what is this?

Thanks for the welcome!!
After a few years I've about to give up on finding some info on four things I have,
I can't give you much description, I can tell you none have markings..
First one very interesting, have heard things maybe being some kind of heat soure for workers on the road years ago. I'm not sure what info you need on the item, its like a steel doesn't seem to have smut in the middle, it has two holes on each end one that holds two bars, sticks no idea what to call them, they have a place to attach these to it. I hope the photo helps. Thanks in advance for any info on this unique item

 

deleted due to errors

 

Picture with light

in a viewable size

dimensions

 

doesn't seem to have smut in the middle

Glad to hear it, I have no use for pornography. One thing I can say is that the flask-like object looks a lot like something circular was soldered over the perforated area. Is it possible the flask at one time had circular silver plates soldered to either side, then when the price of silver want up, someone removed the plates to sell them separately?

 

I think maybe the OP meant soot???

 

Is the "neck" area threaded inside? If so maybe is a special hose nozzle for sprinkling some liquid on some crop?

 

shhh! can't have nearly as much fun with that word!

 

We really need to see larger photos with clear light. If you can't figure out where the metal bars go, maybe they don't belong together.

 

That is one weird critter!

 

Hi,
As to smut lanterns, we used those in the cold frames if a bad frost was coming. They were round ribbed iron/steel that burned kerosene. Usually you saw them on the edges of road work instead of flairs that burned out. These would burn for hours and did give off a lot of soot. Smut was a shortened term for smothering lantern.
greg

 

Greg, I thought those were called smudge pots?

 

Aren't smudge pots for gardens...or fields...or something rural? To keep away frost?

And, as I recall, "smut" is a Britishism for a bit of a blot or something on one's cheek or wherever.

 

I think those round black pots used on highways during construction work were called Toledo torches Some referred to them as smudge pots. To me smudge pots were used in orchards like Georgia peach orchards for frost protection. With the advent of battery power blinking lights on saw horses, these Toledo pots were not used any longer by highway departments. I'm not sure if this is one of those highway Toledo torches. As others have mentioned, the pics are way too small to positively ID this.

https://www.google.com/search?q=highway oil pots&client=safari&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=WNXLVKLeOJDGsQSBtYC4Aw&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&biw=1024&bih=649#hl=en&tbm=isch&q=toledo torch

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/toledo-torch

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/CraftonReunion/conversations/topics/14323

--- Susan

 

Hi Messi,
They are ( I just wanted to have something for Spring to play with) I forgot the smiley face. Remember Tums spelled back spells SMUT.
greg

 

Have you been at the vanilla bottle again, Greg??

 

Hi Silver,
Passed the vanilla going for the single malts this weekend.
greg