Combination Instruments

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

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

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

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

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