Archive for the ‘commercial’ Category

Glass laboratory beaker, c.1920

Sunday, June 14th, 2020

Glass beakers, jars, and test tubes have been breaking in chemistry labs for centuries. Not surprisingly, I have come across dozens of examples of fragile laboratory glassware with early repairs. As with this one, most of the repairs I find are broken beakers set into repurposed metal lids filled with plaster. These repairs were done in-house using whatever materials were on hand and were put back to use as soon as the plaster had set.

This glass beaker, which stands 7.25 inches high, was made around 1920 by Whitall Tatum Company, was one of the first glass factories in America. Located in Millville, New Jersey, they also manufactured glass bottles and insulators. It has etched marks on the side: “TO DELIVER GUARANTEED ACCURATE, N.Y WHITALL TATUM CO., PHILA.” and: “N.Y. CITY AND PENNA. APPROVED TYPE III, SERIAL A-2.”

Check out a previous post, Two glass beakers, c.1890, showing similar repairs.

This beaker shows what the original base on mine would have looked like.

Photo courtesy of Etsy


Welding mask, c.1950

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

Each year I look forward to stopping at some of the many Memorial Day weekend yard sales near my upstate NY home. I found the newest addition to my collection of antiques with inventive repairs last Saturday at a yard sale just a few miles from my house. This dark green hand-held welding mask made of glass-reinforced plastic by Oxweld measures 14-1/2″ high by 8-1/2″ wide

Mask appears to have been cut down from a flip-up helmet and converted to a hand held mask. A sturdy hand carved wood handle has been bolted on for easy gripping

A paper label bearing the name “BETHLEHEM” is partially obscured by the addition of the handle

“OXWELD, TRADE MARK” is stamped on the face of mask

Oxweld has been in business for almost 100 years, starting with the production of railway lanterns

Kitty Kalwasinski Markovich and Florence Josephs, “Rosie the Riveter” World War II steel workers. Welding mask has names of brothers marked with stars

photo courtesy of The Pullman State Historic Site