Mouth of the dragon's lair (the secret revealed)

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rjlittlefield
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Mouth of the dragon's lair (the secret revealed)

Post by rjlittlefield »

Image

Anybody want to take a guess what this really is?

Hint: field width about 15 mm.

--Rik

Edit: title
Last edited by rjlittlefield on Sun Feb 05, 2012 11:36 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Cactusdave
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Post by Cactusdave »

I suspect this is mineral, rather than animal or vegetable.
Leitz Ortholux 1, Zeiss standard, Nikon Diaphot inverted, Canon photographic gear

shrek
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Post by shrek »

Tree of nickel déposit ?

jp

JW
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Post by JW »

Some type of light bulb filament
It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see - Henry David Thoreau

Saul
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Post by Saul »

Cracked leaking pipe, somebody tried to fix it by welding, but unsuccessfully...

Planapo
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Post by Planapo »

A twig or root of a plant that was injured and resin has seeped out from the injury and hardened. This resin ridge, partly amber-like and translucent in appearance, bears the "mouth of the dragon's liar".

Or is that grey stuff on my "twig" mortar/concrete?

--Betty

rjlittlefield
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Post by rjlittlefield »

I swear, it is the lair of the Dragon! I have seen with my own eyes the creature's fiery breath!! :shock:

--Rik

Charles Krebs
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Post by Charles Krebs »

Looks like an orifice or unintended hole in a natural gas pipe that has collected combustion deposits around the opening. That would fit with the "fiery breath" that was observed, but what appliance, device it goes with/to...????

Pau
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Post by Pau »

Charles Krebs wrote:Looks like an orifice or unintended hole in a natural gas pipe that has collected combustion deposits around the opening. That would fit with the "fiery breath" that was observed, but what appliance, device it goes with/to...????
Well, following with the Charles combustion pipe hypothesis, according Betty resin idea, and in winter time...
...perhaps you are burning wood at home and the resin and gaz escapes from the wood when it is heavily heated (with orange tree and other woods it works)
Pau

rjlittlefield
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Post by rjlittlefield »

In this case there was no participation by natural gas, wood, or other combustible organics. I'm not sure to what extent oxidation was involved in the "fiery breath" that I saw.

--Rik

Charles Krebs
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Post by Charles Krebs »

OK then... an electric heating coil or element of some type (but what? :smt017 )

If the field width is about 15mm that would make the diameter of the part about 6-7mm. Perhaps about right for an electric oven element, but far too "messy" and...
no participation by natural gas, wood, or other combustible organics
How about the heating element from an old hot water heater? Don't know how you would have seen fiery breath (steam?) but you do some strange things Rik... :wink: :wink: :wink:

rjlittlefield
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Post by rjlittlefield »

I measure about 7.6 mm.

While I admit to doing some strange things, pressurized hot water snorkling is not one of them. :roll:

So nope, not a water heater. Not even some bizarre experiment involving a water heater. Good idea, though!

--Rik

Saul
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Post by Saul »

AC pipe ?

nucleobyte
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Post by nucleobyte »

Flux coated welding/brazing rod.

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Post by rjlittlefield »

rjlittlefield wrote:While I admit to doing some strange things, pressurized hot water snorkling is not one of them.
In fact I was stirring a pot of soup at the time... (Some of the previous guesses are getting quite close. :) )

Here's a closer view, by the way. This was shot with a Nikon CFI BE Plan Achromat 4X NA 0.10, using EOS Utility to step focus on the tube lens. Illuminated by a desk lamp, shot with EFSC to avoid vibration blur.

--Rik

Image

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