Sikes hydrometer by Loftus, 146 Oxford St, London. Serial number 10770. The thermometer is signed on the front Loftus, 321 Oxford St, London and with the other address on the reverse. Probably late nineteenth century. The corners of the mahogany box are mitred with loose tenons.
Missing one weight.
William R Loftus was at the Oxford St addresses from 1870 to 1910. In 1911 the business moved to Tottenham Court Road.
Missing one weight.
William R Loftus was at the Oxford St addresses from 1870 to 1910. In 1911 the business moved to Tottenham Court Road.
Sikes hydrometer by T O Blake, 57 Hatton Garden, London, serial no 61318. The thermometer is signed T O Blake, London. Probably early twentieth century. The corners of the mahogany box are comb jointed.
Missing slide rule which would have been similar to the J Long one shown on the Early Slide Rules page (which fits the slot precisely).
Thomas Odempsey Blake was working from 1905 to 1947 at least with addresses at 57, 58 and 40 Hatton Garden.
Missing slide rule which would have been similar to the J Long one shown on the Early Slide Rules page (which fits the slot precisely).
Thomas Odempsey Blake was working from 1905 to 1947 at least with addresses at 57, 58 and 40 Hatton Garden.
L Oertling, London excise saccharometer no. 4862. Five weights calibrated in steps of 30 from 970 to 1090. Scale on stem divided from 0 to 30. Fitted mahogany case stamped with a crown, “560” and “C&E” (Customs & Excise). The case has hand made dovetails. Missing thermometer.
Ludwig Oertling (born Germany 1818, died 1891) came to England in the early 1840s, worked in London from 1846, and the firm continued in London until 1925. It was taken over by W & T Avery of Birmingham in 1924 and they continued to use the Oertling name on balances.
Ludwig Oertling (born Germany 1818, died 1891) came to England in the early 1840s, worked in London from 1846, and the firm continued in London until 1925. It was taken over by W & T Avery of Birmingham in 1924 and they continued to use the Oertling name on balances.
Glass and mercury hydrometer by Casella, London, no SE3942. It has a paper scale inside the neck. The case is a card tube.
“Hydrostatical Glass Bubbles for proving spirits accurately adjusted to the universally approved scale made and sold by Chas. Malacrida Italian”. This was probably the Charles Malacrida who was working in London from 1805 to 1822. The label in the lid lists 24 bubbles from no 14 (alcohol) to no 56. Although there are holes for 19 bubbles there are only nine remaining with numbers ranging from 20 to 34.
A two foot gauging rod, or is it? It in fact appears to be the bottom half a Brannen gauging rule (there should be another 2’ two fold section which could be joined on to make a four foot gauging rod. The tongue has broken off this section, which has also lost part of the ferrule at the end that goes into the corner of the barrel. It could also be used as a slide rule by sliding the two parts against each other. It is pre-1824 as it has scales for both beer and wine gallons and the old malt bushel gauge point. It also has a scale marked Ale Area.
Folding guinea and sovereign scale, mahogany box, ca.1820. Originally had four weights.
Sovereign rocker, nineteenth century. The sovereign and half sovereign were introduced in 1817 to replace the guinea, a new standard of gold and silver coinage having been created in 1816. Besides weighing the coins this balance has slots in the coin pans through which the coin must pass, thus ensuring it was gold and not debased.
Apothecary’s scale, steel with brass pans, in a mahogany case. Nineteenth century. The circular weights are for 1 scruple, 1 and 2 drams. The rectangular weights are for grains, the centre one being marked 5 grains.
Beam length 150 mm, pan diameter 62 mm. Swan neck ends to beam.
Beam length 150 mm, pan diameter 62 mm. Swan neck ends to beam.
W & T Avery Ld, Digbeth, Birmingham apothecary’s scale with steel, box ended, beam and glass pans. In the compartment in the mahogany box are weights for 1 and 2 drachms, 1½ and 2 scruples and 6 grains. The first four are marked ‘W&T Avery Limited Birmingham’ on the reverse and the beam is marked ‘Avery Ld’ and ‘To weigh 4 oz’. 19th century.
Beam length 150 mm, pan diameter 68 mm
Coin scale for weighing guineas and half guineas. The tin box is japanned with a lacquered (imitation tortoiseshell?) top and is lined with silk and green felt. The weights, which are original, are marked with a lion and their weights, 5 dwt 8 grains and 2 dwt 16 grains, for guineas minted after 1771, probably dating these scales to the last quarter of the 18th century.The beam has box ends.
Beam length 100 mm, pan diameter 40 mm
Beam length 100 mm, pan diameter 40 mm
Portable apothecary scales on a mahogany base with a drawer into which the scales can be packed when dismounted. The upright is in two sections screwed together and it screws into the mount on the mahogany base. The balance is marked ‘To weigh 2 oz’ and also ‘Class B’ and there is also a registered number 522411 which dates the design to 1908. Under the beam pivot is a tiny lead mark for King George 1913.
In the drawer there are a second glass pan and the following brass weights: 1 oz (2), ½ oz, 100 grains, 50 grains, 10 grains. The ounce weights are Avoirdupois.
One of the 1 oz weights is obviously older (by its colour) and has on it a small circle enclosing a crown over ‘VR’ over ‘6’, as well as being marked with its weight and the letter ‘F’. The others are just marked with their weight. I am not sure that any of the weights are original.
In the drawer there are a second glass pan and the following brass weights: 1 oz (2), ½ oz, 100 grains, 50 grains, 10 grains. The ounce weights are Avoirdupois.
One of the 1 oz weights is obviously older (by its colour) and has on it a small circle enclosing a crown over ‘VR’ over ‘6’, as well as being marked with its weight and the letter ‘F’. The others are just marked with their weight. I am not sure that any of the weights are original.
Beamscale by Praewa, the beam is marked 50g (50 grams). Continental, early twentieth century. Brass and bronze, it dismantles and stows in the drawer. The weights, presumed English, are: brass for 2, 3, 5 & 10 pennyweights, and aluminium for 0.001 to 0.05 Troy ounces.
The purpose of a hydrometer is to determine the specific gravity of a liquid. From this it is often possible to determine the composition or strength of the liquid. The Sikes hydrometer was, for very many years, the standard means of determining the alcohol content of spirits and hence the duty payable. I have added gauging rules as they were also associated with determining the duty payable on wines and spirits.
