Now that I see the flat bottom of the tub, I like the idea that it's a mold. I wonder why a mold needed springs. Were they to slowly squeeze out the excess of something molded cold? For something that expanded as it set?
I wonder what molded object would be like a tiny bread loaf, 1" wide and
1.5" long.With the big hole in the top, I wonder if something was molded around the base of a rod.