BowieReefer84 March 21, 2013 Share March 21, 2013 The NIST Museum has many unidentified objects in its collection. We need the assistance of scientists and staff to enhance our collection by identifying these artifacts. Periodically we will post unidentified artifacts and you can add a comment directly to the record.This unidentified optical instrument manufactured by Bausch & Lomb, Inc., includes a note from Dr. George K. Burgess dated November 30, 1920. The note indicates the instrument's calibration is the standard scale.Here are pictures and details:http://cdm16009.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15421coll3/id/621 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 March 28, 2013 Author Share March 28, 2013 To the 59 viewers I was wrong... NOT a refractometer... Actually, a Brinell hardness measuring microscope. http://cdm16009.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15421coll3/id/621 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainRon March 29, 2013 Share March 29, 2013 Interesting. I actually looked twice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM March 29, 2013 Share March 29, 2013 I checked it out too, since I'm at NIST. It sure looked like a refractometer to me as well. I didn't understand the scale hand written on the lid if it was a refractometer, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbh October 24, 2013 Share October 24, 2013 Interesting...And not being a science type, why did they measure for that? How is that useful? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami October 24, 2013 Share October 24, 2013 Interesting...And not being a science type, why did they measure for that? How is that useful?Are you asking why they measured the hardness of metals? I remember this old post going up and even trying to figure out what the device might be. But I missed Mike 's follow up. I'm glad that you bumped the thread today. Sent from my Rezound on Tachyon 1.1 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbh October 24, 2013 Share October 24, 2013 Clueless as to why it was used to do whatever it did and why and what. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime October 24, 2013 Share October 24, 2013 Interesting...And not being a science type, why did they measure for that? How is that useful? Clueless as to why it was used to do whatever it did and why and what. The Brinell hardness test was developed around 1900 for testing the hardness of metals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami October 24, 2013 Share October 24, 2013 Interesting...And not being a science type, why did they measure for that? How is that useful? Hi Holly. The link that Mike provided in the second post told more about what the device was used for. As Isaac summarized above (taken from the text at the link) and I eluded to in the post before, it was a device that tested the hardness of metals. There might be a number of reasons that would be required. For example, to determine one aspect of the strength of an elemental metal or metal alloy for scientific or engineering reasons. It might also be used to help identify or verify a metal or composition of an alloy. From the text, it looks like (using a different piece of equipment) some calibrated amount of force would be put against the test sample, driving a 10 mm diameter hardened steel ball into the surface of the sample to leave a dimple. The diameter of the resulting dimple correlated with the hardness of the metal. And this device would be used to examine the physical characteristics of the dimple. That is, using the line scale on the reticle - probably very similar in appearance to the scale we have in our refractometers - you would line up the dimple on the scale and precisely measure the diameter of the dimple. At least, that's what I got from reading the text at the link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 October 24, 2013 Author Share October 24, 2013 Someone should change the thread title... haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami October 24, 2013 Share October 24, 2013 Someone should change the thread title... haha Better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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