What is this?

I don't know and it looks cool, but that fiber stuff could be asbestos.

 

it's the cap of something....maybe wire rope ?

 

Something electrical related?

 

I wonder a bit if it isn't a piston where the pin broke. from the form it could be for an old 2 stroke diesel.

 

or even a rare Schnürle piston.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schnuerle_porting

 

I have stumbled upon the answer ....

 

brilliant. the counterweight. who'd have thunk of that ?

 

I was browsing a local sale list and there it was in all its glory, dumb luck.

 

THat's great ! I knew I had seen one before ... I have a scale to similar to that , but for the life of me , i could not place where i had seen that !

 

in Switzerland - where else - they call that "a blind sow found an acorn".

 

Ha! My wife's uncle was fond of saying "even a blind chicken finds the corn"

 

that would be the German version around here. the Swiss dialects are rather down to earth and outspoken.