Milk Boiler Patent Model
From the collection of National Museum of American History. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
Full-size patent model (U.S. Patent No. 181,687) of a milk boiler to prevent milk from boiling over, made by John H. Kinsman of Salem, MA, and patented on August 29, 1876. Consists of two, shallow, wide-necked, funnel-like pieces - one with a row of large cutout circles and the other serrated or notched with semicircles along its rim - that friction fit together at their necks, the perforated one at top and the notched one at bottom, to form one unit to be placed in a boiler or pot. Both pieces made in two parts with soft-soldered lapped seams. Tinned interiors. No marks. Darkened paper tags tied through the two pieces with red or purple (faded) wove ribbon and white string are printed and handwritten with patent information.
National Museum of American History’s own description
