any ideas what this may have been used for?

[butterfly]

Help needed on identifying this object............any ideas what it may be, or have been used for?

Its a solid brass sphere appoximately 1.5 inches in diameter, it appears to have a hammered effect the outside, but may just be wear. I have no idea what it is, it may indeed just be a curiosity and have no use. The owner thought it may have been a cannnonball of some kind, but I dismissed this idea due to it being made of brass, however I have been known to be wrong in the past.

So over to you guys, the incrediable knowledge of bocn, anyone any ideas????

regards Kev

 

[spotter]

could be from a monkey caught out in the cold

 

[US-Subs]

Shot put for lil' folk?

 

[peteblight]

Fossilised golf ball?

 

[Spaceinvader]

Cannister shot? Or maybe not even ordnance related, like a ball bearing or a pinball.

 

[millsbomber]

over the years i have seen many people selling what thy thought was cannon balls, most are used in the cement industry for crushing chalk, steel balls are added with dug chalk and then put into a big tumbler and the whole drum turns and the steel balls crush the chalk, could this be a early ball for doing this process,,,,,, Dave

 

[beihan62]

Maybe one of the balls from a steam engine regulator (bobweight) but,,,,,I doubt it,I would go with the crusher idea but for something that steel balls would contaminate or even cause a spark,perhaps crushing the constituents of some form of explosive material,
Don,

 

[butterfly]

...................it was worth posting this just for the replies!! love them all.

It could be absolutely anything and I doubt I will find out what its purpose (if any) was. However its bits like this, that fascinate me.

....the crushing idea could be a strong possibility http://www.instructables.com/answers/What-is-the-best-type-of-ball-milling-media/

Kev

 

[HAZORD]

Actually there used to be an old company called Dixie Gun Works that sold a variety of small balls that they advertised as being from Civil War grapeshot. One or two of the sizes were brass, but not with a rough surface like yours. Dixie Gun Works had been a company that had been in existence since the Civil War but I don't think they are in business now. I bought one each of a few different sizes of the balls about 35 years ago.

Usually the balls for ball mills are larger, like 2 or 3 inches in diameter.

Spotter (Alan), actually the balls that fall off of a brass monkey in cold weather are iron cannon balls.