carved wooden thing from privy

[digger dun]

Found this carved woodedn thing in a 1860s-70s privy pit in Bed-Sty, Brooklyn

 

[digger dun]

It's about 2 1/2" tall, and threaded on each end

 

[digger dun]

The top has a little wooden cap that threads into the item. Anybody know what this is?

 

[luckiest]

no idea, it's cool though.

 

[mr.fred]

ORIGINAL: digger dun

The top has a little wooden cap that threads into the item. Anybody know what this is?

Off a clock perhaps![8|]

 

[GuntherHess]

what kind of wood is that? It almost looks like bone or ivory with those fine threads.

 

[digger dun]

GuntherHess, I assumed it was some kind of hardwood by the feel of it in my hand, but I admit I could be wrong. I had it in the freezer for a few months hoping to save it from splitting, and so far that seems to have worked. there is a small crack that has developed along the edge I didn't photgraph. If it is wood, then it is a very dense wood.

 

[bostaurus]

Needle case?

 

[GuntherHess]

how heavy is it? It sort of looks like soapstone too. Its dense but shouldn't be cracking.
When you take the cap off , is there a deep cavity there or very little cavity?

Ivory can be tested. Heat a needle red hot and stick in it. Ivory will smell like burning hair. Bone wont do much. Wood will burn obviously...

 

[digger dun]

It is heavy in the hand, but I'd rule out stone. I'm starting to feel that it might be ivory. The threaded holes on each end are only 1/4" deep at max. I thought that it might have been a handle to something, like a knitting needle. It came from a privy of mostly feminine cast offs, hair clips, and combs, beauty products, womans shoes, glass douches, and even an engraved dainty gold ring that must have slipped off some ladies finger whislt she reached in to take care of business.