Thomas Edison oil bottle

[Eyefind]

Found this bottle with a plant and moss growing in it. Normally I clean them out but I decided to cork it and keep it as a mini terrarium. What do you think?

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[Lenrac2]

Nice bottle!!

 

[villagenut]

Cool bottle....I would empty it out though and clean it up.

 

[3cylbill]

Edison was no dummy his battery oil was not oil he just called it that so they would buy his acid and if you were smart and put oil in your battery it would ruin it and have to buy a new one from him . last time i saw one it was $20 or $30 dollars...check ebay

 

[Eyefind]

VILLAGENUT I got 6 more I cleaned. The ones in the back of the picture are ones I have to get to. Thought it would be cool to keep this one as is. Of course if all the greenery dies I will for sure do that.

 

[Eyefind]

Most of my bottle collection to date. If you would like to know more or want me to take a picture of any up close let me know and message me.

 

[villagenut]

You found enough of them, I reckon it would be just fine to keep one as a terrerium. That by the way is a Good position to be in. The only thing I find in multiples are bromo seltzers...and I think I left a root sticking out of one for a while, due to its unique look that way.

 

[Eyefind]

Yeah I'm in a good spot. Sometimes I wish I had more hands. Looks like they used parts of the mountain as an old dump or something. I find most of them when the big oak trees fall over. The bromo bottles are def. my favorite.

 

[Eyefind]

3cylbill, I did not know that bit of information but that sounds like something he would do. He had good business sense.

 

[islamoradamark]

Thats a nice collection there I can tell you have been doing this a while nice finds

 

[Digger RJ]

Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[Red-Coat]

Edison was no dummy his battery oil was not oil he just called it that so they would buy his acid and if you were smart and put oil in your battery it would ruin it and have to buy a new one from him . last time i saw one it was $20 or $30 dollars...check ebay

3cylbill, I did not know that bit of information but that sounds like something he would do. He had good business sense.

I don’t think so! The bottles did contain an oil, used in nickel-iron storage batteries. These were invented and patented by Waldemar Jungner in 1899, and the design was improved upon by Thomas Edison in 1901.

Edison claimed his batteries would last you a lifetime. They were good for about 30-50 years or more and not harmed by deep discharge, prolonged periods of non-use, or repeated recharging at high rate. In many ways superior to lead/acid batteries, but larger and much more expensive (partly because it would be poor marketing to sell an inexpensive battery that wouldn’t need replacing).

The series-connected cells containing potassium hydroxide electrolyte were protected by the addition of a viscous non-conductive oil. This was poured into each cell and formed a layer floating on top of the electrolyte that reduced evaporation and inhibited gassing… both over time and during repeated re-charging. I don’t know what the composition of the oil was, but it was probably a synthetic, and unopened bottles show it to be pale red in colour.

 

[Red-Coat]

PS: Edison changed name from "Edison Manufacturing Company" to "Thomas A. Edison Inc." in 1911 and then moved location in 1915 after a fire at his factory. From that date, the bottles say “Bloomfield NJ” rather than “Orange NJ”.