002.401.Idrija

Idrija Mercury Heritage Management Center, Bazoviška 2, SI-5280 Idrija

Public

Republic of Slovenia

/

Daily life

The collection contains three areometers. An areometer is a fused tube which consists of three parts. The upper part is in the form of a narrow pipette, which also has a measuring scale. The middle part is evenly wide and oblong. A measuring scale from 10 to 40 is positioned in the middle part. The lowest and smallest part is ovoid and filled with mercury. The transitions between individual parts are narrow.

Length 28–43 cm, diameter 1.5–2 cm.

Glass, mercury, metal.

Creation time is unknown.

Manufacturer information is not known.

An areometer is a device for measuring and determining liquid density. The fluid, whose density is being determined, is poured into a specially adapted cylinder and then the measuring device is lowered into the fluid. The deeper the device sinks, the lower the density of liquids is. In practice, we generally have two types of areometers: one for fluids that are lighter than water (e.g. kerosene, gasoline, alcohol) which has a water mark 1.000 near the bottom of the scale, and one for fluids that are heavier than water (e.g. brine, milk, acid) which has the mark 1.000 near the top of the scale. With the mixture of two fluids, of which density is known, the scale on the areometer can determine the share of an individual fluid. Since the market value of several liquids (e.g. sugar solution, sulfuric acid, alcohol or wine) is directly related to their density, which reflects a water share in a solution, the areometers are often used in practice.

The areometers (3 in total) are being preserved, secured and presented as important mining heritage of Idrija with exceptional universal values. They are a part of the smelting collection of CUDHg. Visitors can view them within the permanent museum display “From Ore to Mercury Drops” in the Hg Smelting Plant, which represents the characteristics and the versatile use of mercury in science, technology, medicine, culture and every day life. Within the exhibition the object is placed in the density segment and it represents the usefulness of mercury for technical devices.

CUDHg Idrija, Bazoviška 2, SI-5280 Idrija.

Hg Smelting Plant (From Ore to Mercury Drops), Arkova 50, SI-5280 Idrija

The areometers are well preserved. Additional interventions are not necessary. Security of the premise is taken care off.

good

Regular seasonal maintenance.

- CUDHg Inventory Book.

Mestni muzej Idrija

Miha Kosmač

17. 3. 2018

Never