Beaker?

Here is something I found at another Oregon estate sale. This place was old and I mean old. The items they had were awesome. It was like walking into the old west. I bought my secritaries desk there with a couple of items and this is one of them. Anyone know anything about this one? I do not want to clean it in fear of erasing any markings or part of the impasto painted image.

 

That's an oddity. Cleaning shouldn't be too difficult. Use a moistened (not wet) Q-tip to get close to the top edge of the painting and on the neck, and maybe some cotton on a stick to get the inside. Don't hold it by the painted area. The graduations should be fired on and safe to clean.

What does the writing say over the door?

 

calumet creamery.....?

 

Excellent hint. It is a "Babcock bottle" used for testing fat content. See https://www.coleparmer.co.uk/i/glass-babcock-bottle-cream-test-18-gram-sample-1-pack/3459031


There are different versions, depending on whether one is testing milk, ice cream, or cream; and to use it properly, you'll need a centrifuge and some sulphuric acid.

 

And even worth a few decent bucks!!!!!!!

 

Thank you very much. Very cool read that was. It also has Nafis etched on the glass, for the glass maker. That is calumet creamery signed on there. I havent found anything on that specific creamery but assume it was in Calumet City, ill.
I am more curious now about the painting on there. It could not have been used in a centrifuge painted like that? So someone thought the bottle was cool and painted it years later or maybe the creamery did? I love trying to figure that stuff out.

 

I always enjoy the odd/weird information one comes across researching the "what is it?" posts.
Before Mr. Babcock realized that sulphuric acid would dissolve everything in milk or cream except the fat, buyers and wholesalers could only guess whether the milk or cream they were buying had been diluted with water, or had the cream partially removed; and even if not tampered with, they could not tell the quality or fat content except by tasting and making a guess. Fascinating, I think.

 

he

I totally agree with the fascinating. I read that and went onto read the source books in wiki. lol What brought that testing to a desperate need was the fact there were a lot of dishonest dairy farmers that were deluting the milk with water. In the beginning they were paid by the weight of the milk. So they had to come up with an on the spot test.

But what about the mistery of the painting on it? lol

I just love this stuff lol

 

Awesome find I need !! For a second there I thought those numbers after their names were ages. LOL Very cool find