Interesting Drafting Tool??..How was it used??...Who Made It??

The only marking is an "F" on one of the larger pieces...Any help appreciated.

 

The piece that looks a bit like tweezers in the middle with the round screw bit on the sides is a ruling pen. You filled it with watercolour paint or ink and attached the nib to a pen like handle and drew lines on mount board to surround a watercolour painting or print. The little case on the left would usually contain leads for the pencil attachments. It’s a specialist drawing set but I’m not sure what the large pieces are for.

 

Possibly for attaching to a rod to make a circle with a large radius...

These are fascinating to me, as the ink just hangs between the tweezer part through tension, and flows out (if you're coordinated) only when the pen moves across paper or film.

I was lucky they invented inking pens with cartridges by the time I started working

Cool, @SPERLS

 

You had to put a line of masking tape under your steel ruler before making your line, if you didn’t the paint often flooded under the ruler. Very annoying!

 

What mapmakers actually used for small to large scale cartography...

 

I had to take a very simple inking test to work at a local sweatshop...

They were kind to me (not many 19 year old girls wandered in there, that's for sure!) but couldn't resist telling me about the good old days - before they had erasers

 

I remember the tape, @Houseful - and the advent of beveled plastic rulers...

 

I used to tape a couple of coins under my plastic triangles to avoid the smear...even with technical pens.

 

Oh yeah, I remember that trick, @sabre123

I worked with one old timer who made his own ship's curves - etched with his name, "Doc"

 

Hi,
My other half when she started Architect School she glued cork sheeting to all of her straight edges and such to prevent smears and slippage.
greg

 

We etched all our gear with PMT solution. Funny the things you remember!

I loved inking.

 

Polar Planimeter?


(This is not something I understand.)

 

For measuring areas... You "trace" around the area and the square area reads on the "elbow" element

 

But is that what SPERLS has? One large piece being the pivot, and the other being the elbow?

 

No, @moreotherstuff... It is a mapping tool for measuring areas.

Sperl's are for drawing circles.

There are compass arms/inserts for smaller circles (that bottom element):


Sperl's are beam compass attachments for bigger circles:


Charvoz and K&E are two brands I recall off the top of my head, but I don't know what "F" signifies.

Maker and possibly age would be the things that would make them more valuable

 

You can insert an inking pen, lead, a point to scribe or a blade to cut, depending on how utilitarian they are.

A fun page by someone who loves and collects drafting tools. Some new terms (for me anyway) for cases: etui or pocket magazine
My Drawing and Calculating Instruments - Peter Ghiringhelli
www.petergh.f2s.com › instruments2

 

(I see now etui applies to something more than sewing and vanity kits )

 

I have a ruler that has a cork liner underneath

 

This is a trammel or set of trammel points. I've used these lofting wooden boats.

 

Could the "F" mark indicate A.W. Faber??