# What it is .



## Digswithstick (Mar 8, 2011)

Posted one of these some time ago ,lots of ideas what is was .Bird waterer was one of the answers.I wanted to believe it was something else like a shot glass for the old crock whiskey jugs (have some with glazing inside) ,a candle holder,anything but bird waterer.The openings all seemed about the same size ,did not seem large enough to me for a bird of any size.Most waterers i had seen or found were glass and totally different shape .


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## Digswithstick (Mar 8, 2011)

At antique store with mother after taking her to appointment ,saw this asked the lady if i could take picture ,"sure" she says .Mother sees  it ,decides she wants it ,and buys it .Lady  at store says she thinks these were taken into mines with a canary in them to detect dangerous levels of gas (canary would die when levels became high) giving men time to evacuate .


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## Digswithstick (Mar 8, 2011)

We get in vehicle ,mother says " I do not want it ,birds probably died in it "
 Try to convince her otherwise to no avail .She says you keep it ,i think she was planning to give it to me regaurdless(sneaky)   
 Guess i will have to agree, bird waterer .


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## Digswithstick (Mar 8, 2011)

Can any one verify if these were type carried into mines ?[]


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## JOETHECROW (Mar 8, 2011)

Rick...interesting piece...Is that little stoneware cup what I _think_ it is? Looks kind of familiar....[]


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## Digswithstick (Mar 8, 2011)

Yep Joe ,cage had one in it that is there now .The one in first picture (by itself) posted is dug one .[]


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## surfaceone (Mar 8, 2011)

> Can any one verify if these were type carried into mines ?


 





 "Canary cage from a coal mine, ca. 1900. Miners observed the health of canaries to signal the presence of noxious gases before more precise measuring instruments were developed. Kentucky Historical Society Collections." From.




From.




From.


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## JOETHECROW (Mar 9, 2011)

oops,...Rick,...somehow I missed the very top intro post...(My mouse is not right in the head since the great Coca-Cola spill of yesterday)[] Cool mystery solved for sure,...Also the cage is a neat and decorative item....Interesting info,...Good post.


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## Digswithstick (Mar 9, 2011)

Thanks for the verification info and pics Surfacecone,am always impressed by your research skills !
  Thanks Joe ,hope your mouse has speedy recovery .[]


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## Clam (Mar 9, 2011)

Glad this post came up, I have always been told these were some kind of crusible for casting lead bullets which I never really believed. I have dug a few of these and now I know what they really are....


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## surfaceone (Mar 9, 2011)

Thanks Rick, hey Greg,

 I thought it might have been some sort of assayer's crucible while looking at the first picture. I gather that the technical term may also be "cupel."





From.




From.

 I've found broken examples of the cup like crucible in the vicinity of Nevada diggings.






 "A fascinating object and part of Dr. Ralf Prayâ€™s assay office (see background below) during its hey day of production. Metallic particles and ore residue (imbedded in the glassy slag) gives the specimen a dark glazed look." From.




From.


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## Clam (Mar 9, 2011)

The one I dug is in good condition with a nice glaze on the interior so I was doubtful about it being a crucible which would have been exposed to temps in excess of 2000 F multiple times. All of the equipment I have seen used to cast bullets was cast iron with long handles which could handle temps like that almost indefinetly.


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## GuntherHess (Mar 9, 2011)

Nice German bird box []
 Hope it didnt belong to this goon.


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## JOETHECROW (Mar 9, 2011)

Ive got two or three of those that I found in the basement of an old house in Pittsburgh...Please pardon my dust,...they're above the woodstove on the upper mantle....Lot's of dust and ash.


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## Digswithstick (Mar 9, 2011)

Matt it has an L should H if it was the goons [] 
    Here is a few more waterers ,these ones the wife snagged and displayed.Some different sizes and some glazed inside .[]


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## JOETHECROW (Mar 9, 2011)

[] Maybe it was an early "Luftwaffe" experiment for spy birds,...Hence the "L"? After all look what they have now. 
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-02-robot-hummingbird-flight-video.html


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## Digswithstick (Mar 9, 2011)

Some more .
 Was going to post pic of my crucible ,but must have deleted pic and no longer have it,traded it .It had pour spouts on both sides .Posted pic on forum many moons ago but no clue how to find it .Thanks again Surf ,like them pics !   []


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## JOETHECROW (Mar 9, 2011)

Rick...Cool that we now know what they were for...but I wonder why there were so many in your dump?


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## Digswithstick (Mar 9, 2011)

Those are great  ones Joe ,thanks for posting them  ! Luftwaffe ,thought about that but should have figured some one would catch it[]. Not sure Joe but found some coal tags in the dump ,possibly they were used for pets as well . We posted same time ,hence the multiple replies[].   []


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## JOETHECROW (Mar 9, 2011)

Rick...thanks,...Here's the link,...(To your very FIRST post)[]  https://www.antique-bottles.net/forum/m-170371/mpage-1/key-crucible/tm.htm#170442


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## JOETHECROW (Mar 9, 2011)

* I remember that table.[]


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## Digswithstick (Mar 9, 2011)

Thanks for finding and posting that link and pic  Joe,amazing ! How did  you find it ,if you don't mind me asking  !  Another interesting coincidence at the forum (first post ,this waterer ) .
    Please disregaurd jumbled answers in last post , re-edit time ran out  [] 
 Table is still there ,waiting for more digs and friends to visit []  []


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## JOETHECROW (Mar 9, 2011)

Hey Rick,....The forum search sure can be frustrating at times,....In this case it worked like it ought to,...I just typed your user name into it's spot, and used "crucible" as a keyword and BANG! there it was....Hey,...The truck's going in tomorrow for everything from the ball joints back,...should be ready for a mini roadtrip soon.[] Wouldn't mind coming down your way again sometime...(I'll bet laur would too)....Thanks,...Joe


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## Digswithstick (Mar 9, 2011)

Thanks for research tip !When you get your truck  back just give me a holler .Ground is mostly thawed might do some scratching this weeekend if no snow  .[]


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## JOETHECROW (Mar 10, 2011)

Rick,...Thanks! ...I'll let you know...We have some promising stuff lined up too, if you ever felt so inclined, and if we ever get to see the ground again...[]


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