Microscope Museum

Collection of antique microscopes and other scientific instruments

 

      

Microscope 531 (unknown maker; thread counter; c. 1920)

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Microscope 531 is a thread counter, also called fabric tester, linen tester and pick counter. The instrument is engraved with ‘GERMANY’, ‘MASCHINENSPINNE’ and ‘8121’. The German word maschinenspinne translates to something like machine spider. The number should be some type of model identification and not a serial number. The instrument should be dated to the 1920s. The box of the instrument is signed in the inside with something that looks like “Counting Glass 8121” and “Made in Germany”, although the golden letters are now mostly barely visible. The manufacturer of the instrument is unknown, but the box contains on the outside the inscription “John Nesbitt, Manchester” (also barely visible). Several textile companies or textile retailers traded this microscope under their company names, such as ‘John Nesbitt’ and ‘John A. Eberly’. John Nesbitt was located at 42 Market Street, Manchester. The workshop manufactured instruments for the textile industry such as weighting scales, yarn balances and wrap reels. In 1913, John Nesbitt took over scale makers H. Sutcliffe & Co, which was also located in Manchester. These optical instruments were used to check the threads that criss-cross each other within a specific area of woven cloth. The number of stitches and spaces between the stiches of the warp (thread that is held in tension on the loom or frame) and weft (the thread that is drawn over and under the warp) reveal information about the quality and type of fabric.