This section is perfectly fine. The context isn't clear from your question but if you mean like if somebody handed you a gadget and you're asking about it, you could say things like:
nan no tame desu ka? (What is it for?)
(kore wa) nan desu ka? (What is it?)
dou iu mono desu ka? (What kind of thing is it?)
douyatte tsukaimasu ka? (How do you use it?)
tsukaikata wa nan desu ka? (How is it used?)
ittai nan na no? (What the hell is it?)