Watkins time and temperature thermometer.
Watkins Meter Co.
Category
Photographic technology
Date
1909 - 1925
Materials
Glass, Mercury, Paper, Chrome
Measurements
214 mm (Depth); 20 mm (Diameter)
Place of origin
Hereford
Order this imageCollection
Fox Talbot Museum, Wiltshire
NT 1525119.1
Summary
Watkins time and temperature thermometer for development of plates and films using the Watkins Thermo method. The thermometer is a glass tube with mercury reservoir and rising tube, topped with a chrome endpiece. Inside is a paper scale on which is marked development times (in minutes) for a given temperature, using dish development or tank development methods. The paper also indicates that the thermometer is suitable for use with developers with a temperature coefficient of 1.9, and has a table to show the developer solution strength needed for various plate speeds (VQ - very quick - down to VS - very slow) and various types of developer.
Provenance
Part of the Fenton Collection. A gift from British Film Institute in 2017. From 1986-1999, part of BFI collection for the Museum of the Moving Image. BFI purchased collection in 1986 from James Fenton's Museum of Photography, Port Erin, Isle of Man 1976-1986
Makers and roles
Watkins Meter Co., manufacturer