A nineteenth-century stencil set
Before the advent of CAD, laser printers, photocopiers and even that old favourite Letraset, stencil plates were widely used to apply standardised and decorative lettering to technical drawings. They were…
Stanley vulcanite scales
Today's post showcases a set of six W.F. Stanley vulcanite chain scales and matching offsets, something that had been on my wish list for a long time. Vulcanite (aka ebonite)…
The “Marvel” geometric compass
The Bennett "Marvel" Geometric compass is a classic example of the torturous development and ultimate failure of an overcomplicated solution to a problem that never really existed in the first…
How I gained 25 lbs and got the six-pack of my dreams!
Don't worry, this isn't another of those spam emails advertising protein shakes or the like. I'm talking weights. Ship weights. Admiralty pattern. These were the extremely heavy lead blocks (variously…
Galileo! Galileo!
Not to be confused with Galileo's compass, the Staedtler Galileo could be considered one of the last radical redesigns of the modern compass, literally turning the usual fine-adjustment spindle concept…
More WF Stanley catalogues online
While researching a couple of new W.F. Stanley finds this weekend, I happened upon a couple of very exciting early sources (well, exciting for me anyway) that had until now…
Rule Britannia
When it comes to patented rulers, it's difficult to concieve of anything more basic than this particular example. It consists simply of a pentagonal section ebonised rod with the end…
The art of drawing instruments
The Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, gets its name from the flamboyant baroque imagery that covers 40,000 square feet of its interior walls and ceilings. Designed…
EngSoc
Today's featured set is a very nice quality wallet case originally retailed by the University of Toronto Engineering Society. It was interesting to discover that this society still exists today,…
Hale’s elliptical compass
While hunting around for more background on Taguel's mould-breaking elliptical compass, I came across a long and detailed paper entitled "Elliptographs, and the Application of Elliptical Curves" by Frank J.…