Antique scientific instruments a window into the past

Antique scientific instruments a window into the past

When planning to decorate your home the idea of using antique scientific instruments as decorative objects might seem a bit peculiar, and while it is a unique choice, that doesn’t mean that it’s not the right choice.  When decorating a home there are a few basic rules that should be followed.  Once you understand these rules, then the idea of using antique scientific instruments, such as clocks and barometers, probably won’t seem as strange to you.

What should be your goals when decorating a home? First, the home should be unique.  Second, it should reflect the personality of the homeowner.  Third, it should have a style that will allow it to remain appealing for years to come.  This is why using antiques when decorating, be it furniture or other accessories, is such an appealing option.  They allow you to accomplish everything you should want to as an interior designer, making them a great choice for just about any home.

Another important thing to keep in mind about antique scientific instruments is how visually appealing they are.  Antique microscopes, barometers, and other scientific instruments are as much a work of art as they are a scientific instrument.  They were crafted with care and weren’t made with plastic or other cheaper materials.  They are often made of brass or some other type of metal, giving them a timeless appearance that will fit the décor of most homes.

When you use antique scientific instruments to decorate your home you are showing anyone that visits it that you think outside of the box and have a curious mind.  You aren’t someone that is going to fill your home with meaningless trinkets and clutter, you put time and effort into thinking about what you want in your home, and what you want it to say about you.  It shows that you understand the past, and how that past has played an important role in elevating our society to where it is today.

From important surgeries that saved people or even celebrities to challenging conditions on land or sea. From barbaric way of operating people a century ago to the modern techniques this was eventually leading to. And even though every piece has a story to tell, there are many blanks which are not known. And so every piece of scientific instruments has a story to tell, and which makes them both so intriguing and mysterious.

While antique scientific instruments should impress your guests, don’t underestimate the impact they can have on you as well.  Surrounding yourself with things of beauty and mystery should help to inspire you and lift your spirits on days when you may not feel quite as optimistic about life.  Your home should be a place where you feel welcome, and most of all it should be warm and comforting to you, so surrounding yourself with beautiful things makes perfect sense.  Antique scientific instruments give you a glimpse, a window into the past that should inspire a sense of wonder in yourself, and anyone else that sees them.

Antique grandfather clock materials

Antique grandfather clock materials

When it comes to materials, antique clocks boasted quite a range of them, some worked well, while others didn’t hold up quite so well.  It’s not surprising that antique clocks went through so many changes over the years, and that different designs and materials have been used with differing degrees of success.  Whenever there is innovation, there is change.  If that weren’t true, then we’d all still be driving a Ford Model T today, wouldn’t we? Just because a design works doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for improvement, and that’s why you see a lot of different designs and materials in antique clocks.

Clocks With Metal Bodies

While not as common as wooden clocks, there are a lot of metal antique clocks available.  Brass, silver, chrome, and even gold have been used to make clocks, and as expected, clocks made from precious metals can be very pricey.  If you are willing to invest in a metal antique clock you also need to keep in mind that metal clocks tend to stand out more than wooden ones.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but you need to be prepared to adjust the décor based upon a more visually striking clock becoming a dominant feature in the room.

Wood Is the Most Common Material That Antique Clock Bodies Are Constructed From

When you think of antique clocks the first material that probably comes to mind is wood.  That’s because wood is the most common material that clocks were made from.  The reasons for this are many, and simple.  Wood is abundant, inexpensive compared to metal, easy to work with, and is durable enough to create a long lasting time piece from.  When it comes to wooden antique clocks some are considered more desirable than others, but it all ultimately comes down to personal preferences.

Oak

When it comes to hardness and durability, few woods can compare with oak, which is why it is a prized material for all types of construction projects, and why clockmakers prefer to use it as well.  It is non-porous, so it won’t shrink, and moisture does not damage it either.  It’s also resistant to insects and fungus, further cementing its status as a top tier wood for clock making.  While there are many varieties of oak, the two most known and used are white and red oak.

White oak is not actually white, rather it is more of a beige color with a straight grained pattern.  Red oak is also, not as its name implies in terms of color, but it is a rosier colored wood.  Both white oak and red oak will turn darker over time, which creates a richer, deeper color ideal for antique clocks.

Maple

Many woodworkers prize maple wood for its light, creamy colour. Just like other types of hardwood, maple wood turns darker over time or when exposed to oxygen and UV light. Maple wood possesses a fine, straight pattern, but some varieties have wavy, rippled, or bird’s eye grain.

Hard maple is typically used in woodworking for its resistance to warping and cracking. It also holds up well against changes in temperature and humidity.

Cherry

Cherry is commonly used for woodworks and furniture making because of its attractive colour and smooth texture. Because it is a medium density hardwood, cherry wood is durable but flexible and has low stiffness. It is easy to cut, carve, or mould.

The colours of cherry wood can appear yellowish to light reddish-brown. It will darken as it age, but exposure to light and oxygen can speed up the aging process.

Walnut

Black walnut wood is a tough type of hardwood that is resistant to decay. However, it is vulnerable to insect infestation.

The colours of walnut wood vary based on the part of the tree the timber is sourced from. The heartwood ranges from light to dark chocolate brown, while the sapwood comes in lighter shades, typically yellow to almost white. Some walnut wood can have a red, grey, or even purple appearance. Unlike other types of timber, black walnut wood gets lighter as it ages.

The grain is usually straight, but some black walnut wood patterns curl, look wavy, or form knots. In terms of texture, black walnut wood has a smooth finish.

Decorating your home with antique clocks

If you are planning to redo the décor in your home, or are interested in making more subtle changes, antique clocks can have an amazing transformative effect.  Antique clocks are both works of art, as well as functioning appliances that serve an important function.  Sure, you probably have a smartphone in your pocket, but sometimes you might need a quick break from it.  Maybe you’re sitting on the couch relaxing, and rather than reaching for your phone you’d prefer to glance across the room instead.  The point is that you don’t really need a clock.  Nobody in the modern world really needs a clock, there are a lot of other ways to tell time.  But, despite this, just about every home or business you walk into has a clock on the wall.  So, you need a clock on the wall, or shelf, so why not make it a thing of beauty instead of a lifeless modern clock?

Once you realize how much sense it makes to use antique clocks to decorate your home, next you’ll need to decide how to do it.  You need a carefully thought-out plan.  If one antique clock is good, putting several up around your home is better, right? Not necessarily.  If you have a large home and the clocks fit in with the décor, it could work.  Or, you could just be putting things up to put them up without any type of plan, in which case those beautiful clocks could end up just being clutter.

The first thing you need to do when you’ve made the excellent decision to invest in an antique clock for your home is to decide what style of clock will work for you.  Unless you are planning to redo your entire home and decorate based on the style of your new clock, you’ll need to choose a clock that fits in.  You’ll also need to choose one that’s appealing to you, so you have to be a bit picky and only choose a clock that fits both of those criteria.

Next, you need to think about your budget.  What can you afford? What are you comfortable spending? You don’t want to buy a cheap antique clock, if you do it’s going to usually be obvious that it’s a cheap clock.  You also don’t want to break the bank on a new clock, so you need to find a happy medium.  Find a clock that is affordable on your budget, while still being pricey enough to add the elegance and class to your home that you want it to.

Where should you place an antique clock in your home? Well, anywhere you want to, it’s your home.  But, if you are being pragmatic, you’ll want to place the clock somewhere that will be beneficial.  If it’s sitting in the corner out of sight it defeats the purpose of having it.   Your antique clock should hold a place of prominence in your home and be a centerpiece.  Ideally you will have it displayed in a prominent place with accessories around it that help to enhance it’s appeal.

Understanding the different types of barometers and its uses

Understanding the different types of barometers and its uses

When it comes to barometers there are essentially three kinds, mercury, aneroid, and digital.  All three perform the same function, they measure atmospheric pressure, but all three are used in different circumstances and locations.  Two of the three are also collectible, with one of those two typically being far more valuable than the other.  Not surprisingly, modern digital barometers are not collectible, they are designed to be built as cheaply as possible, and lack the visual appeal and ornamentation of their less advanced predecessors.

The Original Barometers

The first barometers are quite amazing when you think about it.  When it was discovered that mercury would rise in a tube based upon atmospheric pressure, the barometer was born.  It took some time to refine the design, but once it was perfected, mercury barometers proved to be very accurate, an amazing feat considering they were basically a tube with a tray of mercury at the bottom.

The original mercury barometers were accurate, but they were limited.  They were typically only found in wealthy homes and businesses since the high cost of mercury meant manufacturing them was expensive.  One of the more remarkable things about this style of barometer is how ornate they tend to be.  Since mercury was expensive, and they were only going to be purchased by people of well above average finances, these barometers were usually virtual works of art.  After all, if you are going to sell an item to a wealthy client, you need to have it be an item that they will be proud to have displayed in their home.  The competition to produce and sell barometers drove the designs forward, with some truly remarkable and beautiful barometers produced as a result.

Out of the three types of barometers, the original mercury ones are by far the most collectable.  When you think about what drives collectability, antique mercury barometers check all the boxes.  They are rare since not many could afford them.  They are also usually beautiful because they were luxury items.

Aneroid Barometers

While the first barometers were very accurate, they had significant limitations that made them impractical in many situations.  First, relying on mercury they were very expensive limiting how many people could afford them.  Second, mercury is a liquid, so using a barometer that relies on a liquid in a moving object would produce unreliable results.  Fortunately, the aneroid barometer solved both problems.

Aneroid barometers removed mercury from the design.  This resulted in a barometer that is significantly less expensive than a mercury barometer, and also one that can be transported and used on moving objects.  Aneroid barometers became smaller and more refined, leading to the pocket barometer, and with that their use on ships and planes dramatically increased.  While not as accurate as their mercury counterparts, the portability and lower price caused aneroid barometers to spread and become much more common than mercury barometers.

The fact that they are more common, combined with the lower price, and less ornate decorations has resulted in one drawback, aneroid barometers are not as collectable or valuable as mercury barometers.  There are some that might be valuable, but as a general rule of thumb, mercury barometers are more beautiful, better made, and more collectable than aneroid barometers.

Antique microscopes and their discoveries

Learning about antique microscopes and the discoveries that they enabled mankind to make should prove to be a stimulating subject for anyone that cares about science and history.  Prior to the invention of the microscope people could only wonder about what amazing discoveries existed in a world too small to be seen by the naked eye.  While there were theories about the microscopic world, that’s all they were theories, since being able to see evidence was necessary to prove a theory to be true.  This is why the microscope was such an important discovery, it opened up doorways to scientific discoveries that at one point could scarcely have even been conceived of.  The history of the microscope, and the wonders it revealed, is one of the most compelling stories in modern science.

While the exact history of the microscope isn’t known, what is known is that in 1585 the first microscope that uses more than one lens was designed and built by Zacharias Janessen, a Dutch glasses maker.  Utilizing more than one lens greatly improved the magnification abilities of his microscope, and also aided in focusing the image.  These early microscopes could magnify an object between 20 and 30 times, which at the time allowed for some astounding observations.  Today, powerful electron microscopes can magnify up to 50 million times, making their primitive counterparts seem far less impressive.  But it’s important not to discount the innovations that led to what we have today, and that means appreciating the genius of those that were able to find ways to allow an invisible, microscopic world to be seen for the first time.

You would think that scientists would leap at the opportunity to use a tool as marvelous as a microscope, but there was a lot of reluctance for quite some time after their invention.  While some scientists embraced them, others refused to due to impurities in the glass and flaws in the manufacturing of lenses.  This resulted in color changes and distortions which made microscopes unreliable in the eyes of many prominent scientists.

Fortunately, these flaws were corrected around the year 1830 by Joseph Jackson Lister and William Tulley, who made the first reliable microscope that corrected for these faults.  Once the reliability of microscopes became well known, their use rapidly spread, opening new avenues of scientific and medical research.

Today, school children learn about cells and how every living thing is made up of billions of them, but less than two centuries ago this common knowledge was not known to medical science.  It was around 1838 that two German scientists, Mathias Schleiden and Theodor Schwann proposed that cells were the building blocks of life.  What allowed them to come to such a conclusion? The microscope of course! It allowed them to look at life on a microscopic scale and see how living things were constructed in a way that would have been impossible without a microscope.

The microscope also allowed people to start to view disease and illness in a new light.  By examining people afflicted with diseases, signs of bacteria and viruses began to emerge.  The curiosity of why water could make people sick became less of a mystery when signs of microscopic parasites were discovered.

Without the invention of the microscope then medical science would never have advanced to the point it has today.  Its discovery allowed for the very building blocks of our scientific knowledge to be discovered, and only with that foundation have we, as a society, been able to advance as far as we have.

History of the grandfather clock

The grandfather clock is one of the most recognizable types of clocks in the world, as well as one of the most popular.  Even people that know next to nothing about clocks will probably recognize a grandfather clock when they see one.  But have you ever wondered why it’s called a grandfather clock? Have you ever wondered who designed the first one, or why they are so popular? Anyone that is a fan of antique clocks should find the history of the grandfather clock to be fascinating and enjoy having the opportunity to learn about it.

Early Concepts

The idea of adding a pendulum to a clock to help increase accuracy predates the first attempts at building a grandfather clock by several centuries.  It was noted scientist Galileo that is usually credited as the person who noticed that the swinging of a pendulum took the same amount of time whether it followed a wide arc or short arc.  Realizing that this precision measurement could be used to increase the accuracy of clocks, he began to experiment with adding a pendulum to a clock, but ultimately failed to produce a functioning design.  Still, he was on the right path, and it wouldn’t be much longer before someone else managed to succeed where he failed.

Around 70 years later Dutch astronomer Christian Huygens was trying to produce an astronomical clock, which as you might imagine, needed to be very accurate.  He too realized that adding a pendulum to a clock was the key to increasing accuracy, and in 1656 he produced his first working prototype.  Up until that point in time clocks could be off by as much as 15 minutes a day, and this was considered normal.  By adding a pendulum’s motion to a clock design, he was able to reduce this to where his clock would be accurate to 1 minute in a day, which was a tremendous improvement.

Following Huygen’s success many other clockmakers began to experiment with adding a pendulum to their clocks, resulting in similar increases in accuracy.  As with many other great innovations, having so many working on the same problem helped to produce a revolution in clock design, with many clockmakers finding great success with the new pendulum design.  Pendulum clocks were known by many names at this point, and they went from being a new innovation to becoming a very popular and in demand clock style.  But they still lacked one thing, the iconic name that everyone knows them by.

How Grandfather Clocks Got Their Name

It wasn’t until 1875 that long case clocks with pendulums came to be known as grandfather clocks.  Ironically, it wasn’t a clockmaker that named this clock, it was a songwriter! Songwriter Henry Clay Work, an American was visiting England and stayed in a hotel where there was an old long case clock that had long been broken.  When he inquired about the clock he was told that it belonged to the previous owners of the hotel, and that after one of them died the clock started to lose time.  Eventually the clock quit working altogether, and nobody could figure out how to repair it.  Inspired by this story he wrote “My Grandfather’s Clock”.  The song became a major hit for him, and its widespread popularity contributed to the renaming of this type of clock.

Understanding antique clock weights

Understanding antique clock weights will take a little time and effort on your part, but it’s probably simpler than you imagine it to be.  What are the weights on a clock and why are they important? The weights on an antique clock are what power the mechanism and allow it to keep time.  Since the entire purpose of a clock is for it to keep time, the weights are a very important part of any clock.  While clock weights started out utilitarian, it wasn’t long before more complex systems were designed and more weights were added to a clock, leading to a more elaborate time keeping system.  While these changes weren’t truly necessary, it did add to the complexity of a clock, and with more complexity came a higher price that clockmakers could charge.

How Do Weights Power A Clock?

One of the primary forces in the universe that you experience all the time and probably never even think about is gravity.  Without gravity you wouldn’t be able to sit or stand here and read this.  You’d be flying off into space.  In fact, without gravity, you wouldn’t even be here at all since gravity helps hold the universe together.  Gravity is everywhere and it is a constant force in our lives that most people probably never even think about.  What does gravity have to do with antique clocks? As a matter of fact, without gravity, many types of antique clocks wouldn’t even work!

Today we have a lot of different power sources at our disposal.  When you need to charge your phone, you plug it in and electricity derived from solar, nuclear, wind, hydroelectric, or coal plants flow into your phone and charge it.  If you have an electric car the same thing happens, just on a larger scale.  If you have a gas-powered car, you fill it up with liquid fuel in the form of gasoline.  The point is that today, we have options that didn’t exist in the past.  In the past, without access to instant power, other innovations were necessary to allow machines to function.  One of the more ingenious of those innovations was clocks that used weights and gravities to function.

Clock weights work by providing a clock with energy derived from the primal universal force of gravity.  A weight is suspended over a wheel and as it falls the wheel turns, and the hands on the clock move.  Now, you’re probably thinking, how long of a cord is that weight attached to if it powers a clock for a week at a time or more? It’s not the length of the cord that matters, it’s the friction devices built into the clock’s mechanism that slows the release of the cord that controls and harnesses the energy allowing the clock to run.

By adding a pendulum to the clock, the rate that the cord is released can be finely controlled, allowing for an accurate measurement of time! Why was a pendulum necessary? Because the amount of time a pendulum takes to swing from one end to the other depends upon the length of the pendulum.  By using different lengths, it was possible to precisely control the rate that the clock weight was released, allowing for the keeping of time.  When you think about it, the genius of antique clocks should give you an idea of just how innovative our ancestors were.

The relationship between antique clocks and music

When you think of antique clocks the first thing that comes to mind is probably not music.  Sure, the swinging, rhythmic motion of the pendulum does have a bit in common with the mathematical parts of musical composition, but it’s not enough of a correlation to establish a firm relationship between clocks and music.  However, there is a very direct relationship between them, and it has nothing to do with the swinging of the pendulum in a clock.  Instead, the relationship between music and antique clocks has everything to do with how the most iconic type of clock got its name, the antique grandfather clock.

The Grandfather Clock Was Not Named by A Clockmaker

If you were to take a guess as to how the grandfather clock got its name, you’d probably guess that it had something to do with a clockmaker, and you would be wrong.  Prior to 1875 grandfather clocks had a few different names, the most common of which was a large case clock.  By this point the design was refined, so the clock had reached its final form, but the name grandfather clock had not been attached to it yet.

The Grandfather Clock Was Named by A Songwriter

It wasn’t until 1875 that a grandfather clock was called by its most famous name.  How did this come about? It was in 1875 when famed American songwriter Henry Clay Work was on a visit to England and he stayed at the George Hotel in Yorkshire.  While there he was captivated by an old, long case clock that he saw in the hotel lobby.  The clock was intriguing, but he was told that it had not worked in years.

Originally owned by the Jenkins brothers, the prior owners of the hotel, the clock began to have problems once one of the brothers passed away.  The clock began to lose time after having functioned perfectly for many years.  When the second brother passed away the clock stopped working altogether immediately after his demise, and never worked again after that.  When Henry Clay Work asked why a repairman had not been called, he was told that all efforts to repair the old clock had failed.  Inspired by this story, he wrote, “My Grandfather’s Clock”, and the song was a major hit.  Due to the popularity of the song long case clocks were soon called grandfather clocks, and the name has stuck with them ever since.

How to choose the right antique clock for your home

If you are considering an antique clock for your home, it’s important to make the right choice to ensure you end up with a clock that fits your personality as well as the overall design of your home.  Antique clocks can range from moderately priced to very expensive, and since you don’t want to waste your money, you need to choose the right clock.  But how do you do that? Shopping for an antique clock isn’t like shopping for modern clocks, each one is unique.

What Style of Antique Clock Are You Interested In?

The first thing to consider when looking at antique clocks is what style of clock you are interested in.  You also must decide if you want a shelf clock, or one that hangs on your wall.  What about an antique grandfather clock, or an antique cuckoo clock? These are all options, and you should spend time thinking about what you want, and what fits in with the rest of the décor in your home.  Have fun with the process, enjoy yourself when looking around, and above all else, don’t let anyone pressure you into buying a clock that you aren’t in love with.

Are There Any Important Cultural Aspects You Should Consider?

Another thing to consider when choosing an antique clock are any cultural ideals that are important to you.  For example, if you have a cultural background that is a big part of your life, then choosing an antique clock that comes from that particular region of the world might be something that could interest you.  Should this be the main factor that influences your decision? No, but there’s no reason that it can’t be one of many factors that you consider when picking out an antique clock.

How Much Do You Want to Spend?

Of course, one of the main factors that influence your decision when antique clock shopping will be the price.  Money is important because overspending on something, even something as wonderful as an antique clock, can result in financial difficulties down the road.  While financing an antique clock or using a credit card are options, don’t delude yourself into doing something today that provides instant gratification, if it’s going to cause you financial distress later.

One important factor to keep in mind when looking at the cost of antique clocks is that they often hold their value.  Antiques are valuable because they are rare, unique items that are not easy to find.  Make sure that you do your homework and check the pricing of different clocks that are like the ones you are thinking of buying, this will ensure you don’t end up paying too much.  While the higher price might be a deterrent, as long as you can afford it, an antique clock can be viewed as an investment as much as it can as a piece of home décor.  If the day comes when you decide that it’s time to redo your home again, and your antique clock doesn’t fit with your new designs, you shouldn’t have any trouble reselling it, and you may even make a profit!

Choosing the right antique clock is an important decision for a number of reasons.  It will likely represent a significant amount of money, and the appearance of that clock will have an impact on the overall appearance of your home.  So, take your time, look around, and make a decision that you know you will be happy with.

What Is the Difference Between Antique and Vintage Clocks?

When you hear the words antique and vintage you probably think they are descriptive terms that essentially have the same meaning.  What important to remember is that vintage of antique does not mean the same thing.  They have similar meanings, but the differences are important because they can be quite significant.  Any clock that is considered an antique is at least 100 years old.  Any clock that is considered vintages if at least 40 years old but hasn’t hit the century mark yet.

Does this mean that antique clocks are superior to vintage clocks? That depends on who you ask, it’s all a matter of taste.  It’s kind of like being an afficionado or cars.  Perhaps you prefer foreign cars over classic muscle cars, that doesn’t mean foreign cars are better, it just means that they are different.  The same is true for antique clocks and vintage clocks.  Antique clocks are not necessarily better, but they are frequently more valuable, and they usually give off a more sophisticated vibe.

How can you know if an antique or a vintage clock is the right choice for you? That’s a personal decision, but you really can’t go wrong in either case.  What you should do is decide what suits your tastes, then make your choice based off of that.  You may be surprised if you start out seeking an antique clock, then end up falling in love with a vintage one instead.  You’re just as likely to have things go the other way around, and end up with an antique clock when a vintage one was what you were initially interested in.

Your best option is to think about what look you are interested in, then use this as a starting point for shopping around. You should never feel pressured to decide, buying a vintage or antique clock may end up being a significant investment, and when spending your money, you can never be too careful.

Are you still uncertain of what type of clock you should purchase? Well, vintage clocks often evoke feelings of nostalgia since they are more modern, and they may have even been constructed during your lifetime.  For example, if you grew up in the 70s, buying a clock from this time may help you to remember your glory days and brighten up your day for a brief moment each time you check the time.

Now, with antique clocks there is less of a sense of nostalgia involved because they are at least a century old, and it’s pretty unlikely that you’re out clock shopping if you’re over 100.  Antique clocks have more of a timeless beauty to them that adds more class and character instead of nostalgia to a room.

If you’re still struggling to make a decision, or you don’t even know how to get started, perhaps enlisting the help of an expert is in order.  If that’s something you’re interested in, then you’ve come to the right place.  We have a team of experts that are highly knowledgeable about all types of clocks, and they would be more than happy to offer you a no pressure, consultation to help you narrow down your choices.