Guess what this is WITHOUT using the Internet
 

It's a tension bar. I did not peruse the internet, never had to leave PP to figure it out. Can you guess how?

Shear pin?

LOL
right click on pic, click on properties, read title.

Cheater! :)

Very easy, its a tension bar from the USS Bennington. Doh

Dilithium crystal from the USS Enterprise

Main shaft shear pin from the USS Bennington?

You made the task impossible.

I have to use the internet to even see the question and access Pelican.

it is something that should be worshiped ... its an idol of the God 'Pin' and sacrifices should be made in PINS honor...

And if you hover over the thread title to click on it the picture properties come up before you open the thread.

Looked like an overhead roller pin for a sliding crane often found in industrial shops to me.

I think the bigger question here is why was it in your wife's nightstand?

Tension pin from a carrier catapult

LOL I didn't do it, that's how Matt identified it. He gets points for solving the challenge, Kobayashi Maru style. (sorry for the geek reference).


I suggested it looks like a shear pin which is typically designed to limit torque to prevent overload damage.
The necked down portion is supposed to shear off at a specified load to prevent other components from breaking. An intentionally built in weak link that's easy to replace.
Still awaiting verification to see if that is what it is ............

Looks like the pre-shake weight! ;-)

Baby Rattle

I have something that looks similar to that. guess what this is.


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1387476493.jpg

I don't care who you are, that's funny right there!

http://www.southbayriders.com/forums...hments/362564/

Grenade?

nope, not grenade but here's a couple for size reference
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1387479933.jpg

Part of a cluster bomb?

Pressure cooker bombs & Cluster bombs - Waging Peace
http://blog.timesunion.com/wagingpea...bombs-work.jpg

here's a hint.. can't believe I've stumped the board
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1387485804.jpg

I know what the first one shown is but, I'm not going to tell you because you got that 5.5" dimension wrong.

Glen beat me to it :D

It's "photo1387476493"

splint for joe bobs schlong?

Locking pin , often used when turning your water off at the curb

correct!
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1387502098.jpg

Winner!

How is either you or someone you know worked around a steam catapult...

This link holds the airplane back- steam pressure comes up and at a certain strain this link shears at the weak spot and the aircraft moves down the track. Have to use one for every shot and every plane and load requires a different one.

So every time they launch a plane, they have to use a new one?

yup with the very rare exception when they launched the c1 with a deck run, I believe there are no more c1's in the navy inventory

I just gotta say working on the flight deck has to be one of if not THE most dangerous jobs on the planet, it seemed like every wespac we lost a couple guys

Wow, I always shut it off before the meter.

sometimes when you forget to pay your bill, the water dept. turns it off for ya. they just forgot the entire tool when they locked it that time. lol

Very cool!!!

So how often, if ever, does the metallurgy come up wrong and the pin shears at wrong tension?

Is the tension bar designed to break?

You bet. Breaks right in half under the pressure of the steam cat. Evidently (the guys who have actually served on the deck can REALLY tell us) the brakes are gently released on the a/c, power comes up-- and the tension bar is able to hold all of that back.

Then the steam cat kicks in and WHAM shears this metal bar like a candy cane.