What are these?

KE2KB

Hi;
I found these three metallic objects wedged inside a 1/2" copper adapter (1/2" solder to 1/2" male NPT).
They were wedged in tight. I needed to hit them with a screwdriver to dislodge.
The material appears to be brass. or perhaps bronze.

Any ideas?

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Aggie67

They look like valve seats. Looking at them from both ends, does one end look like a stem snapped off?

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KE2KB

I don't see any sharp edges that would indicate a break.
Could they possibly be the pellets that brass (or other) objects are made from?
This part was in a sealed plastic bag, so someone/something must have wedged these things into the part during manufacturing process.
Perhaps thousands of these pellet things got into the production process for the fittings, and just the sheer force and number got three of them wedged into this fitting.

Here are a couple of better photos. The previous ones were taken with an old Olympus C3040 3.3MP, while these were taken with my Nikon D200 (10.5MP) with 300mm tele/macro zoom, mounted on a tripod.

They look like miniature UFO's

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Aggie67

I really can't say. Raw material slugs for a stamping step? Deburring pellets? It's odd that they showed up in the bag. Makes you think about the manufacturing steps. Sometimes manufacturers put parts in big rotating drums with beads to take off the sharp edges or impart a certain finish. Could be something along those lines, but it's a guess.

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KE2KB

It's even more odd that they were tightly wedged into the fitting.
Maybe I'll research the manufacture of brass fittings, and see what I can find. That would be a project for sometime when I have absolutely nothing to do <g>.

FW

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myworkshop

They look like brass handles for a bathroom pull stopper. They are shaped like the ones that fit between the hot and cold handles various types of bathroom faucets.

KE2KB

But these are much too small to be any type of handle. They're only about 0.2" diameter.

FW

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jogr

They are indeed UFOs. You'll soon be visited by men in black and this thread will disappear.

Shamus

Looks like someone mixed the bag of deburring media with another similar metal item and you hit the lottery. Chance of three of um ending up lodged in your adapter are about the same odds.....

I'd package them up and send off to the Quality department of the manufacturer. ask them if they are missing something and that you found them and wanted to return anyhting you got but didn't pay for.

I'd be interested in the reply letter you get back.

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Jefftheplumber

Yes indeed, thoses are the deburring media that the manufacturer dumps into a large vibrating vessel along with copper fittings. This removes any rough edges/burrs from the fittings and also polishes them.