Index by Makers & Retailers

This ten-inch, one-sided Japanese brass linear slide rule has a (broken) glass indicator in a brass frame. On the top and bottom of the base and the top edge of one side of the slide are logarithmic scales that are identically marked and run from 10 to 10,000.
Description
This ten-inch, one-sided Japanese brass linear slide rule has a (broken) glass indicator in a brass frame. On the top and bottom of the base and the top edge of one side of the slide are logarithmic scales that are identically marked and run from 10 to 10,000. These are labeled with a Japanese character that signifies kyori (distance). The lowest scale on this side of the slide is also logarithmic, but has 1/10 the values of the other 3 scales (except at the end, where it reads 800 instead of 1,000). This scale is for reading maps drawn to 1/6,400 scale.
In the center of this side of the slide is a scale that runs from .01 to 45. It is labeled on the left with 1/16, for map reading conversions, and is labeled on the right with the character for seisetsu (tangent). The reverse side of the slide has two logarithmically divided scales, divided in the same way. One runs from 1 up to 1,600. The other runs from 3,199 down to 1,600. Both of these scales are labeled with the Japanese character for seigen (sine). The upper edge of the instrument is beveled and has a scale of 28 centimeters, divided to millimeters. The flat front of the instrument is also divided in a scale of equal parts. This scale runs from 1 to 138.
The rule fits in a sturdy brown leather case with a buckle clasp. For a similar object, see "Japanese Gun Laying Slide Rule, 1920–1929" in the Powerhouse Museum, http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/?irn=384855. According to the donor, Robert L. Klinger, this instrument was recovered from an artillery dump at Asahigawa in Hokkaido, Japan in October of 1945. Klinger went on to work for the Smithsonian Institution.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
before 1945
ID Number
1978.2289.01
catalog number
1978.2289.01
accession number
1978.2289
catalog number
336874
The citation information for this small 32-page booklet is: Maurice L. Hartung, How to Use the 300 Log Log Trig Pocket Slide Rule (Chicago: Pickett & Eckel, Inc., 1949).
Description
The citation information for this small 32-page booklet is: Maurice L. Hartung, How to Use the 300 Log Log Trig Pocket Slide Rule (Chicago: Pickett & Eckel, Inc., 1949). It provides general information on how to use slide rules, including the arithmetical operations, locating the decimal point, combining multiplication and division, using the folded scales, calculating roots, trigonometry, and vectors.
Model 300 was a six-inch, pocket-sized duplex slide rule and is not presently represented in the Smithsonian collections, although 1999.0096.01 is a ten-inch log log trig rule. Hartung was a University of Chicago professor who helped Pickett & Eckel market their products to schools and who wrote several instruction manuals for the company's slide rules. See 1979.0601.02.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1949
maker
Hartung, Maurice L.
ID Number
1979.0601.03
accession number
1979.0601
catalog number
1979.0601.03
This 32-page booklet was received with 1979.0601.02. Its citation information is: Maurice L. Hartung, How to Use the Deci Log Log Slide Rule (Chicago: Pickett & Eckel, Inc., 1947).
Description
This 32-page booklet was received with 1979.0601.02. Its citation information is: Maurice L. Hartung, How to Use the Deci Log Log Slide Rule (Chicago: Pickett & Eckel, Inc., 1947). Hartung, a University of Chicago professor and consultant to Pickett & Eckel, provided a basic overview of mathematical operations on the slide rule. He then explained placing the decimal point; the inverted scales; scales for squares and cubes, logarithms, and trigonometry; and solving problems using multiple scales. He next described the log log scales in a section that has several diagrams of slide rules.
A pink paper sheet on caring for the slide rule is inside the booklet. A previous owner has written in a few corrections, including an updated population of the United States of 175 million in 1957.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1947
author
Hartung, Maurice L.
ID Number
1979.0601.04
accession number
1979.0601
catalog number
1979.0601.04
This two-sided aluminum circular slide rule is coated with white celluloid enamel. The front has two interlocking yellow-green plastic arms, pivoted at the center with a metal nut and bolt with metal washers on both front and back. The back has one rotating arm.
Description
This two-sided aluminum circular slide rule is coated with white celluloid enamel. The front has two interlocking yellow-green plastic arms, pivoted at the center with a metal nut and bolt with metal washers on both front and back. The back has one rotating arm. Thirteen circles of scales are on the front, including C (for multiplication, division, and proportion), CI (C inverted), A (squares), K (cubes), logarithms, a spiral log-log scale (marked from 1.0015 to 1,000,000), two binary scales for adding and subtracting fractions, a scale of drill sizes, a scale of thread sizes, and millimeters. The front is marked near the center: THE BINARY SLIDE RULE (/) MADE IN U.S.A. (/) COPYRIGHTED 1940.
Three concentric circles forming a scale of degrees, sines, and tangents are on the back. Inside this scale is a chart for decimal equivalents of fractions. The back is marked: COPYRIGHTED (/) 1931 (/) GILSON SLIDE RULE CO. (/) STUART, FLA. The sets of scales are almost the same as those on 1998.0119.01 and 1989.0032.01, which are both Gilson Midget circular slide rules, but the scale of thread sizes is in United States Form instead of United States Standard. Because it does not have alternating yellow and white stripes, this rule is unusual for a Gilson Binary slide rule. There is a case for this rule.
References: Sphere Research Corporation, "Gilson Binary/Atlas Circular Slide Rule Operating Information," http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/circular-man2.html; Clippings Scrapbook, page 82, Cummings Library, Palm City, Fla.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1940
maker
Gilson Slide Rule Company
ID Number
1979.0816.01
catalog number
1979.0816.01
accession number
1979.0816
This rectangular yellow, orange, black, and white rule consists of a paper envelope holding a paper slide, held together with metal rivets. The Ohmite Manufacturing Company of Chicago commissioned it from the Perrygraf (or Perry Graf) Corporation of Maywood, Ill.Lester E.
Description
This rectangular yellow, orange, black, and white rule consists of a paper envelope holding a paper slide, held together with metal rivets. The Ohmite Manufacturing Company of Chicago commissioned it from the Perrygraf (or Perry Graf) Corporation of Maywood, Ill.
Lester E. Perry (1901–1991), a machinery inspector in Cook County, Ill., founded Perrygraf in 1934. He and his associates, including his relative Oscar Perry, designed and manufactured special-purpose "slide charts." By 1960, the firm had a branch in California and a plant in Puerto Rico. In 1968 the firm was sold to Nashua Corporation, and operations in Illinois ceased. Some former employees started their own slide chart companies. James E. Johnson, the former plant manager, established American Slide Chart in 1971. This Wheaton, Ill., firm became sufficiently successful to purchase Perrygraf in 1988. Another former Perrygraf employee and engineer established Datalizer Slide Charts of Addison, Ill. Both American Slide Chart/Perrygraf and Datalizer Slide Charts remain in business as of 2012.
The Ohmite Manufacturing Company, established in 1925, sold rheostats, fixed resistors, and adjustable resistors. Its Ohm's Law Calculator had scales that allowed the user to find ohms, volts, amperes, and watts, given any two of those measures. It also had a chart for finding the stock number of desired parts. This example was copyrighted in 1941 and sold for ten cents. The name of the donor is stamped on both sides. An electronic version of the calculator may be found on the company's website.
References: George Melloan, "Pocket Slide Charts Aid Engineers, Help Sell Steel, Lipstick," Wall Street Journal, September 4, 1953, 1; Display Ad, Los Angeles Times, November 8, 1960, 22; "About Perrygraf," http://www.quinndesign.com/profweb/perrygraf/; "About Us," American Slide Chart/Perrygraf, http://www.americanslidechart.com/aboutus.html; "Slide Chart Specialists," Datalizer Slide Charts, http://www.datalizer.com/about-us/; "Ohmite History," http://www.ohmite.com/history.php.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1941
maker
Perry Graf Corporation
ID Number
1979.3074.03
nonaccession number
1979.3074
catalog number
1979.3074.03
Pickett, Inc., was a slide rule manufacturer that started in Chicago in 1943, shifted most of its operations to Alhambra, Calif., in 1946, and moved to Santa Barbara, Calif., in 1964. Maurice L.
Description
Pickett, Inc., was a slide rule manufacturer that started in Chicago in 1943, shifted most of its operations to Alhambra, Calif., in 1946, and moved to Santa Barbara, Calif., in 1964. Maurice L. Hartung, a mathematics professor at the University of Chicago, wrote several instruction manuals for the company, including How to Use Dual Base Log Log Slide Rules. This 93-page booklet was intended for use with Pickett models 2, 3, and 4. It contains sections on the general operation of a slide rule, the use of scales for trigonometry and roots, elementary vector methods, the use of logarithmic scales, practice problems, hyperbolic functions, and circular functions. Hartung also showed how the double T scales could solve side-angle-side triangle problems in one step. Model 600 was advertised at the back of the manual, and instructions for caring for Pickett slide rules were provided inside the back cover.
Although Hartung wrote the manual in 1947, this printing was made after the company moved to Santa Barbara in 1964. See the associated items, 1980.0097.01 and 1980.0097.06.
Location
Currently not on view
date copyrighted
1947
date printed
ca 1965
author
Hartung, Maurice L.
printer
Pickett Industries
ID Number
1980.0097.05
accession number
1980.0097
catalog number
1980.0097.05
This eight-page pamphlet, titled How to Use Model 3 Powerlog Slide Rules, is a supplement to Maurice L. Hartung, How to Use Dual Base Log Log Slide Rules (Santa Barbara, Calif.: Pickett, Inc., 1947). Hartung also wrote this pamphlet, probably around 1947.
Description
This eight-page pamphlet, titled How to Use Model 3 Powerlog Slide Rules, is a supplement to Maurice L. Hartung, How to Use Dual Base Log Log Slide Rules (Santa Barbara, Calif.: Pickett, Inc., 1947). Hartung also wrote this pamphlet, probably around 1947. He explains scales not found on other Pickett models, namely, the extended square root, cube root, and tangent scales. Model 3 also had an extra log log scale (LL0).
This printing was made after the company moved to Santa Barbara in 1964. See the associated items, 1980.0097.01 and 1980.0097.05.
Location
Currently not on view
date written
1947
date printed
ca 1965
maker
Hartung, Maurice L.
printer
Pickett Industries
ID Number
1980.0097.06
accession number
1980.0097
catalog number
1980.0097.06
From at least the early 20th century, engineers designed special slide rules for calculations relating to the flow of liquids and gases. This ten-inch, one-sided white plastic linear slide rule is marked: COPYRIGHT 1946 JESSER, BRANSCOMBE, WIANT AND CAWLEY.
Description
From at least the early 20th century, engineers designed special slide rules for calculations relating to the flow of liquids and gases. This ten-inch, one-sided white plastic linear slide rule is marked: COPYRIGHT 1946 JESSER, BRANSCOMBE, WIANT AND CAWLEY. It is also marked: HYDRAULIC SLIDE RULE and THE M. W. KELLOGG COMPANY. The top of the base has scales labeled A and B. The A scale runs from 3 to 3,000 and is marked G. P. M. AT 60° F. The B scale has three sets of numbers (from 1 to 1,000; from 100 to 100,000; and from 1,000 to 1,000,000) and is marked: B-1 FT. PER SEC (/) B-2-B.P.D. AT 60° F. (/) B-3 LB. PER HR. The bottom of the base has scales labeled H and J, for changes in pressure computed for liquids and for vapors.
The front of the slide has various scales for the density and velocity of vapors, with various scales for the expansion of liquids in different sizes of pipe on the back. The back of the rule contains detailed instructions for calculations of velocity and of pressure drop for both liquids and vapors. The indicator is glass with white plastic edges. One edge is marked KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. The other edge is marked PATENT 2,086,502. Keuffel & Esser of New York introduced this indicator on its rules in 1936 and patented it in 1937. As this example suggests, the indicator was also widely used as a replacement part and added to rules made by other companies. See also MA.318480, 1981.0933.05, and 1999.0254.01.
M. W. Kellogg Company of New York City was a firm founded in 1901 that specialized in oil refining and the design of pipes. From 1944 it underwent several acquisitions and name changes until it merged with Brown & Root in 1998. It separated from parent company Halliburton in 2007 to be known as KBR. According to the donor, Nicholas Grossman, the instrument was developed by the Kellogg Company "for in-house use to calculate fluid flow, pressure drop, friction factors, etc. in connection with the design calculations of petrochemical process equipment. According to my best knowledge, this was never marketed, and about 100 slide rules were issued to the engineering staff. Naturally, with the advent of electronic calculators these slide rules became obsolete, and this one rightfully belongs in the Smithsonian." Of the four designers mentioned on the object, at least Benn Wainwright Jesser (1915–2011) and John Ambrose Cawley (1919–1989) graduated from Princeton and worked for M. W. Kellogg after World War II. The other designers were George Howard Branscombe and Isaac Joseph Wiant.
References: Library of Congress, Catalog of Copyright Entries: Works of Art, Etc., 3rd ser., 1, no. 1 (1947): 39; Who's Who in Engineering (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1954), 1231; "John Ambrose Cawley '42," Princeton Alumni Weekly (May 16, 1990), http://paw.princeton.edu/memorials/76/71/index.xml; accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1946
maker
M. W. Kellogg Company
ID Number
1981.0998.01
accession number
1981.0998
catalog number
1981.0998.01
This inexpensive 9-1/2 inch one-sided wooden slide rule is painted white on the front face. A, D, and K scales are on the base, and B, CI, and C scales are on one side of the slide. A plastic indicator is in a metal frame. The top of the base is marked: MADE IN U.S.A.
Description
This inexpensive 9-1/2 inch one-sided wooden slide rule is painted white on the front face. A, D, and K scales are on the base, and B, CI, and C scales are on one side of the slide. A plastic indicator is in a metal frame. The top of the base is marked: MADE IN U.S.A. It is also marked LAWRENCE ENGINEERING SERVICE, PERU, INDIANA and PAT. PEND. The right end of the slide is marked: 10-B. Tables for equivalents and conversions appear on the back of the instrument, which is in a cardboard box covered with black synthetic leather.
George Lee Lawrence (1901–1976) established a firm in Chicago to make slide rules for photography. In 1935 he moved to Wabash, Ind., renamed the company Lawrence Engineering Service, and began to manufacture general purpose slide rules. In 1938 he relocated once more to Peru, Ind., probably to enlarge the factory. Lawrence's second wife, Vivian Breyer, received the company in their 1947 divorce. Its name was changed to Engineering Instruments, Inc., and the company remained in business until its building burned down in 1967. Thus, this rule dates between 1938 and 1947. The model 10-B sold for 25 cents during this period. There is no record that Lawrence ever received a patent for any aspect of his design or manufacturing process. According to the donor, this rule belonged to her father, George L. Sterns. Compare to 1980.0097.02.
References: Bruce Babcock, "Lawrence Engineering Service — A Tale from an American Small Town," Journal of the Oughtred Society 5, no. 2 (1996): 55–61; David G. Rance, "The Unique Lawrence," Proceedings of the 17th International Meeting of Slide Rule Collectors (September 2011), 87–107, http://www.sliderules.nl/index.php?p=papers; Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 195–196; accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1938-1947
maker
Lawrence Engineering Service
ID Number
1983.0042.01
accession number
1983.0042
catalog number
1983.0042.01
The base of this orange, black, and white cardboard circular chart has scales for the number and size of plows and for the size of combines, planters, or harrows. Riveted to the rectangular base is a disc with a scale of tractor speed in miles per hour.
Description
The base of this orange, black, and white cardboard circular chart has scales for the number and size of plows and for the size of combines, planters, or harrows. Riveted to the rectangular base is a disc with a scale of tractor speed in miles per hour. Setting the dial for the appropriate tractor speed opposite the size and type of machinery employed reveals the approximate number of acres worked per day.
According to its markings, Perry Graf Corporation of Maywood, Ill., copyrighted this "Tractor Calculator" in 1938 and made it for the Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company's Tractor Division in Milwaukee, Wis. A curator's note indicates the copyright was not issued until November 27, 1941. Perrygraf (spelled variously as "Perrygraf" and "Perry Graf") designed special purpose "slide charts," which were often distributed by manufacturers to their customers.
The back of the calculator contains an advertisement for Allis-Chalmers, titled: WORK-PER-DAY THE A-C WAY. For other rules distributed by Perrygraf, see 1983.3009.06 and 1996.3029.01.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1941
maker
Perry Graf Corporation
ID Number
1983.3009.04
catalog number
1983.3009.04
nonaccession number
1983.3009
This blue, tan, and white cardboard rule consists of an envelope held together by six metal rivets and a paper slide.
Description
This blue, tan, and white cardboard rule consists of an envelope held together by six metal rivets and a paper slide. The rule calculates the weight of an enamel coating, given the area of a metal sample; the surface area of metal, given its thickness and weight; and the weight of enamel per square foot of surface coated, given the weight of enamel used, the thickness of the metal sample, and the weight of the metal.
Perrygraf Corporation of Maywood, Ill., made this instrument (copyrighted in 1941) for the American Rolling Mill Company of Middletown, Ohio. ARMCO produced and enameled coils of sheet steel at plants in Middletown and Ashland, Ky. Since 1999, the company has been part of AK Steel. For more on Perrygraf, see 1979.3074.03.
Reference: "American Rolling Mill Company," Ohio History Central: An Online Encyclopedia of Ohio History, July 1, 2005, http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=840.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1941
maker
Perry Graf Corporation
ID Number
1983.3009.05
catalog number
1983.3009.05
nonaccession number
1983.3009
This rectangular gray and orange cardboard rule has a cardboard slide and is held together by six metal rivets.
Description
This rectangular gray and orange cardboard rule has a cardboard slide and is held together by six metal rivets. The front of the rule explains that the calculator helps users select and test the proper air circuit breakers for electrical substations constructed by Allis-Chalmers. The front of the slide provides reasons why breakers were essential in old and new substation systems. The back of the rule has four logarithmic scales for reading the key number (from the transformer rating), then the index number, then the circuit capacity, and then the amp load. The scales on the slide are color-coded so the user could easily see which level of interrupting capacity was needed.
According to a mark on the slide, Perrygraf Corporation made this instrument, which Allis-Chalmers copyrighted in 1943. While the company is perhaps better known for manufacturing farming equipment, it also built generators, turbines, compressors, and other machinery for heavy industry. Additionally, its engineers designed electrical substations. The company ceased manufacturing operations in 1998. For more on Perrygraf, see 1979.3074.03. For another slide rule made by Perrygraf for Allis-Chalmers, see 1983.3009.04.
Reference: Allis-Chalmers, "Three 'Not-so-Secret' Weapons," The Ohio State Engineer 28, no. 2 (December 1944): 16–17.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1943
maker
Perry Graf Corporation
ID Number
1983.3009.06
catalog number
1983.3009.06
nonaccession number
1983.3009
This ten-inch mahogany linear slide rule is coated with white celluloid on the front and both sides of the slide. The base has A and D scales. The slide has B and C scales on one side and S, L, and T scales on the other.
Description
This ten-inch mahogany linear slide rule is coated with white celluloid on the front and both sides of the slide. The base has A and D scales. The slide has B and C scales on one side and S, L, and T scales on the other. A paper table of equivalents and slide rule settings, based on U. S. Bureau of Standards Circular No. 47, is pasted to the back of the rule. See also 2001.0117.01. According to Eric Marcotte, this circular was in force from 1914 to 1936. Keuffel & Esser included it on slide rules from the 1920s to the 1950s.
The indicator is glass with a plastic frame, of the style used by Keuffel & Esser between 1915 and 1937, based on the patent indicated by the mark on the top edge of the frame: K&E.CO.N.Y. (/) PAT.8.17.15. The top of the base is marked in red: PAT. JUNE 5, 1900; KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y.; MADE IN U.S.A. For more on this patent, see MA.322761. Four expressions have been scratched into the front of the slide: x = A + B; ÷ = A – B; x – 1; ÷ + 1. The model number is printed at the right end in red: < 4055 >. The left end of the back of the slide and the front left corner of the base are marked with a serial number: 190673.
The rule is in a cardboard case covered with black morocco leather and heavily taped. It is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER (/) FAVORITE (/) SLIDE RULE (/) 4055. It is also marked on the tape near one end: E. HELLER (/) ΣΦΕ. On the other side of that end, it is marked on the tape: PROPERTY OF (/) PETER (/) HELLER. K&E sold model 4055 from 1927 to 1943; the serial number suggests a date closer to 1927, when the instrument sold for $4.00. One owner of this slide rule was the mechanical engineer Edward Lincoln Heller (1912–2007), who received a BSfrom Lehigh University in 1934 and an MBA from Harvard University in 1939. It seems likely that he used the slide rule as a college student.
References: Willie L. E. Keuffel, "Slide-Rule" (U.S. Patent 651,142 issued June 5, 1900); Willie L. E. Keuffel, "Slide-Rule Runner" (U.S. Patent 1,150,771 issued August 17, 1915); Eric Marcotte, "The Evolution of a Slide Rule – The K&E 4053-3," http://www.sliderule.ca/4053.htm; Clark McCoy, "Collection of Pages from K&E Catalogs for the 4055 Family," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEModels/ke4055family.htm; Ed Chamberlain, "Estimating K&E Slide Rule Dates," 27 December 2000, http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/ke/320-k+e_date2.jpg; "Heller, Edward L.," American Men and Women of Science, 12th ed. (New York: J. Cattell Press, 1972), 2620.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1927-1943
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
1984.1068.01
catalog number
1984.1068.01
accession number
1984.1068
This ten-inch aluminum linear duplex slide rule is coated with white enamel and has aluminum endpieces. One side of the base has scales for sin/cos, tg/ctg (tangent/cotangent), DF, D, and the square root of 1 – x2 (a Pythagorean or P scale).
Description
This ten-inch aluminum linear duplex slide rule is coated with white enamel and has aluminum endpieces. One side of the base has scales for sin/cos, tg/ctg (tangent/cotangent), DF, D, and the square root of 1 – x2 (a Pythagorean or P scale). On the slide are CF, CI, and C scales. The right end of the slide is marked: ECO BRA (/) Nr. 1611. The lower right corner of the base is marked: System (/) DARMSTADT. On the other side, the base has K, A, LL3, LL2, and LL1 scales. The slide has B, lg, and C scales. The numbers on the C, LL3, LL2, and LL1 scales are green, which is unusual. The indicator is plastic with aluminum edges. The letter Q is on the hairline on one side. On the other side, Q is on the hairline and W and PS are on shorter hairlines at the top of the indicator. These hairlines are for circle conversion and peripheral horsepower conversion, respectively.
The rule fits in a cardboard box covered with maroon synthetic leather. The top edge of the box is marked No. 1611. The front is marked with the Ecobra logo, and the back is marked MADE IN GERMANY.
Alwin Walther (1898–1967) of the Technische Hochschule in Darmstadt, Germany, developed the Darmstadt system of scales in 1934. His arrangement was aimed particularly at engineers. ECOBRA or Eco Bra was a brand name of Bayerische Reisszeugfabrik, a Nuremberg maker of drawing instruments that was purchased by Joseph Dietzgen in 1909. The company began producing slide rules before World War II, and after the war, Eugene Dietzgen Company of Chicago distributed ECOBRA rules in the United States. Metal rules were more popular in the United States than they were in Europe.
Reference: Dieter von Jezierski, Slide Rules: A Journey Through Three Centuries, trans. Rodger Shepherd (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 2000), 34–35, 52–53.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1945
maker
Ecobra
ID Number
1984.1071.04
accession number
1984.1071
catalog number
1984.1071.04
By the mid-20th century, rules distributed by manufacturers to ease calculations relating to their products had become quite common.
Description
By the mid-20th century, rules distributed by manufacturers to ease calculations relating to their products had become quite common. The three logarithmic scales on this rectangular white, yellow, and blue cardboard instrument determine the load (in pounds), size (in inches), and pounds per inch deflection for metal springs, given the PSI, mean diameter of the wire, and number of coils. Six metal rivets hold the rule together. The front top left corner is marked: BARNES • GIBSON • RAYMOND (/) DIVISION OF ASSOCIATED (/) SPRING CORPORATION (/) DETROIT AND ANN ARBOR (/) MICHIGAN. The front top right corner is marked: SPRING (/) DATA (/) COMPUTER. The back left end is marked: Copyright 1943 (/) Associated Spring Corp. (/) Bristol, Conn. The back right end is marked: Mfd. Perry Graf Corp. (/) Maywood, Ill. U.S.A. The instrument fits in a tan paper envelope.
Wallace Barnes (1827–1893) began manufacturing springs for clocks and hoop skirts in Bristol in 1857. His firm expanded into springs for bicycles and automobiles after his death and became Barnes-Gibson-Raymond in Detroit in 1922 as a result of acquisitions. It was renamed Associated Spring Corporation in 1923 and became a public company in 1946. The name Barnes Group was adopted in 1976, and by 2012 the headquarters were again located in Bristol. For more on Perrygraf, see 1979.3074.03.
References: Tom Wyman, "Slide Chart Calculators—A Modest Proposal," Journal of the Oughtred Society 13, no. 1 (2004): 6–10; "History," Barnes Group, Inc., http://www.bginc.com/about_history.php; Carlyle F. Barnes, Associated Spring Corporation (New York: Newcomen Society in North America, 1963).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1943
maker
Perry Graf Corporation
ID Number
1987.0108.03
accession number
1987.0108
catalog number
1987.0108.03
This slide rule consists of two white celluloid bands, each about one inch wide and twenty inches long, that revolve within an elliptical brown and black Bakelite case. The case has clear plastic windows on both sides. Five green indicator lines appear on each of the windows.
Description
This slide rule consists of two white celluloid bands, each about one inch wide and twenty inches long, that revolve within an elliptical brown and black Bakelite case. The case has clear plastic windows on both sides. Five green indicator lines appear on each of the windows. The bands are printed with identical logarithmic scales; the left is marked A, and the right is marked B. Two knurled knobs rotate the bands. Large round metal pins inside the knobs can be locked to force the bands to rotate in unison.
The instrument fits in a brown canvas bag. When it was received, it had a sticker on one side, near the base, that read: PAISLEY (/) MODEL (/) A (/) PITTSBURGH. Both sides near the base read: PAISLEY CALCULATOR. Both sides of the case are marked: PAT.APP.FOR. Both bands are marked: ©1940—PAISLEY CALCULATOR COMPANY, INC. The edge of the A band is also marked: TAPE NO. 3; BASTIAN BROS. CO. ROCHESTER N.Y. Company and union logos appear on either side of the second mark.
James R. Paisley of Pittsburgh, Pa., copyrighted the A and B scales of the Paisley Calculator on February 23, 1939. The Paisley Calculating [sic] Company of Pittsburgh copyrighted the phrase, "Paisley calculator a whiz at figures," on March 23, 1939. A James R. Paisley died in Pittsburgh on March 2, 1960, while the Social Security Death Index indicates that there was a man named James R. Paisley who lived from 1901 through 1987, dying in Wheeling, W. Va., in 1987.
No patents associated with Paisley or the Paisley Calculator Company have been located, nor have any advertisements other than a new product notice issued by Office Machines Research, Inc., in 1939. Although this notice indicated the instrument would be made in Carnegie, Pa., presumably Paisley arranged for production with Bastian Brothers of Rochester, N.Y., which has been manufacturing lapel pins, medals, and commemorative items since 1895. The slide rule was expected to sell for $25.00. Since there is so little documentation for the instrument, it likely was produced only for a short time. Thus, this example was probably made near the 1940 copyright date shown on it.
References: Office Machines Research, Inc., "Preliminary Report on a New Product," American Office Machines Research Service 1 (October 1939): section 4.2; Library of Congress, Catalog of Copyright Entries . . . for the Year 1939 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1940), 410, 633; Wayne Feely, "The Paisley Slide Rule," The Chronicle of the Early American Industry Association 49, no. 4 (1996): 113; Tom and Nancy McAdams, "Woodlawn Cemetery Section 3," Woodlawn Cemetery Association, Pittsburgh, Pa., October 2000, http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tandnmca/woodlawn/sec3ntoz.html; "Bastian Company Profile," http://www.bastiancompany.com/about.shtml.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1940
maker
Bastian Brothers Company
ID Number
1987.0183.01
catalog number
1987.0183.01
accession number
1987.0183
Since 1934 Perrygraf (or Perry Graf) Corporation of Maywood, Ill., has prepared a variety of sliding charts and rules for advertising purposes. See 1979.3074.03 for company history.
Description
Since 1934 Perrygraf (or Perry Graf) Corporation of Maywood, Ill., has prepared a variety of sliding charts and rules for advertising purposes. See 1979.3074.03 for company history. Perrygraf designed this white, green, and red rectangular cardboard instrument, held together with six metal rivets, in 1946 for The Texas Company (Texaco) of New York, N.Y. On one side is a "Cutting Fluid Guide," which indicates the type of Texaco cutting oil that should be used for various methods of cutting different groups of metals. The first four groups, of ferrous metals, are listed in a table on the other side of the instrument. A table for the last five groups, of nonferrous metals, appears on one side of the slide. Below the table of ferrous metals is a "Cutting Speed Calculator" with a logarithmic scale for computing the cutting speed in revolutions per minute, given the surface speed in feet per minute and the work diameter in inches.
The Texaco logo in the front lower right corner is the form used between 1936 and 1963. The back lower left corner is marked Printed in U.S.A. 2–46. Perry Graf Corp. Maywood, Ill.
References: Tom Wyman, "Slide Chart Calculators – A Modest Proposal," Journal of the Oughtred Society 13, no. 1 (2004): 6–10; "Texaco," Logopedia, http://logos.wikia.com/wiki/Texaco.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1946
maker
Perry Graf Corporation
ID Number
1988.0323.01
accession number
1988.0323
catalog number
1988.0323.01
Some slide rules were used to do calculations relating to industrial safety. The Carborundum Company, a manufacturer of abrasives founded in Pennsylvania in 1890 and moved in 1895 to Niagara Falls, N.Y., distributed this instrument.
Description
Some slide rules were used to do calculations relating to industrial safety. The Carborundum Company, a manufacturer of abrasives founded in Pennsylvania in 1890 and moved in 1895 to Niagara Falls, N.Y., distributed this instrument. It consists of a tan and black plastic envelope and a paper slide colored green, red, and tan. The rule has scales for the diameter of the grinding wheel in inches, the angular velocity in revolutions per minute, and surface feet per minute (a measurement combining diameter and velocity). Knowing two of these variables, one can find the third. At the same time, a table under the scales lists types of wheels according to their size, shape, and type of bond holding an abrasive to the wheel. If the surface feet or number of revolutions per minute becomes too large for a type of wheel to operate safely, a hole in the envelope shows red.
Grit and grade scales on the reverse side of the slide indicate the uses appropriate for various granularities and hardnesses of abrasives and bonding agents. The back of the instrument shows the Carborundum Company main office and factory in Niagara Falls, N.Y.
The front of the rule is marked: GRINDING WHEEL (/) SPEED AND SAFETY INDICATOR (/) PATENT APPLIED FOR (/) THE CARBORUNDUM COMPARNY, NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (/) REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. The front of the slide is marked (between logos for Bastian Bros. and the International Photo-Engravers' Union of North America): BASTIAN BROS. CO. ROCHESTER, N. Y. The slide is also marked: COPYRIGHT 1939 BY (/) THE CARBORUNDUM COMPANY.
Bastian Bros., a maker of plastic objects and memorabilia, was an early firm to unionize. For other slide rules by this company, see 1987.0183.01 and 1998.3050.02. Harrison Bucklin (b. 1881 or 1882), a resident of Rochester, N.Y., received at least three patents between 1914 and 1942. He applied for a patent on this device in 1940 and assigned it to Carborundum after it was granted.
References: Library of Congress Copyright Office, Catalog of Copyright Entries: Part 1, Books, Group 2, Pamphlets, Etc., n.s. 37 (1940): 920; Harrison Bucklin, "Indicating Device" (U.S. Patent 2,303,018 issued November 24, 1942); "Bastian Company Profile," http://www.bastiancompany.com/about.shtml; Carborundum Abrasives Products, "More Than a Century of Pacesetting Innovation," http://www.carborundumabrasives.com/aboutCarborundum.aspx.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1940-1941
maker
Bastian Brothers Company
ID Number
1988.0323.03
accession number
1988.0323
catalog number
1988.0323.03
The Chicago firm of Dreis & Krump distributed this yellow paper slide rule as an aid to those using the machine tools it manufactured to cut, bend, and punch sheet steel and brass. The rule has a paper slide and is held together with metal rivets.
Description
The Chicago firm of Dreis & Krump distributed this yellow paper slide rule as an aid to those using the machine tools it manufactured to cut, bend, and punch sheet steel and brass. The rule has a paper slide and is held together with metal rivets. The front of the instrument and slide combine to produce a table for determining the length of sheet steel required, assuming the piece has various numbers and shapes of bends. The reverse has a rule for calculating tons pressure per lineal foot, given the gauge of the metal and the width of the female die opening desired. The back also has a rule for calculating the tons of pressure needed for punching three types of metal, given the gauge of the metal and the diameter of the hole.
The front is marked: DREIS & KRUMP (/) MANUFACTURING COMPANY (/) Mfrs. of CHICAGO STEEL PRESS BRAKES. The right side has a logo with the letters D&K in a diamond; the company stopped using this logo by about 1960. On the back, the left side is marked: DREIS & KRUMP (/) MFG. CO., (/) CHICAGO 36. The lower right corner is marked: Copyright 1944, Perry Graf Corp., Maywood, Ill.
Dreis & Krump was one of many businesses that turned to Perrygraf (or Perry Graf) Corporation for promotional slide rules and charts. In 1934, machinery inspector Lester E. Perry (1901–1991) came up with the idea of equipping salespeople with slide charts so that they could immediately answer customers' questions. Perrygraf Corporation, the company he established in the Chicago, Ill., suburbs, quickly became a dominant force in this market.
References: Walter Shawlee II, "The Wonderful World of Slide Charts, Wheel Charts, and Perrygrafs," Sphere Research Corp., http://sphere.bc.ca/test/perrygraf.html; "People: Perrygraf," Waywiser, Harvard University Department of the History of Science website.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1944
maker
Perry Graf Corporation
ID Number
1988.0325.01
accession number
1988.0325
catalog number
1988.0325.01
This circular calculating rule is made of an aluminum disc 4-1/4" in diameter. The disc has a white plastic coating on both sides. There are two green transparent plastic indicators on the front and one indicator on the back.
Description
This circular calculating rule is made of an aluminum disc 4-1/4" in diameter. The disc has a white plastic coating on both sides. There are two green transparent plastic indicators on the front and one indicator on the back. A metal screw and two supports hold the instrument together. The scales and markings are exactly like those on 1998.0119.01. A green synthetic leather case is marked in ink inside the flap: MATLACK.
The scales are also similar to those on 1979.0816.01, the Binary Slide Rule of Gilson Slide Rule Company of Stuart, Fla. Gilson manufactured slide rules under U.S. patent 1,404,019, issued to Clair A. Gilson for a "Mechanical Calculating Device" on January 17, 1922. The company was known for not putting its name on its products, which were resold by several American dealers of mathematical instruments.
The donor, Dr. Albert S. Matlack, purchased this object around 1942, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Virginia. He also used it as a research chemist at the Hercules Research Center in Wilmington, Del.
Reference: Accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1942
maker
Gilson Slide Rule Company
ID Number
1989.0032.01
catalog number
1989.0032.01
accession number
1989.0032
This five-inch solid Xylonite (celluloid) slide rule is one of several "Ever-There" pocket slide rules made by Keuffel & Esser. This line was noted for its light weight and small size.
Description
This five-inch solid Xylonite (celluloid) slide rule is one of several "Ever-There" pocket slide rules made by Keuffel & Esser. This line was noted for its light weight and small size. There are A, D, and K scales on the base, with B, CI, and C scales on one side of the slide and S, L, and T scales on the other side of the slide. The glass indicator has a metal frame, plastic edges, and metal screws. The top of the base is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y.; PAT. 1,875,927; MADE IN U.S.A. The right end of the slide is marked: < 4097C >.
The back of the slide rule has a scale of 5 inches divided to sixteenths of an inch and a scale of 13 centimeters divided to millimeters. The left ends of the back of the rule and of the back of the slide are marked with a serial number: 38642. The rule fits in a leather sheath marked: K&ECO.
After Adolf Keuffel applied for a patent on what became the Ever-There product line on October 29, 1930, K&E introduced this version of slide rule as model 4098 in 1931. It was renamed model 4097C in 1936 and was discontinued around 1951. With a case, it cost $4.15 in 1936 and $5.75 in 1949. By 1959, it was replaced by model 4153-1. Compare to 1981.0933.05 and 1981.0922.08. An instruction booklet, received separately, is 1981.0933.09.
This example was given to the museum by Myron R. Smith (1911–2007), an electronics engineer who used it in a long career at Collins Radio in Cedar Rapids, Ia., then at Honeywell in Minneapolis, and then at Honeywell in Seattle. Smith used the rule to solve problems relating to the testing of broadcast equipment, the design of electronic temperature controls, the design of power transformers, and corporate management.
References: Adolf W. Keuffel, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 1,875,927 issued September 6, 1932); Bob Otnes, "Adolf Keuffel and the Later K&E Slide Rules," Journal of the Oughtred Society 8, no. 1 (1999): 37–38; K&E Slide Rules and Calculating Instruments (New York, 1931), 17; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 38th ed. (New York, 1936), 324; K&E Price List Applying to the 41st Edition Catalog (New York, 1949), 32; K&E Price List Applying to the 41st Edition Catalog (New York, 1951), 35; K&E Price List Applying to the 42nd Edition Catalog (New York, 1959), 73; accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1936-1949
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
1989.0325.06
accession number
1989.0325
catalog number
1989.0325.06
This bamboo rule is coated on both sides and its long outer edges with white celluloid. The rule is held together with metal posts. The glass indicator has a metal frame with bamboo and celluloid sides.
Description
This bamboo rule is coated on both sides and its long outer edges with white celluloid. The rule is held together with metal posts. The glass indicator has a metal frame with bamboo and celluloid sides. The rule is marked in the lower right corner of the base front: "SUN" (between two drawings of the sun) (/) HEMMI (/) MADE IN JAPAN. The scales are 25 cm (9-7/8") long.
Hemmi designed this model for electrical engineers. The front of the base has L, K, A, D, T, and Gθ scales. The front of the slide has B, CI, and C scales. The back of the base has θ, Rθ, P, LL3, LL2, and LL1 scales, with Q, Q', and C scales on the back of the slide. The P, Q, and θ scales were used for trigonometric relationships in right triangles and for hyperbolic functions. They were developed in 1929 for Hemmi rules and credited to Sadatoshi Betsumiya and Jisuke Miyazaki. These scales were not used in the West, and even Hemmi did not use these scales on all of its models.
The rule is stored in a black rectangular cardboard box which is opened by removing the right end. This end is marked in silver: "SUN" (between two drawings of the sun (/) "HEMMI" BAMBOO (/) SLIDE RULE. There are two stars where the box joins together.
Hemmi, a Japanese firm, manufactured this model of slide rule between 1933 and 1967. From 1942 through 1946, Hemmi exports to the English-speaking world were severely limited. From 1946 to 1950, Hemmi rules were marked, MADE IN OCCUPIED JAPAN. After 1950, Hemmi rules were stamped with codes indicating the year and month of manufacture. Hence, it seems likely that this rule was made between 1933 and 1942.
Dr. Robert P. Multauf, who owned this rule, was an early director of the Museum of History of Science and Technology (later the National Museum of American History). Previously, he served in the U.S. Navy in postwar Japan.
References: Brian Borchers and Noël H. Cotter, "The Sun Hemmi System of Trigonometric and Hyperbolic Scales," Journal of the Oughtred Society 9, no. 2 (2000): 28–31; Hisashi Okura, "Hyperbolic Scale Rule" (U.S. Patent 2,079,464 issued May 4, 1937).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1933-1942
maker
SUN HEMMI JAPAN CF
ID Number
1989.0443.01
catalog number
1989.0443.01
accession number
1989.0443
This ten-inch two-sided slide rule is made from wood coated with white celluloid and held together with metal end pieces. There are L, LL1, DF, D, LL3, and LL2 scales on one side of the base, with CF, CIF, CI, and C scales on the slide.
Description
This ten-inch two-sided slide rule is made from wood coated with white celluloid and held together with metal end pieces. There are L, LL1, DF, D, LL3, and LL2 scales on one side of the base, with CF, CIF, CI, and C scales on the slide. The top of the base is marked in red: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y.; PATS. RE.20,984 1,930,852 2,168,056 2,170,144 PAT. PEND.; MADE IN U.S.A. The right end of the slide is marked with the model number: < 4081-3 >. On the other side, there are LL0, LL00, A, D, DI, and K scales on the base and B, T, ST, and S scales on the slide. The left end of the slide and the front left corner of the base are marked with a serial number: 207806. A glass indicator with plastic edges is held together with metal screws. The top edge of the indicator is marked: PATENT 2,086,502. The bottom edge of the indicator is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y.
The instrument fits in a cardboard case covered with black leather. Also in the case is a metal straight edge. The case is marked on the top of the flap: LOG LOG DUPLEX (/) TRADE TRIG MARK. The front of the flap is marked: 4080-3 (/) K + E. Stenciled on the case is: T. M. ROBB. Written on the inside of the flap is: THOMAS ROBB (/) SPAIN, AIR CREW.
This combination of scales was used from 1939 to 1947. The serial number on this example is consistent with a date later in this time frame. In 1947, this model sold with the leather case for $19.75. For later examples of model 4081-3, see MA.318482 and MA.334387. On the patents listed on this instrument, see 1992.0437.01 and 1999.0254.01.
Reference: "K + E Slide Rules and Calculating Instruments Price List," July 1, 1947, http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KECatalogs/1947/1947kecatprice01.htm.; Dieter von Jezierski, Slide Rules: A Journey Through Three Centuries, trans. Rodger Shepherd (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 2000), 71–75.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1939-1947
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
1990.0687.01
accession number
1990.0687
catalog number
1990.0687.01
This one-sided, ten-inch wooden slide rule has lengths of white celluloid screwed to all sides except the back. The indicator is glass with metal edges. The top edge of the base has a scale of 28 cm, divided to millimeters.
Description
This one-sided, ten-inch wooden slide rule has lengths of white celluloid screwed to all sides except the back. The indicator is glass with metal edges. The top edge of the base has a scale of 28 cm, divided to millimeters. The scales on the base and one side of the slide are not labeled. The top of the base has a scale divided logarithmically from 1 to 1,000 (i.e., from 1 to 10 three times) and a scale divided logarithmically from 1 to 100 (1 to 10 twice), which is repeated on the front of the slide. These are equivalent to K, A, and B scales. The second scale on the slide is divided logarithmically from 10 to 1. The third scale on the slide and the first scale on the bottom of the base are divided logarithmically from 1 to 10. These are equivalent to CI, C, and D scales. The bottom scale on the base is divided from 0.1 to 1.0 in equal parts (i.e., an L scale).
The scales on the back of the slide are lettered S, S&T, and T. Underneath the slide is a centimeter scale, marked from 30 to 56 and divided to millimeters. The instrument is marked there: Tailhade & Cia., Cangallo 445 Bs. - Aires SYSTEM REITZ No 23 R ALBERT NESTLER A.-G. LAHR i/B. D.R.G.M. D.R.PATENT Industria Alemana. The front of the instrument has a scale of equal parts labeled 1:25. Tables of constants and material properties, in Spanish, are on paper pasted to the back of the instrument. A cardboard box covered with black synthetic leather is marked: Albert Nestler A.G. (/) D.R.Patent Rietz No 23 RF (/) Industria Alemana. The box is also marked TAILHADE & Cia. (/) CANGALLO 445 (/) Bs. Aires.
The German firm of Albert Nestler established a factory in Lahr in 1878. (The "i/B" marked on the rule stands for "in Baden.") In 1902 Nestler began to offer slide rules with the arrangement of scales proposed that year by German engineer Max Rietz. These included the K and L scales, with the CI and ST (called S&T on this example) scales added about two decades later. The company held numerous German patents. Nestler first advertised model 23 with Rietz scales in 1907. The donor purchased this rule at a bookstore in Argentina around 1940, which is about the same time that Nestler stopped attaching celluloid to rules with screws.
Reference: Guus Craenen, "Albert Nestler: Innovation and Quality," Journal of the Oughtred Society 11, no. 1 (2002): 38–46; Dieter von Jezierski, Slide Rules: A Journey Through Three Centuries, trans. Rodger Shepherd (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 2000), 34, 64–68, 118; Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 96, 98.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1940
maker
Albert Nestler
ID Number
1991.0445.01
accession number
1991.0445
catalog number
1991.0445.01

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