Museum owner cannot identify

MrsFury

MrsFury

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Feb 26, 2006
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LaPlace LA
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Hi all. I visited a museum today and the owner has an item he cannot identify. I told him I'd post here in the hopes that y'all could help. Here are three pics I took of this item. It was found in an area between two lakes where the towns were wiped out in a hurricane in 1915. Thank you in advance for any replies.

336437639.jpg


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Ok here goes, I retracted the wood fired water boiler after looking at mine , on the premises that the spigots are not threaded among other things. The size is very similar to mine but mine circulated by way of copper piping which couldn't be attached in this case I think the spigots are the key to solving this. If anything how was a feed attached to this or how was it mounted?
 

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a scraping of the white residue on the brass valves will settle this account.

i am beginning to believe it was mortuary equipment. how morbid. must be halloween sneaking up on me.
 

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dex378 said:
...I think the spigots are the key to solving this. If anything how was a feed attached to this or how was it mounted?
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Having two spigots going to the same tank bottom is a curiosity. The spigot pipe ends are beveled so it looks as if a rubber hose could be forced on, tightening up the further you push it. It would not hold much pressure and is not designed for a clamp. Another curiosity is that there is no top(or bottom) for this open container or dispenser. It may have had a rubber seal on the lid but I would think this would leave a mark around the rim.
Yes also how was it mounted and are there any marks? :icon_scratch:

tulecanyon said:
a scraping of the white residue on the brass valves will settle this account.

i am beginning to believe it was mortuary equipment. how morbid. must be halloween sneaking up on me.
Click to expand...
I agree, scrape and test the residue. I wonder what it would cost?


I think there is no top, or it fit loosely, and it is a gravity fed tank that fed a chemical through either one or two hoses to where it was needed (two different places) through either one or two brass controled valves. Maybe a hospital or mortuary. More fluid could be added to the open top. It may have worked something like this picture.
 

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I dunno' what to make of it. I'm leaning in the direction of part of an early milk pasteurizer, similar to earlier suggestion. But I've just spent some time searching the web with no luck. :-\
My thinking on this direction was that it could handle some heat, but since you don't boil milk to pasteurize it there's not much pressure. You could open the inlet valve until full, then empty with the other valve when that batch is ready, then repeat. And it would be easily cleanable, as has been noted.
 

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MrsFury,

Does it say McCormick-Deering on it anywhere? I showed the pictures to a friend who was a dairy farmer and he said the following:

"That is container for holding lye solution. Rubber parts from milking machines were soaked in it kill bacteria because the rubber was a little porous. Does it say McCormick-Deering on the side. I have a brand new one here.There were brackets, etc. to mount it to a wall. That could be worth quite a bit to someone who collects antique dairy or farm equipment."

Good Luck
ayb
 

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allyourbase said:
MrsFury,

Does it say McCormick-Deering on it anywhere? I showed the pictures to a friend who was a dairy farmer and he said the following:

"That is container for holding lye solution. Rubber parts from milking machines were soaked in it kill bacteria because the rubber was a little porous. Does it say McCormick-Deering on the side. I have a brand new one here.There were brackets, etc. to mount it to a wall. That could be worth quite a bit to someone who collects antique dairy or farm equipment."

Good Luck
ayb
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allyourbase I think you got it!!! ;D ;D

Here is an antique McCormick-Deering lye dispenser that is very similar. $125 ..scroll down. http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cach...Cormick-Deering"+lye&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us
McCormick Deering Lye Dispenser Dairy Crock Red Wing
Collectibles:Pottery:Stoneware:Vintage:Red Wing
Old McCorming Deering lye dispenser originally used on a dairy farm. Made by the Red Wing Stoneware Co, (not marked). This one is 15.5" not including the old 2 5/8" spigot. It measures 7.5" in diameter. There is one old shallow chip at the lower side that is not very distracting. No other chips, no cracks, no crazing. There are still some light rust stains, I removed most of them, it just takes some elbow grease
 

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Nice!
Those old Farmers are smart cookies! We have to get back to detecting his fields, he lost his wedding band about 20+ years ago chopping corn stalks into bits with some sort of shredder thing.

ayb
 

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I'm not 100% sure of that ID :icon_scratch:
Lye could be any of potassium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide (also known as caustic soda). All of these chemicals have a serious detrimental affect on brass.

Check this site for chemical compatibility
http://www.coleparmer.com/techinfo/ChemComp.asp

Maybe if the solution of chemical was dilute enough the brass could survive for some time, but I think deterioration of the brass would eventually become apparent.

There is also the twin spigots to explain :wink:
 

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I don't remember any markings but I'll suggest to him to test the residue. Y'all iz so smart. I didn't think of that and I guess neither did he.
 

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trikikiwi said:
There is also the twin spigots to explain :wink:
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The same chemical goes to two different places. I admit that I dont know how it works but isnt the antique pictured using brass? Hard to tell in small pic.
Copper holds up better. Even a 50 percent solution is rated GOOD. The pipe may be copper and the rest brass. I am not a chemist but maybe that is why it is white inside. What else could they have used at that time before plastics?

interesting link.
 

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MrsFury said:
I don't remember any markings but I'll suggest to him to test the residue. Y'all iz so smart. I didn't think of that and I guess neither did he.
Click to expand...


If that is a Lye Pot, the 'crusty' residues in the pipes will test as either Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Carbonate or Sodium Carbonate.
As far as I know, and that's not that far ;D
Mike
 

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Not sure of the measurements, will have to ask my friend what his is. As for what it held the links I find refer to it as a "Lye Solution Dispenser" so the solution part tells me it was not full strength. They made soap people washed with from lye back in the day, didn't they?

ayb
 

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Just throwing this out there. Wild guess, but would it have anything to do with cane syrup or honey? :icon_scratch:
 

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This one has me stumped...but I found this page about Dairy Antiques this couple collect. This is the link to their home page: http://dairyantiques.com/Home_Page.html

They have a CONTACT US link...email them the pics and see if they can confirm or deny that this is dairy connected.

To me...it looks like it could be dairy connected...but I've only been on a dairy farm once and I was a kid then, so I don't know anything about dairies!

Also, here's a link for Hot Water Heaters (Antique ones): http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/pages/whh/pages/water-heater-museum-home.html

Another link for a hot water heater...but much bigger than what you have pictured. Can't see the top of it to well: http://prairierosehouse.blogspot.com/2005/10/antique-hot-water-heater.html

Could not come up with anything in my newspaper research either. :(

Hope they can help.
Annmarie

I FIGURED IT OUT....it's part of an ol' still!! ;D J/K'ing

Have they tried to test what's inside the tube things? That may give a clue as to what passed through them. Just an idea.
 

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Possibly a syrup dispenser from a soda shop. 2 spigots would allow 2 "jerks" to use at the same time during high volume times....
Scott
 

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I think this ones already solved as a dairy farm lye dispenser IMO.
 

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Been spending some casual time looking this up, i still lean towards something along these lines.

http://www.google.com/patents?id=H9...+two+valves&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=0_1

This could explain the two valves as its very possibly it had coiled tubing inside that was removed/lost and
its also possible this is an "insert" meaning it may have been inside another container or vessel that was sealed.

Just a hunch, still looking. :wink:

Not entirely convinced on the lye dispenser because of the two valves.
 

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