Saybolt Viscosimeter
date: label: date made
content: 1914-1915
name: label: maker
content: C.J. Tagliabue Manufacturing Company
notes: label: Description
content: The viscosimeter began as a scientific instrument for laboratory use in the 1830s. In time, due to increased industrial production, demand for quality control, and use of mineral-based oils, it gained real-world importance. The favored form for petroleum products measured the time it took for a certain volume of fluid to empty out of a container. The standard American design was developed by George M. Saybolt, unveiled in the 1880s, and manufactured by the C. J. Tagliabue Mfg. Co. for the Standard Oil Company in New York. It resembled the viscosimeters designed by Boverton Redwood in Great Britain and by Karl Engler in Germany.
label: Description
content: Tagliabue brought the basic Saybolt viscosimeter to the open market in 1905. An improved form adapted for steam, gas, or electric heating, appeared in 1914. It cost $82 with a stopwatch, and $75 without. Following Saybolt’s death in 1924, the <i>New York Times</i> implied that the viscosimeter was largely responsible for his $100,000 estate.
label: Description
content: This example is marked: “The SAYBOLT Standard / UNIVERSAL VISCOSIMETER / C. H. Tagliabue Mfg. Co. / New York / Sole Sales Agents” and “C. J. TAGLIABUE MFG. CO. N.Y.” and “2880” and “PATENT PENDING” and “2880 STANDARD UNIVERSAL VISCOSIMETER, GEO. M. SAYBOLT, NEW YORK”. It was made after Saybolt applied for a patent in 1914, and before the patent was issued in 1915.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New York
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Chemistry
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content: Natural Resources
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content: Measuring & Mapping
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: U.S. Military Academy
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: CH.316411
label: catalog number
content: 316411
label: accession number
content: 223721
objectType: label: Object Name
content: viscosimeter, Saybolt
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 14 in x 9 1/2 in; 35.56 cm x 24.13 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: 14 1/2 in x 13 1/8 in x 9 1/2 in; 36.83 cm x 33.3375 cm x 24.13 cm