Why is whale oil so good?

Whale oil became the hot-ticket item of its day. It made its way into miner's headlamps and became a go-to lubricant for guns, watches, clocks, sewing machines and typewriters, Dyer said. What's more, sperm oil can withstand high temperatures, leading to its use as a lubricant in fast-moving machinery.

What is special about whale oil?

Long utilized for lubricating fine instruments, whale oil was treated with sulfur to provide high-pressure lubricants used in machinery, and it was also important in the manufacture of varnish, leather, linoleum, and rough cloth (especially jute).

Is whale oil still available?

It was supplanted in the late 19th century by less expensive alternatives such as kerosene and petroleum-based lubricants. With the 1987 international ban on whaling, sperm oil is no longer legally sold.

What was a barrel of whale oil worth?

It was prized as an incredibly clean and bright burning candle wax, cosmetic stock, and soap component. All combined, the many uses of whale oil allowed one standard 31.5 gallon barrel of crude whale oil to be worth about $25 in 1902 - or about $700 in today's dollars.

What does NASA use whale oil for?

Back in the day, NASA used whale oil as a lubricant in their space program, including the ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) for expeditions to the Moon and Mars. Fast forward to the future and whale oil is still being used to lubricate spacecraft such as the Hubble space telescope and the Voyager space probe.

Whale Oil

Can you cook with whale oil?

After the invention of hydrogenation in the early 20th century, whale oil was used to make margarine, a practice that has since been discontinued. Whale oil in margarine has been replaced by vegetable oil.

Is the Hubble telescope powered by whale oil?

After the History Channel documentary aired, NASA turned to Twitter to refute the recycled claim, quoting Hubble's astrophysics systems manager: “No whale oil was used in Hubble.” But such pronouncements can't seem to kill the story.

What was sperm oil used for?

After removal of spermaceti and treatment with sulfur, sperm oil provided excellent lubricants that resisted extreme pressures. These were commonly used in mechanical transmissions, high-speed machinery, and precision instruments. The oil was also hardened to make textile sizings.

Why was whaling so profitable?

The byproducts of whale-oil refinement also made their way into soap. And later, in the 20th century, whale oil was even used in the production of edible goods like margarine. But though oil was undoubtedly the industry's most valuable commodity, there were other products to salvage from the gigantic corpse of a whale.

Did Whalers make good money?

Earning less than nothing: The crew might receive nothing on a voyage where profits were low. Even on a profitable trip, a whaleman might end up in debt to the shipowners.

Is whale oil toxic?

Analyzing whale oil from the whaling ship Charles W. Morgan's last voyage, in 1921, marine chemists at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution found that the oil contained chemical compounds with properties similar to toxic PCBs and the pesticide DDT.

Who invented whale oil?

Whaling houses like the Greaves Company and the Rothwild Slaughterhouse turned into wealthy, industrial powerhouses. Later, Anton Sokolov proposed the first plans to use whale oil in technological weaponization in the early 1800s.

Can whale oil explode?

Whale oil tanks that are exposed to heat or pressure will explode in a bright, hot flash, and as such, Corvo Attano can throw one of these tanks to serve as an improvised explosive.

What did whale oil smell like?

Like sperm oil, it burns clear, bright, and with no odor, but because it is a wax, it was used primarily in candles rather than oil lamps.

How much sperm oil can be taken from a large whale?

Up to 500 gallons of the liquid wax might be scooped from the head of a large sperm whale. The “junk” or lower half of the forehead, which contained more oil, was cut into horse pieces and tried out separately.

How many barrels of oil does a sperm whale have?

About 25 to 40 barrels of whale oil could be had from a sperm whale in the average size range, but extremes of over 100 barrels are found in legend.

What is whale fat used for?

Blubber is usually taken from right whales. The blubber is cooked until rendered into oil, known as whale oil, that can be used for soap, and as a component in makeup that contributes a glossy shine. Blubber is also turned into fuel for lamps, wax for candles and grease for machinery.

Which country kills the most whales?

Norway kills more whales than any other country and it has no plans to slow down, despite a global moratorium on commercial whaling enacted by the International Whaling Commission back in 1982.

Why was spermaceti so valuable?

While spermaceti was only one of the products removed from the sperm whale, its importance in artificial lighting and its significance in the increased hunting of the sperm whale marks it as a major factor in the history of whaling. Spermaceti was also significant for reasons unrelated to lighting.

Is whale oil a good lubricant?

As petroleum products began to replace whale oil for lubrication, the special properties of sperm whale oil became valued as an additive component. Used as an additive in light petroleum oils, whale oil made an excellent low-friction lubricant.

How many whales were killed for oil?

Whale oil was an extremely important material in the First World War. Around 58,000 whales were killed during the war to provide Britain and its allies with the oil they needed to continue fighting.

How were whales killed in the 1700s?

The whale was harpooned and lanced to death and either towed to the stern of the ship or to the shore at low tide, where men with long knives would flense (cut up) the blubber. The blubber was boiled in large copper kettles and cooled in large wooden vessels, after which it was funneled into casks.

Is whale fat good for you?

Pilot whale meat contains 25 % protein, and it is high in iron, carnitine and vitamins A and B. The unsaturated fatty acids are of the type doctors recommend against cardiovascular disease. Everyone who has tried it knows that whale meat and blubber is very satisfying food.