Dividers & Compasses -- Combination Instruments
Combination Instruments
While many compasses have been made and used strictly for drawing circles, some compasses have removable ends so that the user may change between pen and pencil points or may insert two needle points to operate the instrument as a divider.
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Swiss Pattern Folding Compass and Divider
- Description
- The ends of this German silver instrument rotate at right angles to the legs. When the pointed ends of both legs are extended, the instrument works as a divider. The other side of one end has an adjustable pen point, and the other side of the other end has a holder, tightened by a metal ring, for a pencil lead. When one of these ends is extended, the instrument functions as a compass. The legs fold up inside themselves so the compass may be stored in a wooden case covered with black leather and lined with purple velvet. The instrument has no identifying marks. It is similar but not identical to a folding pocket compass sold for $5.00 (without a case) by W. & L. E. Gurley from at least 1903 to 1912.
- Englishman David Napier (1790–1876) is credited with inventing the folded compass in 1848. This version improves on the design by putting all of the joints in the same plane and is known as the "Swiss pattern," although makers all over Europe made these instruments.
- References: A Manual of the Principal Instruments . . . Manufactured by W. & L. E. Gurley, 37th ed. (Troy, N.Y., 1903), 309–310; A Manual of the Principal Instruments . . . Manufactured by W. & L. E. Gurley, 46th ed. (Troy, N.Y., 1912), 365–366; Maya Hambly, Drawing Instruments: 1580–1980 (London: Sotheby's Publications, 1988), 83–84.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1900
- ID Number
- MA.335334
- accession number
- 305958
- catalog number
- 335334
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Eagle Pencil Company Model 569 Compass and Divider
- Description
- This metal compass is noticeably corroded. The compass is held together by a screw at the top. A spring inside the mechanism below the screw allows the two legs to be squeezed together. The mechanism is marked on both sides: EAGLE PENCIL CO. (/) NEW YORK (/) PAT. DEC.11.1894 (/) PAT. GT.BRITAIN. The legs are embossed with a floral pattern. The two needle points slide into slots at the end of each leg. One point is made of the same metal as the compass. The other point is a metal that does not corrode, possibly German silver. The German silver point is reversible and holds a pencil lead in its other end.
- German immigrant Heinrich Berolzheimer opened Eagle Pencil Company as a pencil shop in New York City in 1856, with a factory in Yonkers. By 1880, the firm made mechanical pencils as well as pens and erasers. In 1969, the company changed its name to Berol Corporation, and the Empire Pencil Corporation purchased it in 1986. Harrison Cole of Columbus, Ohio, applied on April 16, 1894, for a patent on a braking screw bolt that would help compasses or dividers stay set in position and received it on December 11 that year. The Brown University mathematics department donated this instrument to the Smithsonian in 1973. Compare to 1981.0933.17.
- References: Harrison Cole, "Drawing Instrument" (U.S. Patent 530,680 issued December 11, 1894); "Eagle Divider and Compass," School Journal 56 (1898): 389.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1900
- maker
- Eagle Pencil Company
- ID Number
- MA.304722.04
- accession number
- 1973.304722
- catalog number
- 304722.04
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Eagle Pencil Company Model 569 Compass and Divider with Leads
- Description
- This metal instrument is held together by a screw at the top. A spring inside the mechanism below the screw allows the two legs to be squeezed together. The piece between the screw and spring is marked: EAGLE PENCIL CO. (/) NEW YORK (/) PATENTED. The legs are embossed with a floral pattern. Two needle points slide into slots at the end of each leg. One needle point is reversible and has a holder for a pencil lead at its other end. Compare to 304722.04, which is apparently an older version of this model. The mark refers to the patent Harrison Cole received in 1894 for a braking screw bolt that would help compasses or dividers remain set in position.
- A cardboard box is covered with green and white checked paper and a white label marked: EAGLE (/) COMPASS & DIVIDER (/) Pat. Dec. 11th 1894. Pat. Gt. Britain. (/) Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. & Canada. (/) NO. 569. (/) Manufactured by EAGLE PENCIL CO., New York, U.S.A. Two small aluminum tubes received with the instrument each hold five sharpened pencil leads.
- German immigrant Heinrich Berolzheimer opened Eagle Pencil Company as a pencil shop in New York City in 1856, with a factory in Yonkers. By 1880, the firm made mechanical pencils as well as pens and erasers. In 1969, the company changed its name to Berol Corporation, and the Empire Pencil Corporation purchased it in 1986.
- References: Harrison Cole, "Drawing Instrument" (U.S. Patent 530,680 issued December 11, 1894); "The History of Berol," http://www.berol.co.uk/berolhistory.html.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 20th century
- maker
- Eagle Pencil Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0933.17
- accession number
- 1981.0933
- catalog number
- 1981.0933.17
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Compass and Divider in Case
- Description
- This six-inch German silver instrument opens into a double "V" shape. It has a cylindrical handle, thumbscrews for removing the point attachments, and thumbscrews for adjusting the points. The legs may be fitted with any combination of two needle points, two lengthening bars, and a pen point. The pencil point is missing. The lengthening bars extend the compass horizontally to a width of 9-3/4", allowing the instrument to function as a beam compass.
- Almost all of the pieces are engraved with the number 61, except for one needle point, one lengthening bar, and the pen point, which are each engraved with the number 60. A rectangular leather-covered case is lined with black velvet. A label on the bottom of the case is largely worn away, but it appears to have been marked: MADE IN GERMANY. Compare to 1978.2110.05.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- early 20th century
- ID Number
- 1978.2110.04
- accession number
- 1978.2110
- catalog number
- 336730
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Compass in Case
- Description
- This six-inch German silver instrument opens into a double "V" shape. It has a cylindrical handle, thumbscrews for removing the point attachments, and thumbscrews for adjusting the points. The legs may be fitted with any combination of a needle point, two lengthening bars, a pencil point, and a pen point. The second needle point is missing. The lengthening bars extend the compass horizontally to a width of 9-3/4", allowing the instrument to function as a beam compass.
- Almost all of the pieces are engraved with the number 60, except for the pen point and one lengthening bar, which are each engraved with the number 61. It is possible that some of the pieces have gotten mixed up with those catalogued with 1978.2110.04. A wooden case is covered with burgundy-colored leather and lined with black velvet.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- early 20th century
- ID Number
- 1978.2110.05
- accession number
- 1978.2110
- catalog number
- 336731
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Charvoz S-801 Bow Compass and Divider
- Description
- This metal instrument has a handle with vertical ridges above a ring. Unlike almost all of the other bow compasses in the collection, the bow screw has tips on each end. A thumb screw on the leg with the pencil point allows for fine adjustments of the angle at which the instrument is set. Screws near the points and on the front and back of the instrument adjust the length of the needle and pencil points. The top of the leg with the pencil point is marked: CHARVOZ (/) GERMANY.
- A clear and blue plastic case is marked with the Charvoz logo and charvoz (/) S - 801. The flap closes in the back and is marked: WESTERN–GERMANY. Inside the case is a clear plastic cylinder holding two replacement pencil leads and a second needle point, allowing the compass to be used as a divider. The bottom of the cylinder is marked: MADE IN GERMANY. A pen point is wrapped in brown paper. The screw on the pen point is marked: GERMANY.
- Charvoz, not to be confused with Charvoz-Roos, the short-lived slide rule manufacturer in New Jersey, made sets of drawing instruments in West Germany in the second half of the 20th century.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- mid 20th century
- maker
- Charvoz
- ID Number
- 1998.0032.11
- catalog number
- 1998.0032.11
- accession number
- 1998.0032
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Safe-T mmArc Combination Compass, Protractor, and Rule, Group of Two
- Description
- These clear plastic instruments are roughly rectangular in shape, with a semicircular side at one end. A rotating disc is inset at that end. The disc has holes at distances of 10 to 19 mm from its center. The rectangular part of the instrument has ten rows of ten holes, at distances of 22 to 120 mm from the center of the disc. To draw circles, one fixes the disc at the center, places a pencil or other writing implement at the desired radius, and rotates either the disc or the rectangle.
- The semicircular edge is divided to degrees and marked by 20s from zero to 180 in the clockwise direction and by 20s from 10 to 170 in the counterclockwise direction. The disc is marked: SAFE-T PROTRACTOR ™. It directs students to look at the upper, black numbers for angles facing left and at the lower, red numbers for angles facing right. A scale of 11 centimeters, divided to millimeters, is along one edge, and a scale of four inches, divided to 16ths of an inch, is along the other edge. The lower left corner is marked: mmArc ™ (/) by SAFE-T ™ (/) #46110.
- One of the instruments is marked in the lower right corner: U.S.Pat#5,615,485 (/) "And Other Pats. Pend." It fits into a two-sided white cardboard of instructions. The bottom of this card has a label covering the mark: Part # 45759. The label is marked: Part # 46109. The card is also marked: Made in China.
- The other instrument is marked in the lower right corner: LaGrange, IL 60525-0692 (/) U.S.Pat#4,353,166 (/) "And Other Pats. Pend." It is still sealed in its original display packaging, which describes the object as model number 46111 and indicates it was manufactured in China.
- According to a company catalog in the accession file, Safe-T model number 45759 was the Safe-T Compass, so that mark on the instruction card is apparently a typo. Number 46109 was the mmArc that sold individually for $2.50 around 2000. Number 46110 sold in sets of 30 for $64.80 for classroom use. Number 46111 is not listed in the catalog but apparently was distributed to retail stores. Patent number 4,353,166 refers to a patent received by John S. Kettlestrings of Wheaton, Ill., in 1982 for the design of the disc. Patent number 5,615,485 refers to a patent received by J. Bruce Stoneberg, the president of Extra Measures, Inc., for the entire Safe-T Compass. For information on Safe-T Products and Extra Measures, see 2000.0160.04.
- References: John S. Kettlestrings, "Toy-Like Instrument for Drawing Circles" (U.S. Patent 4,353,166 issued October 12, 1982); Bruce Stoneberg, "Instruments for Drawing Circles" (U.S. Patent 5,615,485 issued April 1, 1997); accession file. See also Bruce Stoneberg, "Compass" (U.S. Patent Des. 378,359 issued March 11, 1997).
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1995-2000
- maker
- Safe-T Products, Inc.
- ID Number
- 2000.0160.06
- accession number
- 2000.0160
- catalog number
- 2000.0160.06
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
