Old Toilet Float? Lightning Rod Ball?

[osgood]

Well it took me a half hour to extract this from the root bed under a tree. It appears to have been copper plated and still is on the inside. The rod at the end is threaded and appears to taper down to a point like a wood screw. I dont see any holes in it like as if it held a filter for something or had tubes connected to it etc. I know it looks like a toilet float, but its only 2 1/2 inches across. Did they make them that small or have you seen them that small? (maybe I better wash my hands, quick) my other thought was a top a lightning rod? a sump pump float? Any ideas? Thanks, Curt O

 

[dave5710]

When I was a kid on the farm we had an automatic waterer for our milk cows. Water would run into the tank until the float would close it off. It could be for something like that or toilet floats could of been smaller many years ago. But it does look like a float to me.

 

[Kelley (Texas)]

n/t

 

[Jim West Pa]

finial. It's two piece so how could it float ?
It would have to have been soldierd to be able to do so.
And.....it is designed to be threaded into a piece of wood.
Those are wood screw threads, not machine threads
like a float would have.

 

[Ant]

finial. It's two piece so how could it float ?
It would have to have been soldierd to be able to do so.
And.....it is designed to be threaded into a piece of wood.
Those are wood screw threads, not machine threads
like a float would have.

Well being that you put it that way Jim, I would say you that you are correct. I see the threads now that you mentioned it.

But at first sight I thought it was a dead ringer for an old toilet tank float. Although I still had a question on it's size comparison with the quarter, it looks to small by comparison to be a toilet tank float. I would guess that it's just a decorative ornament like a bed post end/top.

 

[cheesehead2]

I own and live in an old One room school house. I have both toilets yet from when they were functioning in the 40's. They are the tank type that are above your head. This looks mighty close to what my floats look like. They are made of Copper I believe.

 

[Ant]

I remember a couple of old Victorian houses that had those types of tanks, and at first I agreed with you and everybody else. But like osgood pointed out the threads on the shaft are of the wood or machine screw type, threads that screw into wood or sheet metal.

So you can clear this. All you have to do is take a look at how the float in your tank is secured to the flush chain or other linkage.



Tony

 

[fenian13]

Looks like the top post of a brass bed to me.

 

[fenian13]

That was backwards, I meant it looked like a brass bed post top. Did you scratch it on the inside to see if it is copper? Looks like aged brass in the photo but it is hard to tell.

 

[fenian13]

When I enlarged the photo it looked like copper....that kills the brass bed knob theory.

 

[osgood]

Jim W- that makes a lot of sense that its not soldered- there definitely was no indication of that. Although i couldn't quite get them together after warping them while getting them out of the ground, it looks as if they snapped together. The other oddity to me again is the small size I wouldn't expect in a toilet float. Thanks all for your input, CO