A Pause to Reflect on Weights and Measures
Feb 27, 2024 08:08:39 #
Reuss Griffiths
Loc: Ravenna, Ohio
The following still lifes are arrangements of items from my days as a chemist. The first four images are arrangements of brass weights that were pleasant to my eye. The last two are arrangements of volumetric flasks and a pycnometer which chemists use. The two volumetric flasks each are designed to hold exactly 1 milliliter of a fluid. The most commonlv-used volumetric flasks range in capacity form 25-ml to 2000-ml. These are unusual because of their very small volume.
The unusual looking flask with a thermometer sticking out the top with a little covered side arm is a pycnometer use to measure the specific gravity (density) of fluids.
The unusual looking flask with a thermometer sticking out the top with a little covered side arm is a pycnometer use to measure the specific gravity (density) of fluids.
Attached file:
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These items are all available on Amazon.
(Download)
Each volumetric flask is only $56 apiece and the pycnometer is a steal at $326.
(Download)
Feb 27, 2024 08:17:55 #
Feb 27, 2024 08:40:40 #
Feb 27, 2024 08:44:56 #
Feb 27, 2024 09:33:11 #
Reuss Griffiths wrote:
The following still lifes are arrangements of item... (show quote)
Fantastic. Love 'em. I can relate. I've used similar weights in Chem Classes and at Work. I have seen Specific Gravity devices like that but never used one. Cool stuff. I used to have at home some old lab equipment with similar weights but I eventually gave them away.
Feb 27, 2024 09:40:21 #
Feb 27, 2024 10:22:30 #
Reuss Griffiths wrote:
The following still lifes are arrangements of item... (show quote)
Very interesting. My father was a chemist. Dad passed away 10 yrs. ago at the age of 94. I do have his first microscope in a glass housing that he purchased just after getting out of High School.
Feb 27, 2024 10:56:45 #
radiomantom wrote:
Very interesting. My father was a chemist. Dad passed away 10 yrs. ago at the age of 94. I do have his first microscope in a glass housing that he purchased just after getting out of High School.
Well done.
Feb 27, 2024 10:57:35 #
Reuss Griffiths
Loc: Ravenna, Ohio
bobmcculloch wrote:
Thanks for looking in and the three thumbs up.
Feb 27, 2024 11:00:21 #
Feb 27, 2024 11:01:23 #
Reuss Griffiths
Loc: Ravenna, Ohio
Irvingite Charles wrote:
Glad you liked it Charles. Thanks for looking in.
Feb 27, 2024 11:11:05 #
Reuss Griffiths
Loc: Ravenna, Ohio
lamiaceae wrote:
Fantastic. Love 'em. I can relate. I've used similar weights in Chem Classes and at Work. I have seen Specific Gravity devices like that but never used one. Cool stuff. I used to have at home some old lab equipment with similar weights but I eventually gave them away.
Glad you liked them Mike. That's my middle size set of weights. I gave my small set (100 g max) to my daughter, also a chemist. I have a larger set with the max weight 5 Kg but that was too much work to polish up to get their pictures taken. I've actually used the pycnometer. If you have an analytical balance capable of 0.1 mg. you can get specific gravities to 4 decimal places. Have to wear cotton glove to keep off finger prints and hold the flask in your hand to warm it just to 20 deg. C then weight it. And you're right, it's cool stuff to us nerds.
Feb 27, 2024 11:12:06 #
Reuss Griffiths
Loc: Ravenna, Ohio
jaredjacobson wrote:
Fun arrangements!
Thanks for looking in Jared. I had fun making these images too.
Feb 27, 2024 11:13:55 #
Feb 27, 2024 11:25:42 #
Reuss Griffiths
Loc: Ravenna, Ohio
radiomantom wrote:
Very interesting. My father was a chemist. Dad passed away 10 yrs. ago at the age of 94. I do have his first microscope in a glass housing that he purchased just after getting out of High School.
Did he buy the microscope new. I have one very similar but a little more elaborate. It's binocular and has a more elaborate stage for holding specimens and magnifying light. Sadly, it's not in as good a condition as yours. I've been meaning to try and clean it up and restore it but life gets in the way. Don't know the maker either. Based on how elaborate the undercarriage is to present light to the speciman, I'm guessing that it might be 100 yrs old or older before light bulbs were used in microscopes. Any idea how old your microscope is. Your dad had to buy it in the late 30s I'm guessing
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