COLLAPSIBLE ANALYTIC BALANCE FROM BLOWPIPE SET by AUGUST LINGKE
S07-004. German, 4th quarter 19th century, unsigned, but likely by August Lingke. The 10 5/8" x 5 1/2" x 1 1/4" felt lined polished mahogany case has 2 diamond-shaped brass plates in the top to support the balance parts and the bottom contains 20 original pieces. The case and its contents are all in fine overall condition, missing 3 or 4 minor accessory pieces that are not involved in the assembly or the use of the balance.
See U. Burchard's article "The History and Apparatus of Blowpipe Analysis" in "The Mineralogical Record," Volume 24, Number Four (July-August 1994) for an extensive discussion of blowpipe sets, their contents, and makers - Figure 17 on page 265 shows a similar balance from a Lingke set.
