Vintage Surge Stainless Steel Milker Bucket (Belly Milker)

This item is a vintage milking machine bucket, specifically a 'belly milker' produced by the Babson Bros. Co. under the brand name 'Surge'. The vessel is constructed from high-quality, heavy-gauge stainless steel and features a distinctive spherical or teardrop-shaped body designed to be suspended beneath a cow during the milking process. It includes a robust, integrated stainless steel handle on the top surface. The circular opening at the center is lined with a thick black rubber gasket, which would have originally held the pulsation lid. An etched or embossed logo is visible on the upper right shoulder, containing the stylized 'Surge' script and text identifying it as a product of Babson Bros. Co. of Chicago. Physically, the item shows signs of its utilitarian history, including several small dings and shallow dents on the right side of the main body and surface scratches throughout. The overall condition is fair to good for a barn-used implement, with a dull patina from age and exposure. It is currently placed outdoors and filled with decorative stones, indicating its repurposing as a garden ornament. These milkers were primarily manufactured and used between the 1920s and the 1960s. The craftsmanship is industrial and durable, designed for sanitation and longevity in a dairy environment.