Oil Can, Patent Model, 1866
notes: label: Description
content: This oil can is a patent model for U.S. patent No. 55,975, an improved oil can patented on July 3, 1866 by James Ashton of Fall River, Massachusetts. The bottle is made of brass. To produce a continuous stream of oil from the can, the user can invert the can and press their finger on the cap which pushes down a rod through an air inlet and opens the end of the supply tube. To stop such a continuous flow, the user can simply remove their finger from the cap as the spiral spring attached to the rod is pushed up and into the supply tube to close both the air inlet and the bottle’s output.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Massachusetts, Fall River
label: Associated Place
content: United States: District of Columbia, Washington
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Mechanical and Civil Engineering
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MC.325577
label: catalog number
content: 325577
label: accession number
content: 249602
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Oil Can, Patent Model
label: Object Name
content: Model, Patent
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 6 3/4 in x 2 in; 17.145 cm x 5.08 cm