Accession No

2230

Brief Description

precision chemical balance, by Fortin and Chemin, French, 1790

Origin

France; Paris

Maker

Fortin [balance] Chemin [pans]

Class

balances; chemistry

Earliest Date

1790

Latest Date

1790

Inscription Date

1790

Material

metal (brass, steel)

Dimensions

breadth 580mm; height 648mm; depth 325mm pan height 420mm; diameter 151mm; breadth 200mm

Special Collection

Provenance

Purchased from Alain Brieux, Paris; Spring Catalogue 1975, item no. 8043, 1975. Purchased with assistance from Science Museum Grant-in-Aid (PRISM). Formerly owned by University of Geneva.

Inscription

‘Fortin place de Sorbonne AParis 1790’ (arrestment bracing)
‘CHEMIN
A PARIS’ (pans)

Description Notes

Precision chemical balance, by Fortin, French, 1790.

Brass with steel beam. Beam has rectangular section with bevelled edges tapering from centre to end bearings; steel centre knife. Steel endknives honed to a shallow ‘U’ with screw adjustment of vertical orientation. Dished brass pans with brass stirrup type hangers, decorative sphere to steel hooks. Suspended from ‘S’-shaped hangers, notched to locate in end bearings. Sensitivity bob beneath centre bearing. beam turns on two-part steel planes let into hollow brass cylinder within hollow brass stand. Branches from column support beam when in arrested position with signed crosspiece. 3 feet with knurled levelling screws. Plumb bob levelling indication. Lever operates arresting mechanism within column lifting steel plane up to centre knife and lifting it out of the ‘V’ notches. Indices on the arrestment supports indicate with pointers on beam when in balanced position. Knurled cover for column.

References

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