An antique wooden device with a metal fitting and a brass hinge, labeled 'Shirley,' located on a polished wooden table in an Edwardian style, wood-paneled room with warm lighting and framed pictures on the walls.

Designed to measure extremely small textile samples through optical cantilever deflection,
the Shirley Cantilever Microbalance marks a technical turning point in post–war British textile research.

Built by J. Casartelli & Son, Salford for Shirley Developments Ltd., Manchester,
it enabled precision evaluation of fiber behavior at minute scales and allowed researchers
to track changes that were otherwise invisible to the eye.

Excellent preserved condition, including its optical eyepiece, cantilever mechanism, and original hardwood housing.

Shirley Cantilever Microbalance — Serial #48
J. Casartelli & Son, Salford — c.1945–1955

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mechanics closeup of the shirley cantilever action
Opening the device.
close-up of the cantilever microbalance
lense sideview of the microbalance
A small, vintage device with a wooden front panel and a metal arm extending out from its side, sitting on a wooden table in a room with wood-paneled walls and two windows in the background.
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