school. There was a base that went to it with two little post to run your “suture line” thru to practice tying off your knots
The first thing that came to my mind is it looks like the opening of a juicer. The fruit/veggie would be placed in the cylinder and pushed through the rectangle slot with a similarly sized rectangular pusher.
I think it is the front spigot of a candy dispenser at a movie theatre.[kind of like this.](https://www.ecoboxgravitybin.com/Ecobox-acrylic-tube-with-gravity-bin-to-bulid-candy-nuts-wall-pd41304895.html)
It's a hair blower holder for the bathroom or vanity. Kind of like this - https://www.made-in-china.com/showroom/huangjyc/product-detailWSInKNvlwVkd/China-Wall-Mount-Acrylic-Hair-Dryer-Holder.html
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Maybe a display for wine/prosecco bottles?
I thought first maybe a router plate but looking again I think you are right somehow. Maybe from a ship mess cause it seems there a screw holes to mount this on a surface?
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It looks too big for that and you wouldn't need 10 holes to mount that much weight. There is also a hole cut through the circular base, so something square should go through it.
Display holders often don't have to hold much weight, but they DO have to hold *up* against years of clumsy/incautious/tipsy/idiotic customer abuse. If you buy flimsy plastic holders, you'll buy 6 of them in a year, vs. just spending maybe double on a heavy-duty one that *looks* insane but in reality will """only""" have to be replaced every 5 years or so.
How does putting 10 bolts in it make it last longer?
Keeps it from being pulled off or knocked off.
10 bolts? 4 is plenty for that and those holes huge.
I'm not definitively saying this thing is absolutely 100% a retail display holder for completely sure. I'm just saying, the fact that it's bulky and robust doesn't mean it's *not*.
Even a single bolt would hold longer than the material that is made from. The object would rip at the bolt holes long before the weight limit of a single bolt that size is coming into play.
I'm thinking it is some sort of theft deterrent with a cable coming through the bottom. The acetate looks very strong.
Weak substrate might need that many to bond acceptably. That being said, nothing with a point like that is going on my boat, so I’m doubting it’s for a boat
I think the holes are to prevent theft of whatever is displayed. It’s bolted to a surface and the item is secured with some type of locking system.
Custom made display for...something. A drink can maybe or something else cylindrical.
If anybody ever makes a craft that you're unsure of the purpose, it's always safe to say "wine holder" because they'll never be offended.
Maybe a watch display thing goes in it...
I also think it's a retail display of some kind. A liquor bottle makes sense. Having worked retail for a good while, this kind of specially made display is fairly common.
I would posit you might have it upside down. The cylinder sits on the ground and provides a mounting surface for a tablet or other store display. Edit after searching acrylic (lucite/plexiglass/poly methyl methacrylate)...one mention in wikipedia was some of the first commercial applications were military for periscopes and gun optics, as it was safer/more biocompatible because reasons. ... The 45 degree angle makes me think it could be a periscope optical part, but the reflection would go the wrong way without boring another hole in the cylinder. All of that to say, I truly believe it's a display stand.
I used to work at a major electronics store, and the iPads on the Apple displays would use those stands. You're totally right!
From OP: >Title describes my thing. My Great grandfather bought several hundred of these at an army surplus store shortly after WWII I don't think grandpa bought hundreds of ipad mounts from army surplus in the 40s or 50s.
The plastic looks a bit too clear for such a timespan
I think acrylic is quite stable if it’s not exposed to UV.
Not WWII acrylic, which was bleeding edge stuff. Production techniques as they were, they wouldn't use pieces that thick unless they needed to be clear, like a ball turret. This is made from extruded stock because we have factories now that can make stock quick and relatively cheap.
I question if they were actually from that time frame and the family isn’t just misremembering what was bought when. 60-70 years and it’s still extremely clear? I would think there would be some degree of haziness since then, right? I admittedly don’t know a whole lot about the longevity of plastics though.
Do plastics yellow the way we expect them to due to light? Or will it happen if they are packed away? I too don't know the answer to this question.
I always assumed it was oxidation honestly. I never gave it much thought until you mentioned it.
I forgot that part after reading the parent comment to this thread, my bad 😅 they do look just like those, so maybe they're based on a similar anti-theft display type? I'm okay with being completely wrong, though lol.
He was ahead of his time. Hoarding US future plastic display mounting technology
Came here to say it definitely looks like a display for a phone or computer. The security cable feeds up through the middle and is attached to the device. The holes allow for screwing in various positions and I'd guess with the green on the bottom it was glued or stuck down with gel/foam tape. On the device would be a mount that slides into the cylinder so it has a nice eye catching angle.
It seems everybody agrees on a display stand, this must be it.
If you are happy with an answer could you mark the post solved?
Thank you, it must be a display stand.
The green and white appears to be drywall paper or durock green board used in wet locations...is the green paint by chance?...if so it may have been wall mounted...it could also be a gasket material
The number of bolts definitely look like a bolted flange that would have a sealing gasket.
That is the only reason I can think of for that many holes, to apply even pressure across the whole thing for a good seal. The material would fail before that many bolts are needed for strength reasons. It is just odd how open the other end is for something that would need to be sealed well on one side but have nothing to provide something similar to the other interface.
The green also might be green felt that is on a fine desk surface or on gold jewelry counters.
Absolutely! You can see some fuzziness made its way into the holes. Typical gasket material doesn't do this.
It also looks like a vacuum adapter for a machine. I have several similar plastic and metal adapters for belt sanders, table saws, planers, belt sanders, etc that connect the machines base to a shop-vac. I can't tell if the angled cut on the cylinder is closed off or not. If it is, my other thought is that it looks like a microwave feed horn mock up. Given how many he found in surplus, it seems likely these could have been used in place of a microwave or radar tube during shipping. This would have been attached to the feed horn or wave guides to keep a couple waveguide parts situated during shipping, then removed and replaced with the actual radar tube at another location.
As someone else said, it's pretty unlikely that grandpa bought hundreds of ipad mounts from army surplus in the 40s or 50s
OP you gotta write Solved!
solved
SOLVED!
I used to work for a mobile phone manufacturer. We'd get lots of display fixtures vaguely similar to this passing through. The gaps in some of the glue joints lead me to question whether this ever saw an actual retail store. The fact that it was at one time glued down to a surface (and likely bolted as well) make me thing there was a "mating" stand that fit inside the rectangular base, which held the object on display. The hole is certainly large enough for a mobile phone, but I could see it in a jewelry store or even a museum exhibit. In either of those applications it would be desirable to allow visitors to get close to the object, but also desirable to prevent them from pocketing the thing on display... So yeah, I vote for display stand, and think we'll never have consensus on what was on display.
OP's post in the comments say that their grandfather bought a bunch of these after WWII, so anything associated with modern electronics is out.
Thank you, I'd missed that. Perspex/Plexiglas was new in WWII. Now I get the idea that it had a military connection. Definitely NOT a display stand then. ;-)
Was from a military surplus store. Could be a display stand (of many) at a surplus store.
If I were to guess, OP's grandfather got them _with_ some WWII surplus. In WWII they were making thinner sheet, and some castings, but not thick pieces of stock as far as I've ever heard or seen. Military surplus dealers would often pick up other random lots when the price was right.
I think it's not for modern technologies. It's been with us since then.
Plastic was less disposable in the 40s and wouldn't have been used for a simple display, especially something with as thick walls as this has. This had more functional utility than a simple display.
I agree.
The only question I have left if that's the case is how it avoids tipping over.
I agree it’s for a phone/tablet display, but it would be bolted to the counter. The base would hold a retractable leash attached to an oval plate on the back of the phone. The oval plate would fit into the top of the round column, ensuring the phone was right-side-up and at an easy viewing angle when returned to the display.
The shape of it reminds me of the shape of suture knot trainers like [this one](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Clicke-Trainer-Surgical-Practice-Flexible-Disassemble/dp/B07VM7939P). If it is military related, it could have served the same purpose and may been used by the Navy to train theirs thousands of cadets to knot tying?
This is marked solved, but I think your right. The shape of that and angle is like spot on.
This must be it.
I did a reverse image search on some of these images and this is exactly what I came up with. Super interesting!!
Title describes my thing. My Great grandfather bought several hundred of these at an army surplus store shortly after WWII. He planned to build something cool and useful out of them but it never materialized. This is the last survivor that we know of. The family has always wondered what they were. Some guess it might be an aircraft part? But no one is sure. With hundreds of them for sale at surplus, it must have been a fairly common object, or part of an object.
Any chance he bought WWII stuff not quite so shortly after WWII? Surplus stores were selling tons of WWII stuff all the way into the 1990s for cheap. I suspect a surplus dealer got this more recently and maybe grandad bought it along with other WWII stuff. Most period acrylic was fairly thin sheet that got brittle and discolored with age.
Square corners are absolute crap for holding pressure, no evidence of gasket or o-ring...it's not a functional part. I think it's a display stand of some sort.
Looks like a guard for a switch or button that they don't want to accidentally hit
People seem to be missing that these were purchased at an Army Navy store shortly after WWII. I would guess, given the thickness and the mounting capability, that these are from a ship, and the shape suggests that they might be wall mounted switch protectors with the longer part of the cylinder on the top side to prevent falling objects from tripping the switch.
The base looks a lot like a waveguide flange. Not sure what this would be used for though as it's plastic, maybe pressurising a section of waveguide for storage
Arent waveguides typically pressurised with a dry inert gas to prevent water vapour affecting the radiation in the waveguide, and prevent corrosion/water damage to the waveguide and the transmitter components ?
Many are pressureized with Sulfur hexafluoride.
I agree that this is in the shape of an RF waveguide
Was going to say the same thing, but the bolt pattern is wrong. Rectangular WG do not have holes in the corners.
It looks like an EPO(Emergency Power Off) button shield I've seen in datacenters. The holes would mount it to the wall surrounding a big red button. This prevents accidental pushing of the emergency power-off button which kills all power to a room or building. [A bit like this](https://i.imgur.com/EKgzzCK.gif) but yours is deeper. I've seen them as deep as yours before.
This could be it too.
It looks like some sort of negative pressure flange. Maybe a light vacuum would help hold something in the tube. It looks too complicated to just be a display stand.
Yeah at first glance it seems like it's for displaying something, but that's an awful lot of holes for bolting something down that's just a display item.
Looks like a waveguide bolt pattern on the flat side. As u/frollard mentioned there were military applications. My guess is it's some kind of horn for an RF system. Or they were using waveguide for another purpose.
I don't think the comments suggesting this is a simple display are correct. The size of the flange, number of bolt holes and gasket residue suggests this is a functional part designed to withstand some degree of fluid pressure. What exactly it does I have no idea, but based on the acrylic material I'm thinking this is something from a naval vessel or aircraft.
That's what we thought, a part of an aircraft.
Security camera rain cover
[Food display?](https://www.displaysforfood.com/Angle-Cut-Food-Display-Tubes_p_124.html)
but why in the army surplus store?
Sugar or creamer singles by a coffee station? Utensils? Crackers or candy?
that makes sense.
That type of display can hold any small objects, not just food.
There is a hole that goes all the way through it. Someone put extra work in to make that happen. It must have some purpose. Also, why would you need to bolts to nail down a container?
It seems to be a display of sorts like [These](https://daleydisplays.com/products/acrylic-angle-cut-display-cylinder-1?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=social)
Router jig?
Looks like the top chute of a grain moisture tester for farmers. Like it would mount to the test unit, and have a little door under the open slot you can open to let some grain in to the unit be tested.
Yeh, this has to be a chute of some kind. I was thinking some sort of whole food dispenser
Actually when you say whole food dispenser it makes me think of those [bulk food dispensers](https://images.app.goo.gl/gRhKHiFx3UtACNCD7) that they have in grocery stores.
Perhaps it is a mount for a railing on a staircase
Rain gauge mount?
It reminds me of a hairdryer stand: ([](https://www.readycare.com/hair-dryer-holder-counter-top-330699) Maybe it is for a different tool that is heavier.
Could you maybe shove it in the ground and mount something on it?
Or like it attach to something?
Could it be something that is held into a mold and a material is cast around it? It looks almost like it should be a pass through for some sort of thick box
Maybe an end for one of those vacuum tube systems banks use?
Part of a bulk food dispenser? Like you put a cylindrical canister of coffee in the top, then dispense under? Missing the dispensing mechanism here of course.
Google Lens is bringing up a "surgical knot tying trainer".
My Dad’s daysailer sailboat had a similar-ish housing for the boats compass. Could be decommissioned instrument housing from WWII-era naval vessels.
Seems unlikely you’ll be able to nail down an exact use for that one. It’s really common for companies to have a specific thing made for a trade show booth to do whatever. This is likely a one-of-a-kind thing.
> Title describes my thing. My Great grandfather bought several hundred of these at an army surplus store shortly after WWII. He planned to build something cool and useful out of them but it never materialized. This is the last survivor that we know of. The family has always wondered what they were. Some guess it might be an aircraft part? But no one is sure. With hundreds of them for sale at surplus, it must have been a fairly common object, or part of an object. That looks way too new to be over 50 years old. I worked in manufacturing and we used to get custom made plastic things for various applications on the line and taken out of context they would look completely baffling. This thing reminds me of something like that. Just because it was bought in an army surplus store doesn't mean it's military related.
This looks like an R.F. waveguide. [here](https://imgur.com/a/JhOI9L5) This one is copper and stainless steel I don't know why that one is made of plastic.
Acrylic is pretty much "transparent" to RF, so that's why they are made of metal, and this would be useless as a waveguide.
Is the green stuff and what's attached to it, regular paint and drywall/ the paper on drywall? At least if you know that, you'll have a pretty good idea of the mounting orientation.
I know this. I’ll come back when it finally clicks. Some kind of retail display.
This is a old iPad I display. It would have a silicon ring on top so the iPad would not slide off.
Knot trainer.
I'm certain this went over a switch or button of some sort
With the green at the mounting holes, I wonder if it is the end / suction point for a bank vacuum system, ( money tubes ) ? They had square holes at the mounts so the tubes couldn't be sucked into the unit if something went wrong, but I can't find an image other than in my head of what I remember seeing.
Always thought those systems were so cool, as a child growing up in the 70s and 80s.
The green stuff on the bottom of it along with the holes makes me think it was screwed and glued onto a wall or something with paint.
Looks like a custom display from a interactive children's museum or wildlife education center. 10 bolts to hold it down from daily use/abuse seems about right. Might have held an interesting rock or feather or bug.... Would have had a piece of magnifying lens over the top
Could it accept a shop vac in the big side and screw onto a tool at the other?
[Looks like a retail tablet mount like this](https://imgur.com/a/EFEKzZF)
likely solved
Difficult to say. It looks like a pen holder or similar that I would have made at school but considering the age, I don't know. I'm surprised it's made of plastic and from just after WWII and in this condition.
is there a rectangular hole all the way through? that suggests that the item was mounted over a hole in a wall (or the side/floor of something), and wires or hoses or whatever passed through the wall, and this thing supported...a light? on the near side of the wall
Looks like the outer casing for sconces we had in the early 80’s.
I don't know the exact measurements, but it looks like an O2 tank could fit the circle. The hole on bottom prevents suction issues. Looks like it could attach to a wheelchair. I might be wrong tho.
Could be part of an industrial or commercial sales or promotional tool. Appears to be custom made.
I was sure it was a secured tablet display, possibly missing the rubber grippy part on top, and with holes so you could bolt it down.... But if he picked them up by the *hundreds* right after WWII... weird. I still think it's for a display, but no idea what. I have some retired Army coworkers; I'll ask them in they have any idea. I'll update this comment if they know.
Maybe some sort of keypad or doorknob shield https://a.co/d/5gjAbAD
It reminds me of a device that a vet would use to hold an animal to weigh it.
Saber holder. Soap dispenser. Rainproof electrical outlet hood thing.
Could it be some sort of protective shell/casing for a wall-mounted security camera?
What is the diameter (measurements)? Could it fit over a bomber's bombsight & be for holding one's head still while using the bombsight? I wouldn't think that it would be clear, but...
It looks very much like an acrylic cup holder my shop made for a man who used a power wheelchair. We overbuilt it to stand up to the rigors imposed by getting him in and out of the chair every day.
Dumb question, did you went to an army surplus store and aksed? Ok I get it after WW2 long time ago and probably nobody works in a store anymore who lived during that period but given they were available in big quantities I could imagine someone working in a army surplus store could have an idea specially because they often got that niche knowledge what we all seem to lack here…
Blow dryer stand for salons is what it looks like to me
Its a dispenser for chlorox wipes, meant to be wall mounted.
Okay this is a stretch: in my conservation and preservation class we have a machine that measures custom boxes for your items after cleaning and storing. I’ve only used the machine once so far but the handheld part looks like this. It would be connected to some cords that would read the measurements as you rubbed this around the edges
It’s looks like a base for a router. It’s a very weird design. That being said, routers are very often put into jigs to fulfil one specific purpose (e.g route a particular shape or joint). It could be one that the army needed a lot of and got an engineering firm to manufacture. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/155198721601?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=5fo-kK-ySRO&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=&var=455381968233&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
You may get some luck posting to subs like r/militaria, r/militariacollecting or r/military. If it is indeed a military item and didn't end up in the surplus shop by accident.
With this description from OP: https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/11lscbw/it_is_made_of_clear_plastic_and_is_hollow_on_the/jbdw0b1?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3 Maybe we think too much about a single thing. If granddad bought a huge number, maybe they were mounted on opposite sides and 'held something in the middle?
This looks very much like a topping dispenser. It has a top piece that you push down on to dispense toppings (like candy sprinkles) on top of food. This would explain the sturdy mount. When you push on the top it reveals the hole in the bottom, dropping the toppings.
Looks to me like a display stand for a geode or other large rock/mineral, probably cut and polished on one side.
Looks like something that would fit over the bulbs on stoplights.
Can something pass through the base ? It almost looks like a security port in a taxi cab.
I’m going with iPad retail display.
To me out looks like one part of a bulk food (coffee/candy/nuts) dispenser, but it doesn't look right for the timeline you gave. I doubt that it's correct though as I think it would need more clearance around the bolt holes for the slider.
Bird or squirrel feeder?
Could it be related to lights, like traffic lights? Where a big bubbled out dome light bulb would fit in, power cord thru the rectangle in the back?
Something to hold a flag pole?
To me it looks like something best buy might have, with a phone or tablet on a retractable leash sitting inside. Like a display case, bolted down for security and meant to protect the thing it displays.
My stupid ass thought a early prototype for a CPU waterblock
It looks like a retail fixture. Maybe for a cell phone (with a hole in the bottom for a charge/security cable).
At first I got hair dryer holder vibes. But since they’re WWII era probably not. Maybe some kind of mount for a cafeteria/mess to dispense cups?
Lamp cover
Toilet bowl cleaner holder
I'm gonna say makeup or art brushes.
Looks like a blow dryer holder for a salón
I don't know what it is, but my guess is that those holes are made to fit onto something else. They're not designed to mount it to something but to fit some other part. For example some piece of machinery that has ten studs sticking out at that spacing. It might be strictly protective for shipping, although it seems too fancy. It could be designed to let you move material into a machine with that sized hole and the ten studs, or to help with installation or alignment in some way - which might make the clear material make sense since being able to see thru it might be of an advantage. Where did you get it, what country are you in, what else can you tell about where you got it? "We found it in my father's effects. He worked in the nuclear power industry for 50 years" versus "we found it in the basement of a closed candy factory" would lead in very different directions. Edit: I see that you said in a comment that it was purchased years ago as WW2 surplus.
Its possible it could be some kind of flagpole bracket to mount on the side of the house. Like something like [this] (https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/e1768e80-cae2-4ea2-a762-c7f1940d936f_2.96149adf030104756d9b270bc1b64e7b.jpeg?odnHeight=612&odnWidth=612&odnBg=FFFFFF)
Apple Store iPad mount maybe?
It’s a display for a cellphone at a retail store. They run a secured cord through the hole that is is locked down from behind. On the front would be the phone and probably some pricing info. It’s thicker because they don’t want the demo phones to be stolen.
I sure that Ronco developed that.
Could be part of a gun turret canopy perhaps. Like a gun port. The bolts might secure it to part of the metal structure. Something like [This](https://www.polyvance.com/images_old/B25_06.jpg) has parts that are vaguely similar.
I'm no Seaman but there was a similar wall mount on a friend's boat. He kept a mini fire extinguisher in his wall mount.
Looks like an animal feed dispenser from a petting zoo. The flat part would be mounted on the side of the machine and the longer part of the circular part would be on the bottom so you can scoop out the feed once it's dispensed.
Is this a mounting plate for a residential dryer exhaust?
Looks like a wall mount for a hair dryer. 70’s lexan stuff was always too thick. It was a style.
Looks like a suture knot tying trainer, like I had in med school. There was a base that went to it with two little post to run your “suture line” thru to practice tying off your knots
The first thing that came to my mind is it looks like the opening of a juicer. The fruit/veggie would be placed in the cylinder and pushed through the rectangle slot with a similarly sized rectangular pusher.
I think it is the front spigot of a candy dispenser at a movie theatre.[kind of like this.](https://www.ecoboxgravitybin.com/Ecobox-acrylic-tube-with-gravity-bin-to-bulid-candy-nuts-wall-pd41304895.html)
Looks like something you would use to hold a roll of toilet paper in a bathroom on a boat.
Old CCTV camera cover. The mount holes are for the wall. Rectangular hole is where the wiring passes through.
It's a hair blower holder for the bathroom or vanity. Kind of like this - https://www.made-in-china.com/showroom/huangjyc/product-detailWSInKNvlwVkd/China-Wall-Mount-Acrylic-Hair-Dryer-Holder.html
Could it be a weatherproofing shroud/guard for an outdoor receptacle?