“That’s an industrial dipping spider (aka balloon manifold) from a vintage latex dipping machine, probably early-to-mid 1900s.
These turn up fairly often as ‘mysterious industrial relics’ in places like Ohio and Pennsylvania, basically anywhere with old rubber/glass manufacturing history. They’re heavy as hell (cast iron) and outlasted the factories they came from, so now they live their second lives as weird lawn art or creepy forest finds.
The arms are all different lengths on purpose, so the molds hanging off them could pack in tight without bumping into each other while spinning. The discs at the end of each spoke were mounting points for porcelain forms shaped like balloons, gloves, finger cots, whatever. The ring of small holes around the center is where it was bolted to a motorized shaft or flange.
How it worked: the whole contraption would rotate and dip into a vat of liquid latex. Spin, dip, coat, repeat. Very simple, very effective, very industrial revolution.
Congrats on finding a 100-year-old piece of balloon manufacturing equipment just chilling in the woods.”
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