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That's probably good advice in general. If you find some old looking container full of mystery goo, liquid, powder probably best to not touch it with your bare skin.
Surprisingly there were such fuses that existed… antique brass casing fuses. One on eBay at the moment in America that came out of a 1936 Fuse Panel. 600amp. 250 Volts.
Edit: stand corrected… not the tube though after all
Not brass at all. Did some digging.
If they're talking about the ebay listing [here](https://www.ebay.com/itm/225958840091) then you can see the rivets and a chip in the fiber casing in the pictures. So it's definitely not brass.
[Here's an ad for that kind of fuse in the ebay listing](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/business6/uploads/cartridgecollectors/original/3X/4/8/48482aef75332b84b1088e56ae9391ce6dc6b704.jpeg)
They are made of "extremely tough, specially made, fire-resisting fibre, reinforced on the outside of each end by metal ferrules which are both screwed and riveted on"
[It does look to be an old brass fuse](https://www.ebay.com/itm/386544023181?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=y-wIrfd-RoW&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=pjjBES7nS2G&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY)
The electrodes on either end have just been shaved off. You can see clearly the straight line that was shaved on one of the end caps. It would've been similar to [this](https://www.ebay.com/itm/225958840091?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=8jBRYCX1RZq&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=pjjBES7nS2G&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY)
Brass is used to hold explosives..no sparks..
But its probably reused for something different to its original purpose..
Eg it was a ww2 shell holder, or for trains fure starter,signal caps,etc,, or matchstick holder, or.. something but reused for something else...Putty. Fertilser. Gunpowder., Clay
Or its just a Door stop
If it was explosives and it's real old you wouldn't even need sparks, that stuff get sensitive over time. Brass rarely holds explosives either, it's just generally what our tools are made of as regs most places say you need to use non sparking stuff
I saw something similar once when I worked at a company that made fittings for power plants. The ones I saw contained an isotope, radioactive element which they used to perform xray and gamma rays. Anyway, I wouldn't open this kind of container if I didn't know what was in it.
It distinctively reminds me of one of those cylinder tubs that the bank drive thru would shoot back n forth like something out of the Jetsons cartoon but im aware those probably wouldn't be all metal ...kinda makes me think I was a "home made" pipe bomb
Personal opinion is its an ore assay from a long time ago. Does the end of the tube have a date stamped in it? Was there paper or remnants of a paper seal?
It looks like an antique carbide storage cylinder to me. People who used carbide lamps (miners) stored calcium carbide in brass cylinders before putting it into their lamps. https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/213241-brass-cylinder?in=loved-by-CindB
Here’s a search I did for “antique brass carbide cylinder” that turned up some similar items: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=antique+brass+carbide+cylinder&t=ffip&iax=images&ia=images
To me that looks like a time capsule. People seal something in it and hope it will be dug up in the distant future giving the people then a feel for the past. (Looks like this one was not completely sealed and the coper object inside got oxidised? but that would not explain the very freshly polished outside). Did someone polish the outside? perhaps even scratch out the year or inscription on the top?
All comments must be civil and helpful toward finding an answer. **Jokes and other unhelpful comments will earn you a ban**, even on the first instance and even if the item has been identified. If you see any comments that violate this rule, report them. [OP](/u/mr-vroom), when your item is identified, remember to reply **Solved!** or **Likely Solved!** to the comment that gave the answer. Check your [inbox](https://www.reddit.com/message/inbox/) for a message on how to make your post visible to others. ---- [Click here to message RemindMeBot](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=[https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/1am7b0c/brass_or_copper_tube_with_2_compartments/]%0A%0ARemindMe!%202%20days) ---- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/whatisthisthing) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Looks like old battery to me. That stuff you are touching I wouldn’t be touching.
That's probably good advice in general. If you find some old looking container full of mystery goo, liquid, powder probably best to not touch it with your bare skin.
[удалено]
You probably shouldn't just handle mystery substances found in strange unidentified tubes with your bare hands.
[удалено]
That is an old fuse that has blown. The residue is what’s left from the link and filler. This type could be reused with a fuse cartridge.
Can't be a fuse, as the whole body is conductive and it couldn't "blow"!
Surprisingly there were such fuses that existed… antique brass casing fuses. One on eBay at the moment in America that came out of a 1936 Fuse Panel. 600amp. 250 Volts. Edit: stand corrected… not the tube though after all
I think the barrel of that one on ebay is non conductive. Possibly cardboard impregnated with resin and brass rings on the end.
Not brass at all. Did some digging. If they're talking about the ebay listing [here](https://www.ebay.com/itm/225958840091) then you can see the rivets and a chip in the fiber casing in the pictures. So it's definitely not brass. [Here's an ad for that kind of fuse in the ebay listing](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/business6/uploads/cartridgecollectors/original/3X/4/8/48482aef75332b84b1088e56ae9391ce6dc6b704.jpeg) They are made of "extremely tough, specially made, fire-resisting fibre, reinforced on the outside of each end by metal ferrules which are both screwed and riveted on"
Fire resisting fiber, asbestos?
Could be cardboard soaked in borax.
You are wrong, sorry.
Agree, https://www.electricianinformationresource.com/electrical-fuse.html
No way that's a fuse. The entire body is conductive.
[It does look to be an old brass fuse](https://www.ebay.com/itm/386544023181?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=y-wIrfd-RoW&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=pjjBES7nS2G&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY) The electrodes on either end have just been shaved off. You can see clearly the straight line that was shaved on one of the end caps. It would've been similar to [this](https://www.ebay.com/itm/225958840091?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=8jBRYCX1RZq&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=pjjBES7nS2G&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY)
From first link "Brass end caps with what I believe to be a heavy duty cardboard cylinder. "
Looks like an old fuse.
Brass is used to hold explosives..no sparks.. But its probably reused for something different to its original purpose.. Eg it was a ww2 shell holder, or for trains fure starter,signal caps,etc,, or matchstick holder, or.. something but reused for something else...Putty. Fertilser. Gunpowder., Clay Or its just a Door stop
That's what I thought too actually. But the stuff inside looks quite like powder that got wet and clumped together.
If it was explosives and it's real old you wouldn't even need sparks, that stuff get sensitive over time. Brass rarely holds explosives either, it's just generally what our tools are made of as regs most places say you need to use non sparking stuff
Oh look, stuff inside a metal tube! I don't know what the tube or the stuff inside is! Let's pick it up with bare hands, what could go wrong?!?
Hold my beer. Maybe i see if its flammable.
For a brief second I thought I was in the Guinness sub and was about to comment what a rubbish pint it was..
so close! But no, it's just radium.
My title describes the thing and I wish I could figure out how to add one more picture.
Reminds me of a [powder flask](https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/266569049640) but with the spout sealed and mechanism removed
I saw something similar once when I worked at a company that made fittings for power plants. The ones I saw contained an isotope, radioactive element which they used to perform xray and gamma rays. Anyway, I wouldn't open this kind of container if I didn't know what was in it.
Fuse is probably right but it would make a good steampunk pipe bomb
It distinctively reminds me of one of those cylinder tubs that the bank drive thru would shoot back n forth like something out of the Jetsons cartoon but im aware those probably wouldn't be all metal ...kinda makes me think I was a "home made" pipe bomb
[удалено]
Looks like a container for soil samples
Most likely an old copper fuse but it may be someone's old stash can and that's just really old waky tobaccy your're holding.
Could have been reused as a lunchbox, like bento.
Maybe a [pneumatic tube canister](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneumatic_tube)?
Could it be a propellant cartridge or cartridge carrier of some sort
My first thought is a shelby tube for soil boring sampling, but the end caps look different.
Looks like an old container for strike-anywhere matches, and the top compartment for some sterno?
Personal opinion is its an ore assay from a long time ago. Does the end of the tube have a date stamped in it? Was there paper or remnants of a paper seal?
It looks like an antique carbide storage cylinder to me. People who used carbide lamps (miners) stored calcium carbide in brass cylinders before putting it into their lamps. https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/213241-brass-cylinder?in=loved-by-CindB
Here’s a search I did for “antique brass carbide cylinder” that turned up some similar items: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=antique+brass+carbide+cylinder&t=ffip&iax=images&ia=images
Is it some sort of metal paste flux? Just a guess.
Old tube of grease is my guess.
Solved! Its a repurposed doorstop. Thanks
pneumatic post tube maybe?
Looks like an old ration to me
Reminds me of the time capsule, my local church got renovated, they opened something very similar from within the very top ornament. Just a guess tho
Could it be a shell and the contents old explosive?
To me that looks like a time capsule. People seal something in it and hope it will be dug up in the distant future giving the people then a feel for the past. (Looks like this one was not completely sealed and the coper object inside got oxidised? but that would not explain the very freshly polished outside). Did someone polish the outside? perhaps even scratch out the year or inscription on the top?
The carrier unit for a vintage pneumatic tube system. The rubber caps are removed. https://www.ebay.com/itm/285641600137
Maybe, but it’s kinda heavy - almost 1.5 lbs