American Amsler Polar Planimeter
date: label: date made
content: after 1923
name: label: maker
content: American Steam Gauge & Valve Mfg. Co.
notes: label: Description
content: This nickel-plated instrument forms a U and is hinged around a brass measuring wheel and vernier. A cylindrical weight fits over a peg at the end of the pole arm. The plating has worn away from the handle for the tracer point. The tracer arm is stamped with a serial number: 5457. An oblong wooden case covered with black leather is lined with dark blue velvet. The top of the case is marked: AMERICAN (/) AMSLER POLAR PLANIMETER. A torn red and white sticker on the bottom of the case originally read: UNIVERSITY OF (/) CINCINNATI (/) 33894. Compare to 1981.0301.02 and 1981.0301.04; the serial number suggests this object is the youngest of the three instruments.
label: Description
content: The American Steam Gauge Company, a Boston firm, was founded in 1851, incorporated in 1854, and re-incorporated around 1902 with the name American Steam Gauge & Valve Manufacturing Company. According to the company catalog, James W. See, an Ohio engineer, designed the first Amsler-style planimeter in the United States, and by 1879 American Steam Gauge began manufacturing it as the American Amsler's Polar Planimeter. In 1896, it sold with the case for $15.00. In 1923 American Steam Gauge, the Hohmann-Nelson Company, and the American division of the Schäffer & Budenberg Manufacturing Company merged to form American Schaeffer & Budenberg Corporation.
label: Description
content: According to the accession file, this object was received by the Smithsonian in 1981.
label: Description
content: References: "People: American Steam Gauge Company," <i>Waywiser</i>, Harvard University Department of the History of Science, http://dssmhi1.fas.harvard.edu/emuseumdev/code/eMuseum.asp?lang=EN; American Steam Gauge Company, catalog (Boston, 1896), 130–135; Thomas Pray, Jr., <i>Twenty Years with the Indicator: Being a Practical Text-book for the Engineer or the Student</i> (Boston: American Steam Gauge & Valve Mfg. Co., 1909), 286.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Massachusetts, Boston
topic: label: Subject
content: Mathematics
label: Subject
content: Engineering
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
label: See more items in
content: Planimeters
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content: Science & Mathematics
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of University of Cincinnati Department of Mechanical Engineering
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1981.0301.03
label: catalog number
content: 1981.0301.03
label: accession number
content: 1981.0301
objectType: label: Object Name
content: planimeter
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: nickel (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: brass (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: leather (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: cloth (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: case: 3.5 cm x 17 cm x 5.5 cm; 1 3/8 in x 6 11/16 in x 2 5/32 in