Headscratcher - help ! what are these mysterious things?

[buzzy]

Anyone know what these small metal bars are?
They are all over Sydney city, in gutters, usually near drains.

They were pointed out to me today and I had never noticed them before.
I assumed some truck had recently dropped a load, but the guy that showed them to me said they have been around as long as he could remember.

He said like him, now that now I had seen them I'd notice them all the time. Sure enough, every pedestrian crossing I waited at, look down, and there they were. Sometimes one, or two ... or five.

Now it's driving me crazy!!!!

They are 15 - 30cm long, about 3mm wide and 1mm thick.

Can someone save my sanity please!

254716254717

[Grumpy John]

I reckon they're off the street sweeper brushes.

[Master Splinter]

Yep - street sweeper brush bristles.

[buzzy]

Of course! I just always figured street sweepers had broom like bristles. But they would probably need something much tougher.
Doh, seems so obvious now. :doh:My best guess was that they were dropped to help channel water and or catch certain debris before it hit the drains.



Thanks a million! (that's how often they would've given me the s**ts for the rest of my life otherwise)

[_fly_]

And the steel in them makes great lock picks.

[joe greiner]

Great for building a kalimba, too :D: http://www.woodworkforums.com/f98/kalimba-57146/

Cheers,
Joe

[jimbur]

I have a whole collection. Grandson thinks that I need them.:U

[Uncle Al]

I thought they were the metal splines in rubber windscreen wiper blade refills.
Couldn't figure out why there were so many about.

Street sweeper going bald makes much more sense:)

Alan...

[buzzy]

Alan I pondered hard about what parts of cars would be flung off all over the city, so you did better than me .. not a bad thought. I'm just glad someone else has wondered.

My other idea was that they were mild reinforcement for cement kerb edges that with erosion get exposed and fall off. Ah well. Good to keep the brain ticking over even if you're completely ridiculously wrong.

The thing is, they don't float and are too flat to be easily swept - they just get moved towards drains until they must eventually fall in, so I couldn't work out if there were thousands of them, or just a constant light spattering that builds up over decades. Seriously hampered the deduction of possibilities.

Now I see the irony. They get moved along and gathered together by street sweepers! Argggh. The mystery was it's own answer.

Maybe the sweepers need a magnetic strip trailing behind to pick up their own rubbish.

I've already used a couple to fix things, so I'm going to pick some up from now on.

Now Jim... perhaps you can make your grandson an enormous kalimba and give em all back at once. :p

And next time I lock myself out .... hmmm.

[rrich]

Interesting! I have found them here in Huntington Beach also.

Why are your street sweepers cleaning our streets?

[Big Shed]

Interesting! I have found them here in Huntington Beach also.

Why are your street sweepers cleaning our streets?

Somebody's gotta do it...........

[buzzy]

hehe. :U

[RETIRED]

Interesting! I have found them here in Huntington Beach also.

Why are your street sweepers cleaning our streets?Moonlighting or overtime.:D

[buzzy]

Moonlighting or overtime.:D

Streetsweepers cultural exchange?