Index by Makers & Retailers

An image of various slide rules from the collection of the Division of Medicine and Science at the National Museum of American History.

Hundreds of companies around the world were involved in the production of slide rules from the 18th to the 20th centuries. Click on one of the names below to see the objects in this collection that were associated with that firm.

Acu-RuleFelsenthalMakeba
Adams, Bertram E.Fowler & Co.Multi Slide Instrument Corp.
Albree, G. NormanFullerM. W. Kellogg Company
AlcoGeorgia Iron WorksNegus, T. S. & J. D.
Alteneder & Sons, Theo.GilsonNeil A. Maclean Company
Aston, ThomasGraphic Calculator Co.Nestler
Bastian BrothersGrindsted ProductsNovotni
Bradburn & SonGuedonOle Jorgensens Creative Workshop
Carbic LimitedGurley, W. & L. E.Ontario, Province of
Central Scientific CompanyHawthorn, RobertPerrygraf
CharpentierHemmiPickett
Charvoz-RoosIBMPost
Commonwealth Plastics Corp.ImpactPsychological Corporation
Computer Manufacturing Co.Jeppesen & Co.Remington Rand
ConciseJohn Howard Herrick Co.Richardson, George
ControllerJones, Solomon A.Ricoh
Cooke, LabanKegelman BrothersScofield, E. M.
C-ThruKeuffel & EsserScott, Walter T.
Daemen-Schmid, HeinrichKingsonStanley Rule & Level Co.
Darling, Brown & SharpeKnox, Inc.Stanley, W. F.
DatalizerK2 Publishing Corp.Sterling Plastics
Dennert & PapeLawrence Engineering ServiceTavernier-Gravet
Dietzgen, EugeneLewis & BriggsThomas, Frank J.
DIWALovelace FoundationUnique
ECOBRA  L. Lumley & Co.Whitehead & Hoag
EDMUND Scientific Co.Macbeth DaylightingWichmann Brothers
Faber, A.W. Patent Models
Search term: *:* Date: 1970s Clear All

Pickett N3-T Duplex Slide Rule

This aluminum duplex slide rule is coated with "traditional" white plastic. The indicator is flat and made from nylon (hence the "N" in the model number). The front of the rule has two square root scales; K, A, B, ST, S, T, CI, C, D, and DI scales; and three cube root scales.
Description
This aluminum duplex slide rule is coated with "traditional" white plastic. The indicator is flat and made from nylon (hence the "N" in the model number). The front of the rule has two square root scales; K, A, B, ST, S, T, CI, C, D, and DI scales; and three cube root scales. The back of the rule has LL0, LL1, DF, CF, CIF, Ln, CI, C, D, LL2, and LL3 scales. Markings on the rule are described for the nearly identical 2009.0019.01. The rule fits in a burgundy leather case printed with the Pickett logo in gold. A strap and hook on the back attach the case to a belt.
Pickett was making a Model 3 slide rule as early as 1954, but the scales were arranged differently and the front of the slide had the tables found on Model 2. (See 1979.0601.02.) The logo on this instrument was used between 1964 and 1975. The shape of the indicator and the shape of the metal end pieces are consistent with this date range.
For related documentation, see 1980.0097.05 and 1980.0097.06.
References: Dieter von Jezierski, Slide Rules: A Journey Through Three Centuries, trans. Rodger Shepherd (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 2000), 75–76; Pickett All-Metal Slide Rules, catalog 164-A (Chicago: Pickett & Eckel, Inc., 1954), 11.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1964-1975
maker
Pickett Industries
ID Number
1980.0097.01
catalog number
1980.0097.01
accession number
1980.0097

Alco Personal Calculator (Simplex Slide Rule and Adder)

This pocket-sized sheet metal instrument combines a one-sided linear slide rule, an adder, and a rule. The sliding bar adder on the front has six bars. The upper parts are for addition, and the lower parts are for subtraction. Round windows in the middle show the result.
Description
This pocket-sized sheet metal instrument combines a one-sided linear slide rule, an adder, and a rule. The sliding bar adder on the front has six bars. The upper parts are for addition, and the lower parts are for subtraction. Round windows in the middle show the result. A metal stylus moves the bars, and there is a zeroing bar at the top. The adder is marked: ALCO (/) + ADDITION (/) – SUBTRACTION (/) PERSONAL (/) CALCULATOR (/) MADE IN JAPAN. The back of the instrument is a slide rule with A and D scales on the base; B, CI, and C scales on the slide; and a clear plastic frameless indicator. The slide may be removed to reveal a scale of 5.5 inches, divided to 32nds of an inch, and a scale of 14 centimeters, divided to millimeters. The right end of the slide is marked: MADE IN JAPAN. The instrument fits in a clear and blue plastic sleeve.
Metal adders were available from at least the 1920s. Compare 1986.0543.01, 1988.0807.04, 1989.0325.01, 1989.0709.02, and 1994.0208.01. In 1937 Carl Kübler, whose German firm made the famous Addiator adder, filed a U.S. patent application for attaching an adder to a metal slide rule. By the 1950s, an unknown company in Japan made "personal calculators" (such as 1992.0548.01) and sometimes attached slide rules. In 1968 Al Nyman & Son, Inc., of New York, N.Y., took out a trademark for "alco" for drawing compasses and pocket calculators (serial number 72278404). Perhaps the firm distributed this instrument, although the style of "alco" in the trademark does not match the mark on the object. Nyman is known to have sold a Mannheim slide rule under the alco trademark.
References: Carl Kübler, "Means for Mounting an Adding and Subtracting Device on Slide Rules" (U.S. Patent 2,153,089 issued April 4, 1939); David D. McFarland, "Addition and Subtraction With Slide Rules and Allied Instruments, Part I," Journal of the Oughtred Society 12, no. 2 (2003): 27–36; U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Trademark Electronic Search System.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1937-ca 1975
ID Number
1981.0922.07
catalog number
1981.0922.07
accession number
1981.0922

Advertising Pamphlet for Otis King's Pocket Calculator

The cover of this eight-page pamphlet is blue and black. It reads: HOW THE (/) OTIS KING (/) SPIRAL (/) SLIDE RULE (/) SAVES TIME (/) AND MISTAKES (/) IN ALL (/) CALCULATIONS (/) SIMPLE (/) QUICK (/) ACCURATE.
Description
The cover of this eight-page pamphlet is blue and black. It reads: HOW THE (/) OTIS KING (/) SPIRAL (/) SLIDE RULE (/) SAVES TIME (/) AND MISTAKES (/) IN ALL (/) CALCULATIONS (/) SIMPLE (/) QUICK (/) ACCURATE. The text describes the features and advantages of the Otis King cylindrical slide rule. Drawings demonstrate the three steps required to make calculations with the instrument. The pamphlet also lists 13 sample problems the Otis King Pocket Calculator could solve, 37 companies that were major customers of the rule, and 50 professions that usefully employed the rule. The back page carries five anonymous testimonials.
This pamphlet arrived with 1981.0922.09 and 1981.0922.11. It is exactly the same as 1989.3049.04, except that it is not stamped with information about where the rule was purchased.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1965-1970
maker
Carbic Limited
ID Number
1981.0922.10
accession number
1981.0922
catalog number
1981.0922.10

Instructions for Otis King's Pocket Calculator

This 16-page pamphlet was printed on light green paper by Carbic Limited, the London manufacturer of the cylindrical slide rule invented by Otis King. It is titled: The Otis King Calculator: Instructions for Use.
Description
This 16-page pamphlet was printed on light green paper by Carbic Limited, the London manufacturer of the cylindrical slide rule invented by Otis King. It is titled: The Otis King Calculator: Instructions for Use. This form of pamphlet is typically found with King Calculators manufactured later than those that sold with Carbic's eight-page pamphlet. (See 1987.0788.06.) Thus, it was printed no earlier than the late 1960s. This pamphlet did, though, appear before the pound sterling was decimalized in 1971.
An introduction to the instrument has been added, and explanations have been expanded for multiplication and division, logarithms, and understanding the scales. The further examples are nearly identical to those in the earlier form of instructions. The explanations of how to use the logarithmic capabilities of Model L are the same except that the word "unity" has been replaced by the number 1. Discussions of compound roots and approximation have been added, and the explanation of finding the decimal point is expanded.
Reference: Dick Lyon, "Otis King's Patent Calculator," http://www.svpal.org/~dickel/OK/OtisKing.html.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1965-1970
maker
Carbic Limited
ID Number
1981.0922.11
accession number
1981.0922
catalog number
1981.0922.11

Ole Jorgensen Creative Workshop Universal Circle Slide Rule

This black plastic instrument is shaped like a pencil cup. A fixed scale labeled x3 is near the rim, with four rotating parallel bands below it. The first band is white and has x and x2 scales. The second band is gray and has two x scales.
Description
This black plastic instrument is shaped like a pencil cup. A fixed scale labeled x3 is near the rim, with four rotating parallel bands below it. The first band is white and has x and x2 scales. The second band is gray and has two x scales. The third band is white and also has two x scales. The fourth band is gray and has an x2 scale. The bands do not move very easily. The scales labeled x are logarithmically divided and run from 1 to 9.5 once (they are similar to the C and D scales on other slide rules). The scales labeled x2 are divided logarithmically from 1 to 10 and then from 1 to 9, and are similar to the A and B scales on other slide rules. The scale labeled x3 is divided logarithmically from 1 to 10 three times and resembles a K scale on other slide rules. There is no indicator.
The rim of the object is marked in white: UNIVERSAL CIRCLE SLIDE RULE. The bottom of the instrument is marked: ORIGINAL DESIGN BY OLE JORGENSEN CREATIVE WORKSHOP INC. COPENHAGEN DENMARK (/) © OLE JORGENSEN 1970 PAT. PEND. MADE IN DENMARK. Ole Jørgensen's Creative Workshop made a variety of plastic items in the early 1970s, including slide rule pencil cups and desk calendars. Some were marked as promotional items for other companies. It is not known whether Jørgensen ever received a patent for this device. By 1972, the company's production shifted from Denmark to Hong Kong. The company was dissolved around 1980.
References: Chris Gillings, "Universal Circle Slide Rule," http://chris.gillings.com/collect/slide/ucsr.html; "Universal Circle slide rule, 1970," Powerhouse Museum Collections Database, http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/?irn=382846; "Historical Photos of People with Slide Rules and Related Ephemera," International Slide Rule Museum, http://sliderulemuseum.com/SR_Ephemera.htm; The London Gazette (24 January 1980), 1169, http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/48076/pages/1169/page.pdf; completed online auction records.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1970
maker
Creative Workshop, Inc.
ID Number
1981.0922.14
catalog number
1981.0922.14
accession number
1981.0922

Datalizer Universal English/SI Converter Slide Rule

This white rectangular cardboard rule is held together with four metal rivets. The front has logarithmic scales for making measurement conversions for length, mass, area, and volume. A chart for converting temperatures runs along the bottom edge.
Description
This white rectangular cardboard rule is held together with four metal rivets. The front has logarithmic scales for making measurement conversions for length, mass, area, and volume. A chart for converting temperatures runs along the bottom edge. The top is marked: THE NEWS (/) NEW YORK'S PICTURE NEWSPAPER Universal ENGLISH/SI (metric) Datalizer. The bottom is marked: © 1976 datalizer by DATALIZER SLIDE CHARTS, INC., Addison, IL 60101 PRINTED IN U.S.A. FORM NO. EM2.
The back has charts for converting between cubic meters and cubic feet; gallons and liters; miles and kilometers; inches and centimeters; and fractional inches and millimeters. A table of miscellaneous conversions appears in the center of the back.
Around 1960 a former employee of the Perry Graf Corporation (see 1979.3074.03) established Datalizer in Addison, a Chicago suburb. The company made this promotional rule during a time of considerable interest in adopting the metric system in the United States. The New York Daily News used the "picture newspaper" slogan between 1920 and 1991.
References: "Slide Chart Specialists," Datalizer Slide Charts, http://www.datalizer.com/about-us/; Lance Gould, "The Lenses And Legacy Of New York's Picture Newspaper," New York Daily News, January 25, 2002, http://articles.nydailynews.com/2002-01-25/entertainment/18195567_1_photographers-gallery-exhibit-exposed.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1976
maker
Datalizer Slide Charts, Incorporated
ID Number
1981.0922.15
catalog number
1981.0922.15
accession number
1981.0922

Knox Hydraulic Pump Slide Rule

This rule consists of a clear plastic envelope, glued together along the back bottom edge, and a white plastic slide. The front is marked: KNOX (/) SO. WALPOLE/W. SPRINGFIELD. MASS./BRIDGEPORT, CONN. (/) PNEUMATIC & (/) HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS & (/) COMPONENTS.
Description
This rule consists of a clear plastic envelope, glued together along the back bottom edge, and a white plastic slide. The front is marked: KNOX (/) SO. WALPOLE/W. SPRINGFIELD. MASS./BRIDGEPORT, CONN. (/) PNEUMATIC & (/) HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS & (/) COMPONENTS. By setting the force in pounds opposite the PSI of a line, a user can read the diameter of a cylinder in inches. By setting the rule to the desired diameter of a cylinder, the user reads the displacement in cubic inches opposite the length of a stroke in inches. By setting the back of the rule to a desired pump delivery in gallons per minute, the user reads the time in seconds opposite displacement in cubic inches and the velocity of oil flowing through the pipe (in feet per second) opposite the area of the pipe in square inches.
Knox, Inc., manufactured hydraulic pumps. From its headquarters on Foxhill Drive in South Walpole, Mass., the company filed for trademarks in 1966 and 1968 and was assigned U.S. Patent 3,599,849 in 1971. Thus, this rule likely dates to around 1970. By 1980, the company was renamed Knox-Norton, Inc., and headquartered in Hartford, Conn.
Reference: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Trademark Electronic Search System.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1970
maker
Knox, Inc.
ID Number
1988.0795.02
accession number
1988.0795
catalog number
1988.0795.02

Sterling Precision Simplex Slide Rule

This inexpensive one-sided white plastic slide rule has A, D, and K scales on the base, with S, L, and T scales on one side of the slide and B, CI, and C scales on the other side of the slide. The indicator is clear frameless plastic.
Description
This inexpensive one-sided white plastic slide rule has A, D, and K scales on the base, with S, L, and T scales on one side of the slide and B, CI, and C scales on the other side of the slide. The indicator is clear frameless plastic. The top of the base is marked: SP [inside a circle] PRECISION STERLING SLIDE RULE MADE IN U.S.A. The logo was trademarked by Sterling Plastics Company of Mountainside, N.J., in 1945. A clear plastic case has blue endpieces and is stamped 99¢.
According to Peter M. Hopp, Sterling began making slide rules in 1961. The company ceased producing slide rules around 1972. Since there are only two bridges holding the base together instead of five, Konshak suggests this example was made early in this time period. This example is probably model number 584. The Precision line came in various forms, as other examples have rulers on beveled edges, red scales, or green slides or bases. These were often sold as model number 685. For instructions, see 1988.0807.05. For company history, see 1998.3104.01.
References: Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 222; Mike Konshak, "Sterling Plastics," http://sliderulemuseum.com/Sterling.htm.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1961-1972
maker
Sterling Plastics
ID Number
1988.0807.01
accession number
1988.0807
catalog number
1988.0807.01

Instructions for Sterling Precision Slide Rule

ID number 1988.0807.01 was received with this flyer, which is marked on the front: STERLING SLIDE RULE A QUALITY INSTRUMENT FOR (/) STUDENT OR PROFESSIONAL (/) OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS (/) A complete course in use and operation of slide rule [sic].
Description
ID number 1988.0807.01 was received with this flyer, which is marked on the front: STERLING SLIDE RULE A QUALITY INSTRUMENT FOR (/) STUDENT OR PROFESSIONAL (/) OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS (/) A complete course in use and operation of slide rule [sic]. The instructions cover multiplication and division, the CI scale (which is called the C1 scale), squares (the A and B scales) and square roots, and the K, L, S, and T scales. The back of the flyer is marked: STERLING PLASTICS CO. (/) MANUFACTURERS OF QUALITY SCHOOL SUPPLIES (/) 1140 Commerce Avenue, Union, New Jersey. The company logo (the letters SP inside a clear circle that is in turn inside a square formed of horizontal lines) is to the left of the mark. Sterling Plastics, whose main factory was in Mountainside, N.J., sold a variety of inexpensive plastic slide rules for students in the 1960s and 1970s.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1961-1972
maker
Sterling Plastics
ID Number
1988.0807.05
accession number
1988.0807
catalog number
1988.0807.05

Pickett 140-ES Microline Student Duplex Slide Rule

This ten-inch yellow plastic duplex linear slide rule has a clear plastic indicator. The posts holding the rule together are also yellow plastic. The front of the base has LL2, LL3, and DF scales at the top and D, LL2, and LL3 scales at the bottom.
Description
This ten-inch yellow plastic duplex linear slide rule has a clear plastic indicator. The posts holding the rule together are also yellow plastic. The front of the base has LL2, LL3, and DF scales at the top and D, LL2, and LL3 scales at the bottom. The front of the slide has CF, CIF, L, CI, and C scales. The left end of the slide is marked: PickETT (/) MICROLINE (/) 140. The right end is stamped with the Pickett logo used between 1964 and 1975.
The back of the base has LL1, K, and A scales at the top and D, DI, and LL1 scales at the bottom. The back of the slide has B, S, ST, T, and C scales. The right end of the slide is also stamped with the 1964–1975 Pickett logo, featuring block letters with a triangle over the "I".
The rule slides into a black imitation leather stitched sheath. Earlier Pickett rules that were also intended for use by middle and high school students include 1991.0445.02 and 1984.1068.03.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1964-1975
maker
Pickett Industries
ID Number
1989.0325.07
accession number
1989.0325
catalog number
1989.0325.07

Sterling Metric Converter Slide Rule

This ten-inch, one-sided plastic rule has a yellow base, a white slide, and a transparent indicator. Identical logarithmic scales are on the top and the bottom of the base. Both sides of the slide are marked with pairs of metric and conventional units.
Description
This ten-inch, one-sided plastic rule has a yellow base, a white slide, and a transparent indicator. Identical logarithmic scales are on the top and the bottom of the base. Both sides of the slide are marked with pairs of metric and conventional units. On one side, the user can read off conversions between: inches and centimeters; meters and feet; meters and yards; miles and kilometers; square inches and square centimeters; square meters and square feet (times ten); square meters and square yards; and square miles and square kilometers. The other side of the slide permits readings of cubic inches and cubic centimeters (times ten); cubic meters and cubic feet (times ten); cubic meters and cubic yards; liters and quarts; ounces and grams (times ten); kilograms and pounds; metric tons and short tons; and gallons and liters.
The top left of the base is marked with the letters SP in a circle and the word STERLING. The top middle of the base is marked: METRIC CONVERTER. The bottom left of the base is marked: MADE IN U.S.A. The rule was received with its original packaging, a clear plastic cover on a blue paper backing. The packaging is marked at the top: SP STERLING #651 (/) metric (/) converter. At the bottom, it is marked: BORDEN ® (/) © 1972 STERLING PLASTICS (/) DIVISION OF BORDEN CHEMICAL, BORDEN INC. (/) MOUNTAINSIDE, N.J. 07092 (/) MADE IN U.S.A.
Sterling Plastics, a 20th-century manufacturer of drawing instruments for schools, was purchased by Borden Chemical in 1970. Since Sterling stopped making slide rules in 1972, this example of model number 651 was probably one of the last rules produced by the company. The five braces holding together the base of the instrument are also consistent with this date; early Sterling slide rules had only two braces. For instructions, see 1990.0689.03. For a Sterling slide rule with standard scales, see 1988.0807.01.
Reference: Mike Konshak, "Sterling Plastics," http://sliderulemuseum.com/Sterling.htm.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1972
maker
Sterling Plastics
ID Number
1990.0689.01
accession number
1990.0689
catalog number
1990.0689.01

Instructions for Sterling Metric Converter Slide Rule

This one-page, two-sided flyer was received with 1990.0689.01. At the top of the front, it is marked with the Sterling Plastics logo and the words: STERLING metric converter (/) BASED ON THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM OF UNITS (SI).
Description
This one-page, two-sided flyer was received with 1990.0689.01. At the top of the front, it is marked with the Sterling Plastics logo and the words: STERLING metric converter (/) BASED ON THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM OF UNITS (SI). The instructions explain how to read off the sixteen conversions between metric and English units that are found on the Metric Converter slide rule. Tables of metric prefixes and of common equivalents and conversions are also provided. At the bottom of the back, the flyer is marked: STERLING PLASTICS DIVISION OF BORDEN CHEMICAL, BORDEN INC. • SHEFFIELD ST., MOUNTAINSIDE, N.J. 07092 (/) PRINTED IN U.S.A. The Borden logo appears to the right of the mark.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1972
maker
Sterling Plastics
ID Number
1990.0689.03
accession number
1990.0689
catalog number
1990.0689.03

Impact Metric Converter Slide Rule for Regal Beloit

Around 1970 many American companies and government agencies encouraged Americans to adopt the metric system.
Description
Around 1970 many American companies and government agencies encouraged Americans to adopt the metric system. Regal Beloit of Wisconsin and other manufacturers of cutting tools and gear boxes adopted the units of measure and distributed devices like this one to assist in their use.
The one-sided white cardboard rule is printed in orange and black and has eight windows. Two logarithmic scales on the slide are viewed through four of the windows so that the user can convert between yards or feet and meters; centimeters and inches; pounds and kilograms; and tons and metric tons. Two more logarithmic scales on the slide permit conversions between square yards and square meters; square centimeters and square inches; cubic yards and cubic meters; and liters and imperial gallons or U.S. gallons. Below the windows is a scale for converting between Celsius and Fahrenheit temperatures. The rule is marked: REGAL BELOIT. It is also marked metric/inch (/) CONVERTER. It is also marked SWANI PUBLISHING COMPANY (/) P.O. Box 284 • Roscoe, Illinois 61073 (/) 815 / 389-3065.
The back of the rule has small windows for reading conversions between fractional inches, decimal inches, and millimeters from columns of numbers printed on the slide. Tables of equivalents appear above more windows for reading conversions between inches and centimeters and miles and kilometers. After another table of prefixes and equivalents, instructions for using this side of the rule are provided. More small windows permit conversions between U.S. gallons and liters and cubic feet and cubic meters. At the bottom, the rule is marked: DISTRIBUTED BY (/) C-6862. The back of the slide is marked ©1971, IMPACT, Culver City, Callf. (/) Printed in U.S.A.
Impact was presumably a printing company. Swani was a division of Regal Beloit that published a few elementary textbooks on the metric system. Compare this rule to 1990.0689.01.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1971
maker
Impact
ID Number
1990.3231.01
nonaccession number
1990.3231
catalog number
1990.3231.01

Pickett 61 Student Simplex Slide Rule

This one-sided five-inch white plastic rule has a plastic indicator attached as a bracket (i.e., there is no back). The base has K, A, D, and L scales, with B, CI, and C scales on the slide.
Description
This one-sided five-inch white plastic rule has a plastic indicator attached as a bracket (i.e., there is no back). The base has K, A, D, and L scales, with B, CI, and C scales on the slide. The left end of the slide is marked: MODEL 61, and the right side has the Pickett triangular logo in white, which was chiefly used between 1950 and 1958. The number 38 is printed above the logo.
The rule slides into a black synthetic leather stitched case, which fits in an orange and black paper box. A Pickett triangular logo with block print and inside a circle appears on the box. This form of logo was used between 1962 and 1964. The logo and the plastic material used in the rule suggest the instrument was made in the 1960s.
The ends of the box are marked: PLASTIC TRAINER SLIDE RULE; NO. 61 (/) $1.95; FINEST QUALITY ENGRAVED (/) 5" SLIDE RULE. The top and bottom of the box describe the instrument as a STUDENT SLIDE RULE. It came with a pamphlet, "How to Use Basic Slide Rules in 3 Easy Steps" (1991.0445.02.01). Students were permitted to trade this rule in toward the purchase of a Pickett all-metal rule.
Argentine-born electrical and mechanical engineer Richard R. Lombardi used this slide rule and donated it to the Smithsonian. A price tag on the box and a receipt for the object indicates he paid $1.56; the receipt is dated 1971, although the trade-in certificate also included with the rule expired in 1966. Company marks on the pamphlet indicate it was printed after 1964.
Reference: Peter M. Hopp, "Scales and Gauge Points," in Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 285–287.
Location
Currently not on view
date purchased
1971
maker
Pickett Industries
ID Number
1991.0445.02
accession number
1991.0445
catalog number
1991.0445.02

Keuffel & Esser 68-1555 Doric Duplex Slide Rule

This turquoise plastic 5-inch duplex slide rule has DF, D, and L scales on the front of the base and CF, CI, and C scales on the slide. The top of the base is marked: PAT. PEND.; CELANESE CELCON; MADE IN U.S.A. The right end of the slide is marked: DORIC (/) K & E CO.
Description
This turquoise plastic 5-inch duplex slide rule has DF, D, and L scales on the front of the base and CF, CI, and C scales on the slide. The top of the base is marked: PAT. PEND.; CELANESE CELCON; MADE IN U.S.A. The right end of the slide is marked: DORIC (/) K & E CO. On the back, the base has K, A, D, and T scales, and the slide has B, ST, and S scales. The indicator is plastic, and the endpieces are metal.
The rule fits in a black leather sheath, embossed with the K+E logo and imprinted in gold: CELANESE CELCON (/) DESIGNED FOR THE ENGINEER ∙ ENGINEERED FOR THE DESIGNER. The sheath and a leaflet, "How to Take Care of Your Slide Rule," fit in a cardboard box covered with green vinyl. The end of the box bears a label marked: K+E (/) 68 1555 (/) POCKET SLIDE RULE (/) LEATHER SHEATH (/) MADE IN U.S.A.; TRADE MARKS ®. It is also marked there: OLD (/) 4168.
According to the donor, “The Celcon rule is significant because this is the first use of this very durable engineering plastic or resin in a slide rule. This durable material, trademarked Celcon, was an American invention made in the laboratories of the Celanese Corporation.” The donor was corporate research director at Celanese Corporation before he retired in December 1981. The 1962 Keuffel & Esser Catalog lists a 5" slide rule with model number 68 1555 made of “Ivorite.” The instrument is shown in the 1964 and 1967 catalogs (still as made of “Ivorite”) and called the “Doric.” It is not shown in the 1972 catalog. Celanese Corporation first used the term “Celcon” to refer to a thermoplastic in 1945, and trademarked the term in 1960. It seems likely that this rule was produced especially for Celanese Corporation in the period 1962–1971. This was the only time K&E manufactured a slide rule that was not white.
References: Joseph L. Soper, "The Celanese Celcon Promotional Slide Rule," in K&E Salisbury Products Division Slide Rules (Pleasanton, Calif.: The Oughtred Society, 2007), 115; Clark McCoy, ed., "K&E Catalogs and Price Lists for Slide Rules," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEmain.htm.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1962-1971
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
1993.0357.01
accession number
1993.0357
catalog number
1993.0357.01

Dietzgen 1771 Redirule Simplex Slide Rule

This one-sided, five-inch white molded plastic rule has a plastic indicator with a hairline and plastic edges. A, D, and K scales are 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.
Description
This one-sided, five-inch white molded plastic rule has a plastic indicator with a hairline and plastic edges. A, D, and K scales are 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 top and bottom edges are beveled, with a scale of 5 inches divided to 32nds of an inch on the top and a scale of 12.5 centimeters divided to millimeters on the bottom. The top of the base is marked (in red): No. 1771 REDIRULE ® DIETZGEN MADE IN U.S.A. Three screws for adjusting the rule are on the back of the instrument. The rule fits in a brown leather sheath marked: DIETZGEN. The sheath fits in an orange paper box marked on each end: DIETZGEN Redi-Rule ® (/) 5 INCH POCKET SLIDE RULE (/) Molded Plastic, Leather Sheath 1771. The rule was received with an instruction manual, 1993.0357.02.01.
According to records of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Eugene Dietzgen Company began using the phrase REDIRULE to describe slide rules in 1944, applied for a trademark on the term in 1947, and received the trademark in 1953. According to Peter Hopp and Bruce Babcock, Dietzgen manufactured model 1771 of the Redirule or Redi-rule from 1941 to 1972. (Another Redirule, model 1776, had an additional six scales and metal endpieces.) Dietzgen's catalog for 1948–1949 describes model 1771 as "a real pocket companion" that "weighs no more than your pen."
References: Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 160; Bruce Babcock, "Dietzgen Catalog Matrix," Journal of the Oughtred Society 5, no. 2 (1996), http://sliderulemuseum.com/Manuals/Dietzgen_CatalogMatrix_BruceBabcock1996_chart.jpg; Dietzgen Redirule Instruction Manual (Chicago: Eugene Dietzgen Co., n.d.), http://sliderulemuseum.com/Manuals/M12_Dietzgen_1776_redirule_ref-P023.jpg; Ovid W. Eshbach and H. Loren Thompson, Self-teaching Instruction Manual: Dietzgen Decimal Trig Type Log Log Slide Rule (Chicago: Eugene Dietzgen Co., 1960), 107–108; http://sliderulemuseum.com/Manuals/Dietzgen_1734_Manual.pdf.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1953-1972
maker
Eugene Dietzgen Company
ID Number
1993.0357.02
accession number
1993.0357
catalog number
1993.0357.02

K2 Performance/Class Horse Race Wagering Calculator

This plastic circular slide rule has a white base, with three concentric logarithmic scales, all numbered from 1 to 50. The outer scale is labeled “SHOW (3rd)”; each unit has six subdivisions. The middle scale is labeled “PLACE (2nd)”; each unit has three subdivisions.
Description
This plastic circular slide rule has a white base, with three concentric logarithmic scales, all numbered from 1 to 50. The outer scale is labeled “SHOW (3rd)”; each unit has six subdivisions. The middle scale is labeled “PLACE (2nd)”; each unit has three subdivisions. The innermost scale is labeled “RACES WON”; units are not subdivided. There is a clear plastic hairline indicator.
A smaller gold disc lies atop the white one. It is pivoted at the center and has a logarithmic scale, running from 1 to 95 and marked: TOTAL RACES ENTERED. Two more logarithmic scales are visible through a window in the gold disc. These provide the total purses of the races the animal had entered and, finally, the performance-class factor rating. According to the donor, if F=number of first place finishes of a horse, S=number of seconds, T = number of thirds, R = number of races entered, and M= the total money won, the scale calculates the number [[100F + 33.333S + 16.666T]/R] + 1.12 M.
The gold disc is marked: K2 (/) PERFORMANCE/CLASS CALCULATOR (/) COPYRIGHT 1972 K2 PUBLISHING CORP. Accompanying the calculator are a paper instruction booklet, a sheet of paper giving the formula calculated by the machine, and a computer printout showing a similar calculation. The 20-page booklet was also copyrighted in 1972 and indicates the method can be used for thoroughbred, harness, and greyhound racing. K2 Publishing Corporation was located at 475 Northern Blvd., Great Neck, N.Y., where an office building was built in 1967.
Everything is stored in a black plastic case with a clear plastic front. Another slide rule for handicapping horse races is 1998.3050.02.
Reference: Tom Wyman, "More About Slide Chart Devices," Journal of the Oughtred Society 16, no. 2 (2007): 15–18.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1972
maker
K2 Publishing Corp.
ID Number
1998.3050.01
nonaccession number
1998.3050
catalog number
1998.3050.01

Ray Taulbot's Pace Calculator Linear Slide Rule

This rectangular white plastic slide rule has scales for sprint times from 5 to 7 furlongs; two columns for use with the average pace method for handicapping horse races; three columns for use with the highlight pace time method of handicapping; and scales for route times from 1
Description
This rectangular white plastic slide rule has scales for sprint times from 5 to 7 furlongs; two columns for use with the average pace method for handicapping horse races; three columns for use with the highlight pace time method of handicapping; and scales for route times from 1 to 1-1/4 miles. This outer folder is marked: Ray Taulbot's Pace Calculator (/) WITH AMER-VAR; Published by (/) AMERICAN (/) TURF MONTHLY (/) 505 EIGHTH AVENUE (/) New York, N.Y. 10018; PRINTED IN U.S.A. COPYRIGHT — 1979 Amerpub Company.
The slide, which fits inside the folder, bears scales for speed rating, half-mile sprint highlight pace time, and six furlong route highlight pace time. It is marked: BASTIAN BROS. CO., ROCHESTER N. Y. A sliding plastic indicator has a broken end. An instruction booklet (copyrighted in 1979) was received with the rule; both fit into a black plastic case marked: RAY TAULBOT'S (/) PACE CALCULATOR (/) AMERPUB COMPANY (/) 505 8TH Avenue (/) New York, N. Y. 10018.
Ray Taulbot (1895–1969) was the longtime managing editor of American Turf Monthly, a magazine for horse racing enthusiasts published by the Amerpub Company. He is credited with several innovations in handicapping races, particularly by rating a horse in comparison to the overall pace of a race. He believed horses must be judged by their own speed and by how close they were to the winner. A chart on the back of the calculator allowed bettors to combine the results of the Pace Calculator with the Amer-Var rating, which took into account the horse's age, the length of the race, the amount of the purse, the time of year, and the type of race. Taulbot's methods dated at least to the 1960s, but this device was made in 1979. American Turf Monthly continues to reprint Taulbot's articles.
For other devices made by Bastian Brothers, see 1987.0183.01 and 1988.0323.03.
References: Ray Taulbot, Thoroughbred Horse Racing: Playing for Profit (Philadelphia: A. Walker Co., 1949); Howard G. Sartin, "Winning Today with Ray Taulbot's Pace Calculator," American Turf Monthly, January 2000, http://www.americanturf.com/pace/sartinarticle.cfm; F. Finstuen, "Handicapping Derby Thoroughbreds: Edward's Minit, Race-O-Matic, and Kel-Co II Slide Rules," Journal of the Oughtred Society 10, no. 2 (2001): 19–24.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1979
maker
Amerpub Company
ID Number
1998.3050.02
nonaccession number
1998.3050
catalog number
1998.3050.02

Ricoh Duplex Slide Rule Sold by Staedtler-Mars (944-24)

Numerous slide rule manufacturers also sold rules made by other companies.
Description
Numerous slide rule manufacturers also sold rules made by other companies. For instance, the German pencil-manufacturer Staedtler, which used the trade name Mars for slide rules, marketed this ten-inch bamboo rule coated with white plastic and held together with metal L-shaped endpieces. Staedtler's own rules had distinctive light blue slides, but this rule is entirely white. It was made as model 151 between about 1960 and 1972 by the Japanese firm known as San-Ai Measuring Instruments and then as Ricoh Measuring Instruments. Several companies besides Staedtler sold these rules, including Lutz.
On one side, the base has LL/1, LL/2, LL/3, DF, D, LL3, LL2, and LL1 scales, with CF, CIF, CI, and C scales on the slide. The right end of each scale identifies the meaning of the letters, i.e., the C and D scales are marked with an x. The right end of the slide has the company logo of a Greek soldier's head and is marked: STAEDTLER (/) MARS (/) 944 24. On the other side, the base has LL/0, L, K, A, D, DI, P, and LL0 scales, with B, S, ST, T, and C scales on the slide. The indicator is clear plastic with white plastic edges. The bottom edge of the rule is marked: JAPAN.
The rule fits in a brown leather case with a loop for attaching to a belt. The flap is marked: STAEDTLER (/) MARS. The back bottom of the case is marked: JAPAN. A blue and white cardboard box is marked on the end: STAEDTLER MARS (/) 1 BAMBOO SLIDE RULE 944 24 (/) Duplex Log Log 10". See 2009.0019.02.01 for instructions. Compare to 1986.0790.04.
The mathematician and theoretical computer scientist Harley Flanders received this instrument as a gift, but he never used it.
References: "A Modern Brand Rich in Tradition," Staedtler, http://www.staedtler.com/brand_with_tradition_gb.Staedtler?ActiveID=3049; David A. Davis, "Relay/Ricoh Archive," http://www.oocities.org/usra482b/page3.html; Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 213.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1960-1972
maker
Ricoh Measuring Instruments
ID Number
2009.0019.02
accession number
2009.0019
catalog number
2009.0019.02

Keuffel & Esser 68-1400 Analon Simplex Slide Rule

This one-sided linear slide rule is made of white Ivorite (plastic) with a plastic indicator and brass-colored endpieces holding the parts together. A triangle and an A are stamped on the back of both of the endpieces.
Description
This one-sided linear slide rule is made of white Ivorite (plastic) with a plastic indicator and brass-colored endpieces holding the parts together. A triangle and an A are stamped on the back of both of the endpieces. The top of the base has V squared, square root of V, and A scales; B, square root of U, U inverse, U, and C scales are on the slide; and D, V, and V inverse scales are on the lower part of the base. The right end of the rule is marked: ANALON (/) 68 1400; K+E; © 1966 (/) KEUFFEL & ESSER CO.; MADE IN U.S.A.
The back of the slide has a table for the dimensional analysis of 30 quantities used in physics, including acceleration, magnetic induction, and capacitance. The top back of the base is marked: ANALON ENGINEERING-SCIENCE ANALYSIS SLIDE RULE; MKS SYSTEM; 536. ("MKS" indicates meters, kilograms, and seconds.) The back of the slide is marked with the K+E logo at the left and the serial number 009536 at the right. The lower part of the back of the base is marked: NUMERICAL FACTORS ARE OMITTED IN DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS; KEUFFEL & ESSER CO.; 536. The rule has an orange leather case, stamped K+E on the flap and ANALON on the front. For related documentation, see 304347.02.
The instrument was only listed in K&E's 1967 catalog. It suffered from production problems, and buyers often found the instruction manual to be incomprehensible. According to former curator Uta Merzbach, the ANALON slide rule was the last model manufactured by Keuffel & Esser at its plant in Hoboken, N.J., which closed in 1970. The company donated this example to the Smithsonian in 1973.
References: Keuffel & Esser Co., Catalog 8—Slide Rules, rev. ed. ([New York], 1967), 10, 18; Clark McCoy, "Collection of Pages from K&E Catalogs for the AnaLon Slide Rule," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEModels/ke68-1400family.htm.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1970
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
MA.333923
accession number
304347
catalog number
333923

Keuffel & Esser Slide Rule Display

This display of steps in the manufacture of slide rules also demonstrates the capability of dividing engines.
Description
This display of steps in the manufacture of slide rules also demonstrates the capability of dividing engines. It may have been assembled by Keuffel & Esser executives when the company donated two of its early 20th-century linear dividing engines (335265 and 335266) to the Smithsonian in March 1971. The exhibit consists of a large dark green pegboard, to which slide rule components are fastened with wires and labels are attached with tacks.
The left panel displays the raw materials of slide rule manufacture: a rough mahogany slab, a planed mahogany slab, white xylonite (celluloid) to face the front and back of the wood, and a toothplaned mahogany slab. Each slab is approximately two feet long.
The middle panel shows the xylonite glued to a toothplaned mahogany slab, which is then depicted as cut in half to make two ten-inch slide rule forms. The forms are cut lengthwise in thirds, and then the edges are grooved so that the middle part slides between the two parts of the base. Next, a blank slide rule is machine divided.
The right panel displays slide rules that have been numbered and blackened, numbered and reddened, and ready to be assembled with L-shaped metal end pieces and screws. The assembled slide rule has been removed. Another example with front and back views of a completed model 4081-3, Log Log Duplex Decitrig, slide rule is missing the slide in the back view. Finally, the parts of an indicator are mounted on a card: two pieces of glass, two pieces of metal frame, one of the two plastic edges, and four screws. Compare the completed example to 318482, 334387, and 1990.0687.01.
References: Accession file; Michael P. O'Leary, "The Keuffel & Esser Logarithmic Dividing Engine," Journal of the Oughtred Society 11, no. 2 (2002): 35–40; Bob Otnes, "An Interview with Jack Burton and Gordon Anthony: The End of the Slide Rule Era at Keuffel & Esser," Journal of the Oughtred Society 7, no. 2 (1998): 18–24, 8, no. 1 (1999): 18–23, and 8, no. 2 (1999): 27–31.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1971
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
MA.335264
accession number
306012
catalog number
335264

Kingson Pocket Calculator (Simplex Slide Rule and Adder)

This pocket-sized sheet metal instrument combines a one-sided linear slide rule, an adder, and a rule. The sliding bar adder on the front has six bars. The upper parts are for addition, the lower parts are for subtraction, and round windows in the middle show the result.
Description
This pocket-sized sheet metal instrument combines a one-sided linear slide rule, an adder, and a rule. The sliding bar adder on the front has six bars. The upper parts are for addition, the lower parts are for subtraction, and round windows in the middle show the result. A metal stylus in a holder on the right side moves the bars, and a zeroing bar is at the top. The top is marked: Kingson (/) POCKET (/) CALCULATOR. A table of decimal equivalents is below the bars.
The back of the instrument is a slide rule with A and D scales on the base; B, CI (labeled as C1), and C scales on the slide; and a clear plastic frameless indicator. The slide may be removed to reveal a scale of 5.5 inches, divided to 32nds of an inch, and a scale of 14 centimeters, divided to millimeters. The right end of the slide is marked: KINGSON (/) MADE IN (/) BRITISH HONG KONG. The instrument fits in a blue plastic case marked: KINGSON (/) 4-RULE (/) CALCULATOR (/) ADD (/) SUBTRACT (/) MULTIPLY (/) DIVIDE (/) MADE IN HONG KONG (/) REGD. IN G. BRITAIN.
Metal adders were available from at least the 1920s. Compare 1986.0543.01, 1988.0807.04, 1989.0325.01, and 1989.0709.02. In 1937 Carl Kübler, whose German firm made the famous Addiator adder, filed a U.S. patent application for attaching an adder to a metal slide rule. By the 1950s an unknown company in Japan made "personal calculators" (such as 1992.0548.01 and 1981.0922.07) and sometimes attached slide rules. The design of this instrument is very similar to these, even though it was made in Hong Kong. Kingson also made a financial calculator for British currency before decimalization in 1971. For instructions, see 1994.0208.02.
According to a short 1973 article in the British journal Mathematics in School, the Kingson Pocket Calculator was sold at that time and had been "marketed for a few years." In Brussels in 1985, the donor purchased the instrument used. The previous owner may have operated an office supply store.
References: Carl Kübler, "Means for Mounting an Adding and Subtracting Device on Slide Rules" (U.S. Patent 2,153,089 issued April 4, 1939); "Kingson Pocket Calculator," The Centre for Computing History, http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/10923/Kingson-Pocket-Calculator/; D. J. Maxwell, "Apparatus Review," Mathematics in School 2, no. 2 (March 1973): 33.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1970
maker
Kingson
ID Number
1994.0208.01
accession number
1994.0208
catalog number
1994.0208.01

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