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Read more about the article More WF Stanley catalogues online

More WF Stanley catalogues online

  • Post author:Alan Williams
  • Post published:28 March 2021
  • Post category:Compasses/Drawing instruments
  • Post comments:0 Comments

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…

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Read more about the article Rule Britannia

Rule Britannia

  • Post author:Alan Williams
  • Post published:21 March 2021
  • Post category:Rulers
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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…

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Read more about the article The art of drawing instruments

The art of drawing instruments

  • Post author:Alan Williams
  • Post published:21 March 2021
  • Post category:Art
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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…

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Read more about the article EngSoc

EngSoc

  • Post author:Alan Williams
  • Post published:12 March 2021
  • Post category:Compasses/Drawing instruments
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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,…

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Read more about the article Hale’s elliptical compass

Hale’s elliptical compass

  • Post author:Alan Williams
  • Post published:7 March 2021
  • Post category:Drawing instruments/Ellipsographs
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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.…

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Read more about the article A mysterious elliptical compass

A mysterious elliptical compass

  • Post author:Alan Williams
  • Post published:6 March 2021
  • Post category:Drawing instruments/Ellipsographs
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There are some drawing instruments that seem almost designed to stand out from the crowd, be it aesthetically or as the result of a radical departure from established archetypes. One…

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Read more about the article Mystery beam instrument

Mystery beam instrument

  • Post author:Alan Williams
  • Post published:25 September 2020
  • Post category:Drawing instruments
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It is not unusual to come across drawing sets that lack any clue to their maker, but this recent find is also short on clues to its purpose. I have…

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Read more about the article An unusual Napier compass

An unusual Napier compass

  • Post author:Alan Williams
  • Post published:3 March 2020
  • Post category:Compasses/Drawing instruments
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The Napier compass is a particularly compact form of multifunctional drawing instrument that became popular during the second half of the nineteenth century. It is commonly said to have been…

Continue ReadingAn unusual Napier compass
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