Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Technology => Topic started by: furtive_vole on 24/10/2015 20:42:54

Title: Can you help identify this oldschool measuring/calibration instrument?
Post by: furtive_vole on 24/10/2015 20:42:54

I'm hoping to identify the name and use of the instrument shown in the photos. Provenance unknown although came to my from my father (industrial designer) and possibly grandfather (engineer - marine and other).  The large calibrated vertical dial on the left links to the upward-facing display via a worm. The case contains (far right) an additional weight(?) with a flat-ended pin.

I appreciate that this forum many not be the best place for this post: if so could you point me in the right direction?  Many thanks.

Title: Re: Can you help identify this oldschool measuring/calibration instrument?
Post by: Colin2B on 24/10/2015 22:54:53

I think you might have a planimeter, a technical drawing or drafting instrument used to estimate area on a drawing. I think the 'weight' might be support for the fixed end but I'm not sure.
Fascinating item, does it say who made it?

Title: Re: Can you help identify this oldschool measuring/calibration instrument?
Post by: guest39538 on 25/10/2015 10:47:44

It looks like some sort of router to me, to scribe out indentations and scrolls, weight defining the depth of scroll.

Title: Re: Can you help identify this oldschool measuring/calibration instrument?
Post by: Colin2B on 25/10/2015 15:00:37

Quote from: Thebox on 25/10/2015 10:47:44

It looks like some sort of router to me, to scribe out indentations and scrolls, weight defining the depth of scroll.

I must admit when I first saw it I thought scriber, perhaps for arcs. But I couldn't make sense of the wheel and scale until I stopped thinking of that as an adjuster and looked at it as a measuring device.

Title: Re: Can you help identify this oldschool measuring/calibration instrument?
Post by: Bored chemist on 25/10/2015 15:50:58

I agree with colin2B

It looks very much like one of these
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planimeter

Title: Re: Can you help identify this oldschool measuring/calibration instrument?
Post by: furtive_vole on 28/10/2015 18:55:32

Thanks to everyone who has replied.  The planimeter certainly looks a close match.

Though not obvious from the photos, the sharpest of the 'points' seems suited to anchoring rather then scribing or routing ... there's no ready means of holding, say, a pencil lead or a cutting device.

There's a maker's (rather than owner's) name at the far end of the free arm, but it's in script and was illegible / unrecognisible. Having checked out ebay however, it's coming up as an Amsler, Jacob Amsler being a 19th century Swiss mathematician and instrument-maker.

Many thanks again - learned something today!