The basic balance scale has been around for thousands of years and its accuracy has improved dramatically over the last several centuries, the principle behind this tool remains unchanged. Its parts include a fulcrum, a beam that balances on it, a pan at the end of the beam to hold the materials to be weighed, and a flat platform at the other for the counter-balancing weights. Balance scales that require equal weights on each side of the fulcrum have been used by everyone from apothecaries and assayers to jewellers and postal workers. Known as an unequal arm balance scale, this variety builds the counterweight into the device. Counter scales used in dry-goods stores and domestic kitchens often featured Japanned or (blackened) cast iron with bronze trims. Made by companies such as Howe and Fairbanks, the footed tin pans of these scales were often oblong, some encircled at one end so bulk items could be easily poured into a bag. Seamless pans were typically stamped from brass and given style names like Snuff (the smallest) and Birmingham (the largest). Some counter scales were designed for measuring spices, others for weighing slices of cake. In the 18th century, spring scales began to appear and would use the resistance of spring to calculate weights, which are read automatically on the scale’s face. The ease of use of spring scales over balance scales. These scales are significant as they identify one of the basic preparation items for the weighing of foodstuff in the family kitchen to prepare everyday meals. This item is significant as it gives a snapshot into domestic life within the average home in Australia around the turn of the twentieth century and is, therefore, an item with social relevance. Black cast iron, medium weighing scales, with a fulcrum which the beam that balances on, there is a scoop or large bowl at one end for the material to be weighted and a flat platform at the other end that holds the weights. Around the cast iron base is an embossed strip weight and bowl missing.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village

Cast iron sheep shears grinder.Cast iron sheep shears grinder.shearing, sutton, mrs sutton, mr st john

Wooden plaque with Cast Circle attached to front.Cast Circle with -Naval Association Of Australia" Crown on top and Anchor with Chain in centre of circle., "Port Adelaide" underneath circle.

cast iron, hand tooled, with movement up and down. Originally had a strike plate. Possibly from the Athenaeum front gate when the Athenaeum was fenced. A 1930's photograph shows a picket fence with a front gate.Handmade cast iron with markings of tooling.

Receiver was obtained from Supply Branch of Telecom Australia. It was located by Harold Bakes (early member of the Nunawading Historical Society) at the Hawthorn Line depot and Society purchased. It was stored at the former City of Nunawading Depot in Station Street, Nunawading. It was noticed by Postal Services when they were building the Nunawading Mail Exchange and loaned to them whilst it remained in the City of Nunawading at the Mail Exchange. The had it refurbished and it stood in the Mail Exchange vestibule. When the exchange closed it was taken to Dandenong. It took much negotiation before it was returned to the Society.Alternative Name: Letter Receiver Large round cast iron Letter Receiver surmounted with a gold crown on domes to pointed top. Top has a gold cast iron fancy fringe and below on the main body a further gold plain fringe. Door follows the contour of the round receiver and cover about on of the body. Handle of door is in shape of a fist painted gold. Receiver is mounted on a cast iron base (could have been all cast together) approx 3/8 of the overall height of 250cm. Receiver is painted Pillar Box Red - base which is placed in ground is mid green. From a similar Receiver installed near the Prahran Railway it would appear that half of the base is above ground. Station It has five oblong holes. Cast into the body between the two fringes are a letter opening and two words POST OFFICE and Receiving Pillar.Cast into Receiver - POST OFFICE / Letter Receiver In door - transfer with crown and E11Rcommunication, postal, historical society

A cast iron weight, associated with the "Beehive Sock Knitter."A cast iron weight, associated with the "Beehive Sock Knitter."knitting textile machinery machine knitting, hosiery, knitting, textile machinery, machine knitting

THIS PIECE OF CAST METAL WAS RECOVERED FROM AN EXPLOSION OF THE SECOND NAVAL CANNON THAT WAS FIRED FROM THE TOP OF BAILEY STREET CLUNES VICTORIA THE CANNON WAS THOUGHT TO DATE BACK TO 1750PIECE OF CAST IRON NILnaval cannon, explosion

This rocket launcher has fittings to mount it onto a lifeboat or similar vessel. Once mounted, a it would be fitted with a line-throwing rocket that would be launched from the vessel and aimed over the shipwreck. The line would be fixed to the ship in distress. A heavier line would then be sent out to the wrecked vessel and survivors would be hauled to safety. Its design suggests that it dates to the First World War ear of the 1910s. The coastline of South West Victoria is the site of over 600 shipwrecks and many lost lives; even in Warrnambool’s Lady Bay there were around 16 known shipwrecks between 1850 and 1905, with eight lives lost. Victoria’s Government responded to the need for lifesaving equipment and, in 1858, the provision of rocket and mortar apparatus was approved for the lifeboat stations. In 1859 the first Government-built lifeboat arrived at Warrnambool Harbour and a shed was soon built for it on the Tramway Jetty, followed by a rocket house in 1864 to safely store the rocket rescue equipment. In 1878 the buildings were moved to the Breakwater (constructed from 1874-1890), and in 1910 the new Lifeboat Warrnambool arrived with its ‘self-righting’ design. For almost a hundred years the lifesaving and rescue crews, mostly local volunteers, trained regularly to rehearse and maintain their rescue skills. They were summoned when needed by alarms, gunshots, ringing bells and foghorns. In July 1873 a brass bell was erected at Flagstaff Hill specifically to call the rescue crew upon news of a shipwreck. Some crew members became local heroes but all served an important role. Rocket apparatus was used as recently as the 1950s. This item is significant for its connection with maritime history and marine technology. Lifesaving has been an important part of the services performed coastal Victoria, including Warrnambool, in its very early days, supported by State and Local Government, and based on the methods and experience of Great Britain. Hundreds of shipwrecks along the coast are evidence of the rough weather and rugged coastline. Ordinary citizens, the Harbour employees, and the volunteer boat and rescue crew, saved lives in adverse circumstances. Some were recognised as heroes, others went unrecognised.Rocket launcher, lifesaving equipment, attaches to rail on vessel. Schermuly's Patent, Grey metal, L shaped pipe with large clamp on one end and small, hooked U shaped fitting on the other. Connects to half-cylinder sleeve with gimbal fitting, ball joint and adjusting fittings; painted grey and red. "SCHERMULY'S PATENT" cast into clamp.Cast into metal "SCHERMULY'S PATENT" flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, rocket launcher, rocket apparatus, rocket firing equipment, lifesaving equipment, wwi, world war i, 1210s, schermuly’s patent, schermuly launcher, sea rescue, lifesaving, shipwreck, life-saving, rescue crew, rocket rescue, rocket crew, line rescue, maritime activities, marine technology, volunteer crew, boat to ship rescue, william schermuly,

A four piece set of cast iron weights, associated with the "Beehive Sock Knitter."A four piece set of cast iron weights, associated with the "Beehive Sock Knitter." A four piece set of cast iron weights, associated with the "Beehive Sock Knitter."knitting textile machinery machine knitting, hosiery, knitting, textile machinery, machine knitting

Salome was performed by opera Australia on 7 December 2012. Jacqueline Dark performed as Herodias, Herod's wife.One sheet, with cast in order of appearance on verso in black text on white paper. Front shows image of woman with mask with the word OPERA written in white text on black image.OPERA List of cast members Salome 2012 Opera Australiasalome, jacqueline dark, 2012, oa, opera australia

Wandin Thomas Sebire JP (1867-1960) learnt boot-making as a young man. In a small workshop on his property in Sebire Avenue, Wandin he made boots for family, friends & neighbours. He also repaired boots & made other small leather articles. Bootmaking is a complex process requiring a variety of tools. The leather is cut to shape, glazed & burnished (polished) with heated irons. The pieces are stretched onto, & nailed to, a wooden last to form the boot. Once attached to the insole, the boot is finished on a metal last. Uppers are stitched with waxed thread through holes made with an awl. Heels comprise pieces nailed together & neatened with a heel shave. Metal plates, short nails or hob nails driven into the sole & heel, often in a pattern, improved durability.2 x wooden Lasts (Adult size) with metal screws. 1 x cast iron Last (Child size) with holes in base and a removable elevated top.Wooden: Size 6 (80) Cast Iron: Size 9 Dbootmaking tools, boot lasts

Older gem scone trays were made of cast iron. This more modern one is made of cast aluminium.This domestic kitchen baking tin is typical of the period when when most food was made at home. It would have been before the time of mass food processing factoriesA solid cast aluminium gem scone tin. It has hemisherical indents for baking 12 small cakes.WAYdomestic food-preparation gem-scones baking

W Stephens operated a foundry in south Melbourne around 1900 the company made many cast iron architectural and domestic items that were decorative in design and used in the building industry of the time. Stephens Excelsior Foundry specialised in making decorative cast iron balustrades and brackets with intricate lacework used on verandas in the late Victorian period found in Australian homes. The company also made many other items of cast iron including fire grates down to wheel barrow wheels as their 1901 and 1908 catalogues describe. A domestic item made by one of Melbourne's early foundries that specialised in making decorative architectural cast iron items of all types that can be seen in many building still in use today throughout Australia.Fire grate cast iron with four legs and back support. Embossed "W.STEPHENS REGISTERED" on the back.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, fire grate

Cast iron pestle is heavy an brings substantial weight to the task of grinding and crushing dry and fresh spices, seeds, medicines and pillsUsed by the residents of the Kiewa Valley for grinding and crushing.Cast Iron large pestle. Solid and heavy.cast iron pestle

Cyrus Chambers was a self-described mechanic who started out winding bobbins in his father's woollen mill and went on to invent machines that changed their industries. Cyrus Chambers came from Quaker parents the ninth of thirteen siblings, he once said a year before his death. “I believe I have succeeded because, first, I was industrious; second, because I made a study of the subject that was before me.” At age 7, Chambers went to work in his father’s mill. His job was to monitor bobbins—wooden spindles around which thread was wound and to remove and replace them as they became full. "There was no child labour law at that time," he later recalled. Chambers loved machinery and always regarded himself as a mechanic rather than an inventor. At age 16, Chambers was sent to learn dentistry with an older brother, (Edwin) who was already in the field and willing to take him on as an apprentice. Chambers was talented at working with small parts. He used his brother's dental instruments to build a miniature high-pressure steam engine of silver. It ran at 3,000 revolutions per minute and weighed less than a half-ounce. At that time it was the smallest engine that had ever been constructed. The engine was displayed at the 1876 Centennial and is now in a permanent collection at the Franklin Institute USA. Chambers major invention was the paper folding machine and came from reading that school teachers made less than the young girls who were employed to fold book pages as they came off the press. He told friends that his first efforts were to make the machine that would fold newspapers after demonstrating his device he met with Horace Greeley of the New York Tribune who advised Chambers would never invent the machine that would be able to fold his newspaper or books. In less than a year Chambers had built a full-size machine capable of folding large newspapers and books and was installed at J B Lippincott & Co folding pages for the "Comly Speller" this machine ran successfully for twenty-five years until the printing works burnt down. Chambers then went into partnership with a brother and they established the firm "Chambers, Brother & Co" at a plant in Philadelphia. It was also observed in 1910 and a fact that there was not a periodical or newspaper printed or recently published book that had not gone through one of Chambers inventions. Chambers went on to produce many mechanical inventions and improvements to existing tools and machinery most notable was his invention for the machine that would make clay bricks. This machine made forty bricks per hour and by the end of Chambers life after many improvements, it could make more than four hundred. Although there were a large number of bold cutters made of this patent at Cyrus Chamber’s foundry in Philadelphia, the item is associated with a notable American inventor of the nineteenth century. This particular patent for a bolt and rivet cutter won Chambers the prestigious Elliott Cresson Medal. This cutter is just one of the many inventions and mechanical improvements that Cyrus Chambers made during his lifetime, contributing to the ongoing development of mechanical improvements that were occurring in American industry of the time and therefore a notable addition to the Flagstaff collection.Cast iron bolt cutter with removable tempered steel cutter. Chambers New No. 2.Raised embossed lettering on cast body of cutter "New No 2" on one side, "Chambers Bros & Co" on the other sideflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, cyrus chambers, bolt cutter, paper folding machine, brick making machine, elliot cresson, elliot cresson medal, franklin institute, gold medal, rivet cutter

A cast iron yarn feeder for the "Beehive" manual sock knitting machine.A cast iron yarn feeder for the "Beehive" manual sock knitting machine.knitting textile machinery machine knitting, hosiery, knitting, textile machinery, machine knitting

A cast iron yarn feeder for the "Beehive" manual sock knitting machine.A cast iron yarn feeder for the "Beehive" manual sock knitting machine.knitting textile machinery machine knitting, hosiery, knitting, textile machinery, machine knitting

T. & C. Clark & Company Limited was based at Shakespeare Foundry in Wolverhampton England and was founded in 1795 by Thomas and Charles Clark. The company grew to be one of the largest iron foundries in Wolverhampton and were pioneering in the manufacture of enamelled cast iron cookware and sanitary wares. The company's product range included thousands of items, both domestic and industrial. T. & C. Clark were pioneers in the use of enamelled cast ironware, after taking out a patent in 1839 guaranteeing their products to be free of lead or arsenic. The company became the largest employer in Wolverhampton employing between 600 to 700 people.The item is significant as it was used as a domestic kitchen item to boil water safely without the concern that the metal may contain lead or arsenic as earlier cooking utensils had. Cast Iron Kettle no lidT and C Clark and Co, London. No. 2, 5 pints capacityflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, kettle, cooking pot, cook ware, kitchen ware, cast iron kettle, t c clark ltd

Memorabilia of war service perhaps cast from a shell casing (?) in the shape of A.I.F. slouch hatExample of commemorative craft work pertaining to Australian Armed Forces.Cast decorative slouch hat, Recast(?) from shell casting.Nilhandmade brass casting

Cast iron kettle, with steel lid, painted black, for boiling water, usually over a fuel stove or open fireplace.Cast iron kettle, with steel lid, painted blackT & C CLARKE & Co. Ltd ENGLAND Rd 665875 3.0 QUARTS FIRST QUALITYkettles

Cast brass, fitted with a cylindrical bush in the centre. Fitted to the end of a trolley pole with another cast item known as a hasp. The wheel runs along the underside of the copper trolley wire, and enables the tram to powered. See item 4809 for a SEC drawing of the item.Demonstrates the mechanism by which the electrical power is transferred from the overhead to the tram itself.Cast brass wheel, with three spokes and hole in the centre for fitting to trolley pole.btm, ballarat tramway museum, trolley wheel

This work is an example of "Drawing from cast in light and shade". This item was probably undertaken at the Ballarat Technical Art School, a division of the Ballarat School of Mines. It is part of the Federation University Art Collection. The Art Collection features over 2000 works and was listed as a 'Ballarat Treasure' in 2007.Drawing from cast art, artwork, h.n. nye, ballarat technical art school, unframed, alumni, fruit, plaster cast

Cast iron shoe last with instep slide slide and grove No instep mould(*9 on upper toe, 2 cast indentations on outside of foot, 1 on inside of foot, 1 on upper toe, 2 on sole of foot

Dutton and Wiggs operated a brass and iron foundry known as the Warrnambool Brass and iron Foundry situated in Timor St. Mr Dutton was a mechanical engineer and Mr C Wiggs was an experienced foundry worker. They were innovative in their work and also manufactured a large number of everyday items such as verandah posts, brackets and milk aerators.The significance lies in the fact that the items were manufactured in Warrnambool by a well- established local business. Two solid cast iron rods of cylindrical shape with one flattened edge with name imprinted. Hollowed out section on one end. S. Wiggs W,bool. One has the number 7 and the other 5 cast into the metal. warrnambool, wiggs, dutton & wiggs, window weights

This cast iron hitching rail, designed to accommodate horses on Sturt Street Ballarat, incorporates a bronze plaque dedicated to the Australian Poet Adam Lindsay Gordon (1833-1870).The memorial is of historic and aesthetic significance to the people of BallaratOrnate cast iron post designed for hitching horsesA.L. GORDON, AUSTRALIAN POET, 1833 - 1870 (on plaque)adam lindsay gordon, ballarat, australian poet

A six piece set of cast iron weights, associated with the Wertheim "Preciosa" knitting machine.A six piece set of cast iron weights, associated with the Wertheim "Preciosa" knitting machine.knitting, jepson, mr keith

It is possible that this may have been a wedding present or gift to Roy Wines and or his family as his name is scratched on the bottom. Roy was married in 1924 in Warrnambool. Roy Arthur Wines was Born in 1897 in Mailors Flat Victoria Australia and Died in 1980 in Ballarat. Roy lived for a number of years in Warrnambool during his married life.A massed produced item that at the time was cheap to buy with no makers mark or date stamp thousands would have been produced using a mould to make the ceramic case in two half's by pouring liquid clay into the mould and then joining the half's together when cured. This item could have been produced in Holland at any number of pottery factories at this time for export in vast quantities.Ceramic clock; the mechanism is plated steel and set in a ceramic case with glass over the face. The ceramic base colour is white with royal blue ceramic colour to the front and sides only. The blue ceramic has been painted over with lime green house paint on the front and sides. An inscription of a handwritten name is on the case and a hard-to-read model or batch number is on the cast base. Handwritten "Roy Wines" Cast number "6072"flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, clock, roy wines, ceramic, ceramic clock, horology, time keeper, travel clock, bedside clock, timepiece