Small metal object with clip on top. Clip spins around the object body and can be attracted to a magnet (so made of steel probably). Object body does not react to magnet (so made of brass maybe). Cone shaped tip seems to be made of some kind of plastic.
Found this in my back yard, probably from something I was working on, but it doesn’t look familiar.
What is this thing? (Identification may help me fix something I don’t know is broken!)
Looks a lot like a carburetor float needle to me. It allows the flow of gasoline into the float bowl, which sets the amount of fuel fed into the engine.
It’s common for float needles (and carb parts in general) to be made of brass, and the wire clip being made out of steel is also consistent with a float needle. The plastic tip is probably used for a better seal when the float is up, closing the needle port.