What the Hell Is It?

Yes - and no. Yes: I took that picture aboard the USS Valley Forge. It was an old straight deck carrier in WWII, and was converted to an LPH (helicopter carrier). No: The USS Princeton was a different ship, but with similar history as the Valley, and we used her in some operations although I was never aboard her

Not only was Dern's ship named the Valley Forge in the movie, but much of the movie was shot on the old Valley Forge, which had been retired and was subsequently scrapped shortly after the movie was finished.


Absolutely right about the 2" device. It is a calibration standard for a micrometer. It's only accurate at 20 degrees C, as the metal expands and shrinks with temperature change.


I still have no idea what that striped thing is.

Try a Google image search.

By the way the USS Valley Forge also was used as a recovery vehicle during the Mercury Space Program.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Valley_Forge_(CV-45)#Silent_Running_film_location

NoCoPilot wrote:

Try a Google image search.

No joy. As every other time I've tried image search.

Here's two clues, in the grand old tradition of being totally opaque:

It's a pull float.

Right-o, good dinkum.

Wouldn't have made it without those excellent hints.

Well, I've never had anything to do with a VW engine, so I guess I'm remembering something else. But it still looks damn familiar.

_Howard wrote:

Wouldn't have made it without those excellent hints.

Seriously, did you make the connection?  The first picture is Kiefer Sutherland, and Kiefer Company is one of the manufacturers of leg floats for swimmers. Tyr is the other (and that's King Tyr on the right).

You and your Bruce Dern.

I googled "Sutherland viking" looking for some obscure connection. All I got was connections to an actress named Sutherland who is in a series called Vikings. Then I googled "one-armed vikings" and came up with Tyr. Googled "Tyr" and found Tyr swimming stuff company. Having suspected that the thing was in a boat (remember I asked if it was kapok?), I looked at that site and found the float.

Piece of cake.

But Keifer Sutherland was actually of no help; the one-armed viking did it.


What's wrong with Bruce Dern? I really did think that the picture of him and the robots was a dead give away. But having never seen the movie, it would have been worthless to you. I just thought everyone had seen that movie. Good flick.

Like you said in the initial description of this thread, everything depends on prior experience. Leg floats are something I deal with every day (in the summer) but if you're not in the pool it might be less obvious.

Let's see, what's next? Hmmm

Here ya go.

A modern penis sheath?

Bring the kids in. This one is too easy.



Or is it?

NoCoPilot wrote:

A modern penis sheath?

I gave you dimensions. Obviously too small.

A gazillion points if you can figure out why my dad built these, what they're for.

I see a check valve and what appears to be a ram, either hydraulic or pneumatic. There's also a valve which I take to be for balancing or calibrating. If I'm right or if wrong about any of these, please let me know so I don't waste my time trying to figure out what they could be for. And are they used as a pair? Or are they just two of the same item which are used separately?

You are correct. They are left and right pair (there's your clue).

The plastic paperclips must have more to the story -- are they hair grips?

These ought to be dead easy.

_Howard wrote:

Obviously too small.

For whom?

This is not a "what is it" but a "where is it?"

NoCoPilot wrote:

_Howard wrote:

Obviously too small.

For whom?

Well, my penis sheath is 67" long (or 67" tall when she's standing up).

NoCoPilot wrote:

The plastic paperclips must have more to the story -- are they hair grips?

Nope. Just paper clips. And they don't work worth a damn. I have no idea where they came from or why they were in my tool box.

NoCoPilot wrote:

These ought to be dead easy

Am old tape cartridge player and an old DVR.

NoCoPilot wrote:

This is not a "what is it" but a "where is it?"

Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands. The home of Heironimous Bosch. Finally, google image search worked for me. First time it has.

NoCoPilot wrote:

You are correct. They are left and right pair (there's your clue).

I'm thinking they are actuators for a set of doors. Strange configuration. If you know exactly how it works, I would really like an explanation. The way the check valve is installed is throwing me off.

The more I look at those air cylinders, the more I think they are for controlling movement, rather than supplying the force. Is that right? It can restrict the rate at which the rod can be compressed, but there is no restriction on extension.


They may be for use on hatches - like flat or nearly-flat basement doors, or hatches into an attic, etc. Keeps the things from slamming and crushing your fingers. Other than that, I can't think of anything, although the devices should be widely useful.

I was confused until I realized the the pipe from the port of the cylinder to the T-fitting that attaches to the check valve is not necessary for functionality, but needs to be there for structural integrity of the assembly. Function would be the same if the port was just open.