North American whale hunting peaked in the mids. Whale oil, refined from blubber, was used to fuel lamps and was made into soap and candles. But in the s a new oil, petroleum, began its economic rise. In the decades that followed, demand for whale oil plummeted. Whaling in North America continued into the 20th century, and although most whales were killed for their bones, whale oil still had its uses.
It retains its density at extremely high pressures and is resistant to freezing, which made it a valuable lubricant in machinery, especially in car transmissions. Demand for the substance gradually returned in the s as whale oil was incorporated into everyday products like margarine and soap, and during World War II it was a central ingredient in nitroglycerin.
But after more than years of intensive hunting many whale species faced extinction. Environmental groups in the United States pressured Congress to protect whales, and in the Marine Mammal Protection Act was passed. Almost overnight the North American whaling industry disappeared. Hoare also cited a conversation with his own brother, who worked in the aerospace industry. Back in the early 20 th century, the company supplied whale oil, but it switched to synthetic products after whaling was banned.
Thank you for clearing up this rumor. I just knew there was no way it could be factual. Now I wonder about the series as a whole. Comments Thank you for clearing up this rumor. If you have any "Sperm Whale Oil" around, be sure not to try to sell it, as at least one person has been fined fairly heavily for trying to do so.
Whale oil predominantly came from two sources - rendered blubber, and refined oils found in the jaws and heads of certain species. Anything marked "Whale Oil" comes from the rendered fats, and is almost always a blend of oils from many different kinds of whales, both Baleen and toothed whales. You can see hundreds of barrels of whale oil.
While baleen whales use their baleen to act as a strainer in harvesting millions of tiny krill and other small animals, toothed whales are serious predators - Sperm Whales are phenomenal deep-sea hunters of giant squid and other animals, travelling more than ' down for prey. They and similar whales have bulbous, prominent heads, which contain chambers of large amounts of oils that are part of their echo-location and communication systems, serving essentially as an active and passive sonar system.
They also may be able to change the density and temperature of these head oils, allowing for rapid descent and buoyancy regulation. Disclaimer: Yes, animals were definitely hurt in the making of this film. The blubber and oils were prepared as 'crude oil' in large cooking vats aboard the whaling ships, called try-pots, and were stored in And once that water was out, these oils did their first bit of magic - they wouldn't allow any water to mix back in.
This process helped purify these oils, which ranged from straw yellow to clear, while the remaining particulate or solids descending to the bottom of the vats were largely used in soap making. The final phase of the refining process was done in cold temperatures. These grains were shoveled inside gallon canvas bags, placed in a press, and subjected to lbs of pressure per square inch.
Labeled "Spring Sperm Oil", it was sold for a bit less. Case oil also contained Spermaceti, a solid, white, crystalline wax that congeals on contact with air.
It was quickly discovered that spermaceti separated out from the oil after exposure to cold weather, as during a long New England winter, and then it could be used as a base for ointments and cosmetic creams and lipsticks, and also for fine wax candles. Spermaceti candles burn with a clear, white, smokeless flame. These and other virtues of spermaceti candles are described in an advertisement in the Boston Mass.
Newsletter of March 30, Clearly, the hyperbole of advertising agencies is not a new phenomenon!
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