Mystery Thermomether

[bmw57isetta]

I hope this isn't too far off the track for this section but thought I'd try to help a friend identify this thermometer. He found it with his metal detector about seven inches under ground by the side of an old farm house on Whidbey Island, Washington. No name on it but some old engraving.

Anyone have any idea of the origin, manufacturer or otherwise. We figured it may have been a generic thermometer sold at hardware or dry goods stores back when. No luck on matching it up on eBay or Google Images.

As long as I'm at it, anyone recognize the spike he also found? Thanks for your input!

 

[Roberts210]

It's an old dairy thermometer, for the proper temperature to churn butter or make cheese or even ice cream.

 

[Stillgottimefor1]

It's an old dairy thermometer, for the proper temperature to churn butter or make cheese or even ice cream.

[emoji106]


Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

 

[Farmer J.]

Never seen one before, thanks for sharing. Having one like this would have been useful when I was a child on a dairy farm, trying to make butter and cheese to use up milk when we were over the quota!
I will keep an eye out for others now I have seen this one.

 

[bmw57isetta]

You guys are great! I'll pass this along.

 

[Farmer J.]

I have no firm idea on the spike, but just a suggestion. If it once had a ring on the top or maybe threaded through a ring, it may have been used driven in to the ground to tether an animal to graze, like a goat. So it couldn't wander around and eat the flowers, veg garden, laundry and stuff!
How big is it?

 

[FiremarshalBill]

Sorry, the photo of the "spike" was uploaded by accident and it has nothing to do with the thermometer. That is an old tent peg I dug up a few weeks ago. I told my grand daughter is was an ancient Roman spear head and she believed me!

 

[slowtwitch73]

Firemarshalbill... hehe.. good name.