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I've had these around since I was a kid but just recently realized what it's used for.

What do you think it is and what is it used for?

*edit. got it. It's a magnet that's forced down a cow's throat so that if they eat metal debris then the magnet keeps it in their stomach.

I've had these around since I was a kid but just recently realized what it's used for. What do you think it is and what is it used for? *edit. @Lurker17 got it. It's a magnet that's forced down a cow's throat so that if they eat metal debris then the magnet keeps it in their stomach.

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[–] • 1 pt

Those are great for cleaning up the metal shavings off your drill press.

I go metal detecting in the desert a lot. Often we will find what we call cow bubble gum, pieces of chewed up aluminum. It’s kinda surprising how much of it there is out in the middle of nowhere. So you gotta think it had to of passed through the cow that far away from where a human would toss a can. You’d think the razor thickness of an aluminum can would fuk a cow’s stomach up more than the types of metal a cow might swallow.

[–] [deleted] • 1 pt

They're great for a lot of things. Drop a screw? Got it! Is it steal? Nope! Can I get this to spin by doing x, y or z? You betcha!

Aluminum bubblegum though. That is interesting and how in the world does any sort of animal pass that without issue. Who of us hasn't seen a bid of a goat chewing up a beer can and asked "Wtf?".

[–] • 0 pt

Definitely a useful tool to keep around. I keep one stuck to the side of my forge to check if I’ve reached the Curry Point or non-magnetic when heat treating knives and tooling. Don’t know if it’s true or not, but some if not most of the new ones have neodymium magnets in just the ends, where the older ones were all magnetic. I’ve had mine for decades, they’re fully magnetic as far as I can tell.

My grandparents fed the dogs chicken bones and ribs all the time and they never had a problem. Heck grandma would crack rib bones with her teeth to get at the marrow and suck on them. She lived to 98. Sharp bits of metal, ferrous or non ferrous is another matter though!