Mold, Butter

Object Name:

Mold, Butter

Object ID:

1978.079.25

Date:

1890-1920

Description:

Butter mold, letters "M.F." Medium-tan, fine-grained wood. Copper alloy fasteners. Rectangular box (A) with rectangular mold board that fits inside. No bottom to box. Flat, tapered wood long sides. Flat, rectangular wood ends. Rectangular top piece. Two slots across and near ends in top piece. Vertical end pieces fit into the slots. Two round-head copper alloy screws hold ends in place. Two round-head adjusting screws near end of box over inside cavity. In top of box, two 1" diameter vertical holes, centered 5.3" apart. Ends of top and one side have chamfered edges. Tool mark grooves in end chamfers. Flat opposite long edge. Slight cut marks at edges of slots across ends of top piece. Sides of box ~3" high, flush with ends and bottom edge. Sides taper from 0.35" at top to 0.1" at bottom. Top edges of sides chamfered. ~0.75" of open space between top of sides and bottom surface of top board on each side. Counter-sunk copper alloy flat-head screws holding sides to end pieces; two at each end; all but one with green corrosion products on them. Evidence of iron nails used to help hold sides in place. On one side, flat-head screws moved upward ~0.5". End boards taper from 0.5" to 0.2" at bottom. Printed paper label on one end board, number "17" in black.

Separate mold board (B): 1" thick, 2.45" wide, 9.3" long, weighs 6.4 oz. Sides slightly chamfered along top edge. Ends also with slight chamfer. Two holes, 0.6" diameter with straight smooth sides and flat bottom; penciled circle, 1" diameter, around each hole. Small rust-stained blind hole near center of piece, slightly irregular with two cracks on either side of it. Larger holes in top line up with centers of larger holes in top board. Two pairs of negative carved impressions in bottom surface of mold; each pair consists of two squares with an alternating round and sharp-pointed series of serrations around edge pointing inward. Central double-sided serrated line across center of each pair of squares. Plain flat surface around outside edge of squares and one across center between the two squares. Letters "M.F." carved into surface of each square. Letters are 1.1" high.

Material:

Wood
Copper
Iron

Dimensions:

H-4.75 W-3.1 L-10.8 inches Weight-21.05 oz

Provenance:

From collection assembled by James Cowan Sawyer (1872-1944) in Durham, NH. Donated by his sons, Charles H. and George F. Sawyer.

Credit Line:

Gift of Charles H. and George F. Sawyer

People:

Sawyer, Elizabeth (1880- ), Sawyer, George F. (1902-1992), Sawyer, Charles H. (1906-2005), Sawyer, James Cowan (1872-1944)

Subjects:

Butter, Butter making