Help me find this thermometer.
February 28, 2013 5:35 PM Subscribe
For many years I had a thermometer I bought in an outdoor store. It consisted of a glass mercury tube thermometer about 5 inches long with a metal top. The thermometer fit into a metal cylinder that acted as a carrying case and protection. The metal top had a hole so that the whole thing could be suspended by a cord into a stream or a lake, or hung from a tree. It measured from -40F to 120F. Alas, it's gone and I can't seem to find anything like it. Ideas? Thanks.
Best answer: Was it an Orvis Rugged Stream Thermometer?
posted by scruss at 7:05 PM on February 28, 2013
posted by scruss at 7:05 PM on February 28, 2013
Scruss' suggestion looks close to your description, except for the mercury part. If that is keeping you from buying it, know that it's getting pretty hard to buy a mercury thermometer lately....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury-in-glass_thermometer#Phase-out
posted by Tandem Affinity at 7:13 PM on February 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury-in-glass_thermometer#Phase-out
posted by Tandem Affinity at 7:13 PM on February 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
Possibly something from Ben Meadows.
posted by Confess, Fletch at 7:40 PM on February 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Confess, Fletch at 7:40 PM on February 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
As Tandem Affinity points out, buying a mercury thermometer is becoming increasingly tough. There are still some needed for technical and scientific purposes, mostly old methods which haven't adapted to other ways of measuring temperature yet. You might find something searching for an "armored mercury thermometer", but I can't see anything on ebay currently.
There are these spirit ones, like the Orvis above, but what I use for field work now is an IR radiance device like this one (though not as nice). Much handier as it never even needs to touch the water. It's just point and take a reading.
posted by bonehead at 10:31 PM on February 28, 2013
There are these spirit ones, like the Orvis above, but what I use for field work now is an IR radiance device like this one (though not as nice). Much handier as it never even needs to touch the water. It's just point and take a reading.
posted by bonehead at 10:31 PM on February 28, 2013
Similar to the the spirit filled thermometers linked above but longer is this Armored Mercury Thermometer reads from -35 C to 50 C (-31 F to 122 F), which is near your range. The armoring is not complete but it does have a eye hole at the top so you can suspend it by a cord (there is an image of the type of thermometer io the category page).
The page does not say how large the thermometer is but assuming they haven't changed they're about 12" long.
posted by mountmccabe at 5:42 AM on March 1, 2013
The page does not say how large the thermometer is but assuming they haven't changed they're about 12" long.
posted by mountmccabe at 5:42 AM on March 1, 2013
Response by poster: Scruss got me to exactly what I was looking for, but thanks to all of you for uniformly useful and informative answers.
posted by Jackson at 6:26 AM on March 1, 2013
posted by Jackson at 6:26 AM on March 1, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by misspat at 5:54 PM on February 28, 2013