Thanks everyone for the responses! I'm looking into all the suggestions...

Dan

> Dan,
>
> From your photos I would suggest looking into some sort of burner
> orifice.? The morphology of this artifact is very similar to burners made
> for natural gas, propane, etc and the color variation at the end suggests
> the presence of heat and the products of combustion.? It was very common
> to use a high grade ceramic for this type of application for gas light and
> other similar applications.? I browsed a bit on google books to try to
> find a picture in the period literature but have been stumped so far.?
> When you do find out, let me know, I always enjoy a good mystery!?
>
> Best,
>
> Stathi Pappas
>
>
> ___________________________________________________________________
>
> Efstathios I. Pappas
> Doctoral Candidate
> Department of Anthropology/096
> University of Nevada, Reno
> Reno, NV 89557
> 209 603 7363
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dan Trepal <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Tue, 5 Feb 2008 8:12 am
> Subject: Mystery artifact...ID help?
>
>
>
> Hello Everyone,
>
> I'm looking for a little help identifying an artifact.
>
> The artifact was collected during excavation in a cannon boring mill at
> the 1817-1912 West Point Foundry site. It was found in context with late
> 19th-century tobacco pipe fragments. It has a tapering, cylindrical
> cross-section with a grooved collar and a rounded head with a straight,
> narrow slit across the top and extending down the sides. the other end is
> broken. I am not sure what material it's made from, though it may be clay,
> hard and cool to the touch. It looks as though it has been turned on a
> lathe, and the grooves are very sharp and straight. The broken end looks
> as though it may have been cut rather than simply broken.
>
> Photos:
>
> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v439/danthearcheologist/artifact_ID/001.jpg
>
> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v439/danthearcheologist/artifact_ID/002.jpg
>
> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v439/danthearcheologist/artifact_ID/003.jpg
>
>
> Any ideas?
>
> Regards,
>
>
> Dan
>
> --
> Daniel J. Trepal
> Masters Candidate
> Industrial Archaeology
> Michigan Technological University
> Social Sciences Dept.
> 1400 Townsend Drive
> Houghton, MI 49931
> http://www.social.mtu.edu/IA/iahm.html
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
> ________________________________________________________________________
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-- 
Daniel J. Trepal
Masters Candidate
Industrial Archaeology
Michigan Technological University
Social Sciences Dept.
1400 Townsend Drive
Houghton, MI 49931
http://www.social.mtu.edu/IA/iahm.html
[log in to unmask]