One of the delights in taking a meander to – and through – a good antique or salvage shop is the discovery of once functional objects that have been shorn, busted, unmade and unusable. Yet a glimmer of their former utility is there – something to suggest that it should, or once would, do something.

I’ve found a few of these items from time to time – most recently fragments of wooden pulleys from the early 20th century. I took a stab at polishing them up, combining them with bits and fragments of other items and creating non-functional objects that nonetheless hold some sway over the imagination for the suggestion of practical use. Here are three – all with the briefest – almost automatic – remaking, with paint, paper, and found objects such as old rope, metal wire, and drawer handles.

What I like about how they ended up is the hint of adventure – a globe perhaps, or a nautical device of some kind – perhaps a leveling tool or compass. Combined, they could be used as unessential props in a gypsy pirate fashion shoot or some retrofuturistic Victorian space odyssey – Jules Verne meets the Wachowski brothers if you will. Perhaps they might be found one day in a waterfront curiosity shop, there behind the shrunken heads, in front of the figurehead from a 17th century galleon – collecting dust, awaiting their next reincarnation.