Ruling pen multipacks
A recent discussion about Stanley's 20th-century "Perma" cases and their ruling pens reminded me of an uncommon four-pen set that I acquired as part of a lot of modern drawing instruments. At…
Three Brunel compasses
At long last I got around to photographing my motley crew of three cased Brunel compasses, primarily to compare details with another example of the type recently acquired by David Riches. I…
Stanley’s first planimeter (part 3)
As November draws to a close, it seemed an opportune moment to conclude my investigation of Stanley's planimeter, at least so far as the instrument itself is concerned. One of…
Stanley’s first planimeter (part 2)
My last post ended with a slew of questions that I had intended to address in a second instalment, but as I began to assemble the evidence it quickly became…
Stanley’s first planimeter (part 1)
November 16th 2023 marks the bicentenary of Jakob Amsler-Laffon's birth - at least according to the more trustworthy sources - so it seemed only fitting to save a rather special…
Stanley-Amsler double act
Like the previous post's Amsler Type 6 with its added spikes for engine indicator diagrams, today's planimeter is another general purpose instrument with a special trick up its sleeve. Patented in…
A Stanley puzzle
The subject of this post is yet another ebay purchase, this time made purely on the basis of a name on a box. Described as geometrical models for teaching, the…
Stanley vulcanite railway curves
I recently came by a set of W.F. Stanley railway curves made of vulcanite (also known as ebonite or hard rubber), included almost as an afterthought to an ebay listing…
OK Computer
It is a well-worn truism that nothing is certain except death and taxes, and certainly throughout history much effort has gone into making sure that the latter is as inescapable…
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)…