r/Whatisthis Nov 29 '24

What is this thing that I found in my attic? Open

Thanks!

484 Upvotes

440

u/Cthulhu606 Nov 29 '24

Kinda looks like a hyperbaric chamber. Does it have air line hookups?

-210

u/Quirky-Bar4236 Nov 29 '24

The chamber is maybe 2.5ft across.

78

u/omawk Nov 29 '24

bot

-129

u/Quirky-Bar4236 Nov 29 '24

lol. No idea why I’m being downvoted. I’ve measured the inside of the thing and the chamber is 2.5ft.

304

u/Vafisonr Nov 29 '24

Because you didn't answer his question at all.

322

u/Quirky-Bar4236 Nov 29 '24 edited Nov 29 '24

Ah, I’ve been hanging drywall and just made a quick post. There’s no way to get it air tight nor does there appear to be air hookups. There’s two holes on the front but I’m assuming this was for a handle. Even so, you’d be lucky to fit an infant in it.

293

u/ozzy_thedog Nov 29 '24

But did you try? Squeeze the infant a bit.

306

u/Quirky-Bar4236 Nov 29 '24

Looks like the infant fits with some elbow grease.🫡

88

u/ozzy_thedog Nov 29 '24

Good thank you. I’m not any closer to figuring it out. Did the kid have any ideas?

17

u/No_Cook2983 Nov 30 '24

Put the big infant pieces in first. Then the smaller ones.

Does that help?

3

u/fmlchris Nov 30 '24

Cut the infant in pieces for reassembly later.

8

u/Acceptable-Refuse328 Nov 30 '24

Gotta love reddit logic...

1st person says to put the infant in in pieces and gets up voted...

You say "cut into pieces" (the only way to accomplish the first comments goal) and it gets down voted...

I guess it doesn't mean the exact same thing...

→ More replies

6

u/[deleted] Nov 30 '24

Just spit on it

13

u/WokeUpSomewhereNice Nov 30 '24

You gotta hawk one tuah electric avenueah

7

u/ScrubLord1008 Nov 30 '24

Infants are still quite soft and malleable at that stage

→ More replies

20

u/VoodooLabs Nov 29 '24

He kind of did. That’s mighty short for a hyperbaric chamber.

4

u/reindeermoon Nov 30 '24

Maybe it’s just very old. I hear people used to be shorter back then.

8

u/SitDownKawada Nov 29 '24

Do you mean 2.5ft lengthways or 2.5ft in diameter?

25

u/gatekeepr Nov 29 '24

provide some additional pictures please, multiple angles. Is this made from aluminium sheet metal? If so, that was quite the fabrication job.

9

u/Level9TraumaCenter Nov 30 '24

It's an interesting mix- I think the endcaps are welded, and there's a bunch of pop rivets, while the pop rivets securing the lid to the body are spaced out kind of wonky and irregular, then with one piece of plastic molding across the lip, probably to keep the lid from rubbing against the body.

And then there's silver silicone (?) on the seals by the door, but on the inside, the silver silicone doesn't go all the way 'round on the inside of the endcaps, and it's a sloppy job. Really quite a mix of professional and amateurish.

3

u/AB_Biker_PistonBroke Nov 30 '24

Wrapped in tin probably insulated.. ( note the screws holding the cladding on)

→ More replies

16

u/Dawhoda0 Nov 30 '24

How dare you tell us the measurement across😆 downvote!

8

u/Quirky-Bar4236 Nov 30 '24

“Everybody’s a critic.”

17

u/autoerratica Nov 30 '24

It looks like a Halloween prop version of a hyperbaric chamber or something. The shoddy spray paint shows some shitty craftmanship with purpose… I think this person was the previous owner of my house.

177

u/Medical-Lobster8795 Nov 29 '24

It kinda looks like the machine they used to cremate my dog lol

209

u/atribecalledcorey Nov 29 '24

Try cremating something in it.

75

u/scuzzle-butt Nov 29 '24

Cremate deez nuts

20

u/BeeHive83 Nov 29 '24

Hey Deez called for you.

17

u/Drumdevil86 Nov 29 '24

That's nuts

12

u/BeeHive83 Nov 29 '24

Lol. Now ask me who is deez.

11

u/Drumdevil86 Nov 29 '24

Me who is Deez?

14

u/BeeHive83 Nov 29 '24 edited Nov 29 '24

Me. Deeeeezzzzz NUUUTTSSS. Haha got you

Eta: oh, also Joe called for you.

7

u/Drumdevil86 Nov 29 '24

No way! Can't believe I fell for that! 🥜🤯

9

u/BeeHive83 Nov 29 '24

Joe wants to talk to ya

→ More replies

20

u/Psilologist Nov 29 '24

He needs to cremate the infant he put in it. I think we've got it reddit!

7

u/NJHostageNegotiator Nov 30 '24

Now, that's a modest proposal.

4

u/There_is_no_racoon Nov 30 '24

Bring out yer dead!

→ More replies

3

u/[deleted] Nov 29 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

149

u/Sufficient-Cold-9496 Nov 29 '24

Aircraft underwing storage pod? Straps/bolts to the side of an aircraft under the / by the wing for additional storage space

23

u/brrdikid Nov 29 '24

Happy cake day

9

u/IGOTPOPROX Nov 30 '24

Thank you for saving me from Deez nuts. 🤣 Happiest of birthdays to you! 🎂🥳

5

u/BigSaskGuy Nov 30 '24

So an airplane Thule Cargo Box. Cool!

0

u/saunterdog Nov 30 '24

Happy Cake Day!

76

u/Moln0015 Nov 29 '24

Looks like something from Austin Powers

62

u/copperpin Nov 29 '24

I think you might be on the right track. Looks like a movie prop to me.

15

u/Softale Nov 30 '24

Try pumping it…

12

u/justandswift Nov 30 '24

yea baby!

71

u/boxmail2800 Nov 29 '24

Prop judging by the painting details. You could do baby pics in it like Superman!!!!

23

u/dleema Nov 30 '24

Before or after the cremation experiment proposed above?

2

u/squeege Nov 30 '24

My very first thought was a prop of some sort also.

55

u/t20six Nov 29 '24

Can you fit in it? Might make a good sensory deprivation chamber

49

u/_primo63 Nov 29 '24

sits inside…. auto-locks

25

u/BeeHive83 Nov 29 '24

‘Stuck inside’ “I think I made a mistake.”

→ More replies

35

u/vito1221 Nov 30 '24

Jump in it and close it up when you're alone. If it locks and you can't get out, you will enjoy that thing for the rest of your life.

3

u/Kiwihat Nov 30 '24

Are you sure enjoy is the right word?

→ More replies
→ More replies

2

u/WokeUpSomewhereNice Nov 30 '24

See the movie Altered States to see what happens next! 🥳☠️

49

u/Ov3rtheLine Nov 29 '24

Looks too janky with thin metal and weak rivets to be a hyperbaric chamber. Too clean to be a smoker.

15

u/Siglet84 Nov 29 '24

That appears to be industrial insulation. We use something very similar on steam pipes.

14

u/bdubble Nov 30 '24

Yeah it's clearly prop-level construction and not any real functioning equipment. This thread is disappointing me

→ More replies

22

u/Beagle001 Nov 29 '24

Early sensory Deprivation tank?

0

u/Ted-Chips Nov 29 '24

I'd go with sensory dep for sure. Good eye.

14

u/H2-22 Nov 29 '24

For ants.

1

u/Ted-Chips Nov 29 '24

I'll admit I don't have a banana for scale. I'm probably all wet.

3

u/WokeUpSomewhereNice Nov 30 '24

early sensory deprivation tank for BEER I would use ice as well tho to deprive the beer of its senses.

1

u/jeffd5 Nov 29 '24

Does it lock from the inside?

72

u/tstew117 Nov 29 '24

Maybe a time capsule?

14

u/stevenm1993 Nov 29 '24

I second this.

14

u/meat_assembly Nov 29 '24

That's my thought. Looks like the one we buried in school. It didn't have the legs/supports though.

5

u/tstew117 Nov 29 '24

Yeah I was just noticing that, more so because it almost seems bonded with the floor which would kind of throw that out.

6

u/VintageZooBQ Nov 30 '24

Yeah, the caulking (? - Gorilla Glue?) to the floor has me thrown.

The horror movie type in me thinks that with all of the insulation that it's large enough to put a crying baby in so someone wouldn't have to listen to it. The window is to check in on it. Worst case thought process.

7

u/Robert_Fuckler Nov 29 '24

If it’s not, it looks like it’d make a good one.

11

u/Revolio_ClockbergJr Nov 29 '24

It is an unintentional time capsule, at very least. The texture and color on that sheet metal makes me think of products from the 50s-60s

9

u/Revolio_ClockbergJr Nov 29 '24

Holy shit it's school bus vinyl seat texture

2

u/Emily_Postal Nov 30 '24

My first thought too.

→ More replies

51

u/Unusualhuman Nov 29 '24

Probably a prop from a local theater production- one that sold tickets for multiple shows and the thing needed to be able to hold up with someone jumping out of it every night for a few weeks. Not like a prop for a 2-performance school play. So it's well made, but doesn't really serve any purpose now. Someone thought it was cool and saved it in the attic.

-5

u/[deleted] Nov 29 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

0

u/NeedsMoreTuba Nov 29 '24

A fiberglass tank, but for what, I don't know.

-4

u/[deleted] Nov 29 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/[deleted] Nov 29 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

5

u/[deleted] Nov 29 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/[deleted] Nov 29 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/jjfrank88 Nov 29 '24

Over-engineered trash can?

7

u/NEX105 Nov 29 '24

Time capsule?

3

u/1ScaredWalrus Nov 29 '24

The tin on the outside looks like the cladding for industrial insulation, it would be covering rockwool insulation. Very common for industrial vessels to be insulated like this.

-2

u/DerFerino Nov 29 '24

looks like an iron lung too me

15

u/lilacmacchiato Nov 30 '24

No it doesn’t. Where’s the head hole?

6

u/ozzy_thedog Nov 29 '24

Does it have some kind of drain? I wonder if it was a homemade beer cooler or something. If it was a time capsule it would have some kind of latch or lock

3

u/amusednchaos Nov 30 '24

My first thought too, or a toy box maybe

-4

u/SurgeonRx2 Nov 29 '24

I thought of a 70s or 80s tanning bed from when my dad was a kid those things used to look like shit

8

u/Miscarriage_medicine Nov 29 '24

home made cooler

0

u/SurgeonRx2 Nov 29 '24

It also could be some sort of air/gas unit based on that taping

1

u/apickyreader Nov 29 '24

Time capsule?

6

u/curlygreenbean Nov 29 '24

If there’s no plausible function based on these comments, perhaps it’s just a homemade time capsule! Designed to look “cool”.

11

u/KryptosBC Nov 29 '24

There are a handful of bomb-shaped ice chests on Google search that look a bit like this.

-13

u/indiana-floridian Nov 29 '24

This is: from a hospital

Nursing floor to pharmacy. vacuum tube. Papers to pharmacy. Medicines to the nurse. ABOUT 1985.

Very similar to the pneumatic tube you use when you go to the drive through at the bank.

The photography makes it look bigger than it is.

-4

u/Muted_Awareness_9362 Nov 29 '24

I looks like a lead chamber for something radioactive

-5

u/NotoriousNRO Nov 29 '24

Iron lung?

3

u/Siglet84 Nov 29 '24

That appears to be insulated with high temp insulation like we use on steam lines.

8

u/crosleyxj Nov 29 '24 edited Nov 29 '24

It looks to be welded and riveted aluminum. Is that correct?

Aircraft fabricators and mechanics make some very elaborate constructions. I suspect it's a storage module for the outside of a helicopter or small plane.

-4

u/Trappedbirdcage Nov 29 '24

I would have thought this was some prepper's way of surviving a nuclear blast

2

u/RedCoatSus Nov 29 '24

Looks like a warp nacelle from Kirk’s Enterprise. Maybe a model/miniature/prop?

0

u/LCDR_TomDodge Nov 29 '24

Is there a Playstation controller inside?

3

u/creepjax Nov 29 '24

Is there any markings or labels on it?

6

u/ParaGonX123 Nov 29 '24

It looks like some isolated/insulated storage case to store food or chemicals, an oversized knock off BBQ party ice box, maybe?

7

u/Quirky-Bar4236 Nov 30 '24

I think it could be an ice box. The inside feels like one.

7

u/Lowcountry25 Nov 29 '24

It's a cooler.

3

u/Quirky-Bar4236 Nov 30 '24

I think you’re on to something. The inside feels like a cooler.

3

u/bentbrewer Nov 30 '24

I’ll bet it was some kind of promotional thing for beer or other canned/bottled drink. Does it seem to be painted over?

→ More replies

2

u/upinsnakes Nov 30 '24

What's that cord go to? Lights?

1

u/Quirky-Bar4236 Nov 30 '24

Cord is for the internet. My Dad and I ran it through the wall because the previous owners left it in the middle of the garage.

1

u/upinsnakes Nov 30 '24

At first I was gonna say some sorta composter, but I'd think the bin would rotate and not need a giant thick door like that. Plus why white and red if it was?

0

u/ShoeBreeder Nov 30 '24

Reminds me of Star Trek TOS.....

6

u/[deleted] Nov 30 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/OGBrewSwayne Nov 30 '24

How does one just find this in the attic?

4

u/Quirky-Bar4236 Nov 30 '24

I’m gonna say something really stupid: Attics give me the creeps and so I never went up there.🤣🤣

0

u/LinnMarie12 Nov 30 '24

It kinda looks like an old style pneumatic tube used in hospitals and at banks.

0

u/KrazyButStable-ish Nov 30 '24

Amateur Smoke Box. Cheech and Chong style.

1

u/courtedge77 Nov 30 '24

A time capsule perhaps?

1

u/Tikala Nov 30 '24

How heavy is it? My gut reaction was homemade prop for a play. I remember making stuff like this out of cardboard and spray paint for sci-Fi themed plays.

1

u/5ForBiting Nov 30 '24

Looks like a homemade spaceship toy for a toddler, or maybe it was one that used to take quarters and rock, and the new owner painted it.

-1

u/EnvironmentalCheek81 Nov 30 '24

looks like an iron lung

1

u/luckyapples11 Nov 30 '24

Any markings? Numbers, company, city/state, etc.? Might be hard to find, most likely on the bottom or on a leg

1

u/Cleanbriefs Nov 30 '24

B53 nuclear bomb replica the “port” is to put an insert that has the bomb’s controls to arm it disarm it. It’s a prop. 

0

u/revolutionary_weesl Nov 30 '24

Homemade isolation chamber

0

u/cheflefty Nov 30 '24

Bender from Futurama

0

u/micheal_pices Nov 30 '24

Medbed prototype /s

2

u/Ya-Dikobraz Nov 30 '24

Looks like a prop from a science fiction show.

2

u/Gargun20 Nov 30 '24

The Fringe TV Show Olivia Dunham hopped in one.

2

u/Ya-Dikobraz Nov 30 '24

Damn, thanks for reminding me. I need to re-watch that show.

2

u/Gargun20 Nov 30 '24

You're welcome I re-watch every year.

1

u/Drinkythedrunkguy Nov 30 '24

Is this a movie prop?

1

u/Shoximity Nov 30 '24

That looks like a theater prop to me.

1

u/isingtomyducky Nov 30 '24

Prop or cooler

1

u/RealHausFrau Nov 30 '24

Refurbished propane/gas tank

2

u/smalltowndoc74 Nov 30 '24

Sand blasting chamber to clean small metal parts in?

1

u/neverendum Nov 30 '24

Suicide pod. Hook up with a Nitrogen line and float off to oblivion.

1

u/AlaaB Nov 30 '24

Isn't this a boiler?

1

u/Diver-Ted Nov 30 '24

Water tank?

1

u/623fer Nov 30 '24

Not sure why, but my mind immediately jumped to the alien pod from Kino der Toten from black ops zombies.

It looks like a prop, like you’re not meant to look at it this closely

0

u/PedroBenza Nov 30 '24

I'm thinking home made sensory deprivation tank.

1

u/Iheartbobross Nov 30 '24

Looks like a movie prop

0

u/sherbert-yum Nov 30 '24

I just ran it through google images, which shows it either as a bomb or a smoker. Good thing it was empty 😜

1

u/scruffy-the-janitor1 Nov 30 '24

Looks like one of those floaters you put on the side of your boat so it doesn’t bounce against the dock.

1

u/estimatetimetoarrive Nov 30 '24

Compost bin maybe

1

u/CantStandAnything Nov 30 '24

Is it possibly a movie prop?

1

u/indy_vegan Nov 30 '24

It's a transport vessel. A UFO for trade purposes.

1

u/Buttstaxxz Nov 30 '24

A trash receptacle?

1

u/AGuyInTheOZone Nov 30 '24

Time capsule

1

u/fereleye Nov 30 '24

Unused time capsule?

1

u/lavenderbrownies Nov 30 '24

Does it plug up to anything? It looks like something someone made with their kids to play outer space in

0

u/dragonfly_for_life Nov 30 '24

It looks like the sensory deprivation chamber I used to use in the 90’s. You fill it with warm water and epsom salt, channel in some music, and float and meditate. Does it have a way to heat up or at least keep the water warm?

1

u/mildartist Nov 30 '24

Movie prop

1

u/No_Oddjob Nov 30 '24

This thing screams "stagecraft" to me. How heavy is it?

1

u/Hunter727 Nov 30 '24

…. A cool looking time capsule maybe?