Farmall Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 Got this in a box of stuff. I believe it's for clockmaking but not sure Marked Brevete F & Co. About 6 inches in diameter Gradations spiral out from the center starting with 70 and ending with 590=32-5/8. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 Do this, make a mark, then roll it one revolution and see if the distance traveled is the same as one of the lengths marked on the wheel either straight up or down? It may have had a pendulum that acted as a marker. Just a guess... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gergely Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 It's really interesting: the different types of numberings are not in linear correlation with each other: 315=8 (315/8=39,375) but 485=23 (485/23=21,09). I think this means it can't show length units or at least not both of the numberings. And the scaling with the single digit numbers - it goes from 1 to 8 but still it contains 11 fields I'm really curious what this can be... Google helped me not. Bests: Gergely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sk Bjorn Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 It is a Dutch slid ruler very old from what I got on Google serch brevete f & c Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gergely Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 20 hours ago, Sk Bjorn said: It is a Dutch slid ruler very old from what I got on Google serch brevete f & c my google doesn't provide useful info with the same search terms Just found out though: breveté means patented in French. Anyways you might hit the nail on the head with it's being a slide rule. There are circular slide rules but those have concentric circles on them. Spiral slide rules look like this one, although they are a bit different, too. Like this: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 That is pretty strange. I'm getting all kinds of similar looking hits for "circular slide rule", but no exact matches. And the graduation markings are a bit strange on yours. Really neat find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmall Posted February 5, 2017 Author Share Posted February 5, 2017 Thanks, Daswulf. That's kinda why I got it - I wanted to figure it out - the gradations are so odd. Got it for all of $3, so couldn't pass it up. If I do figure it out I'll let you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 Mr. Farmall, Allow me to make a suggestion for possible source that may help with an identification of the tool you purchased. There is a department in the Smithsonian Institution, (in Washington), that identifies and also tries to identify tools. They display tools that they have not elucidated yet, and invite the public to help do so. They are also interested in helping people identify their mysterious tools. Check them out via the internet and. Get their specific address or, if necessary, telephone them. A Google search is usually availing. But not always. Good luck. SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 I couldn't have passed it up for that price. Had me thinking it would be really neat used in a sculpture or display with other old measuring tools like calipers and metal rules and such. In a non destructive way to them of course. I've had in mind to do that with some antique tools I have. If only I could find the time It is very curious and I'd love to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 What you don't recognize the adjustment wheel for your steampunk death ray? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmall Posted February 5, 2017 Author Share Posted February 5, 2017 Thank you, Slag, I'll reach out to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aessinus Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 It appears that it is a constant 160 graduations per revolution, approx. 51 unit diameter. Could it be a traveler wheel in millimeters & fractional inches? 6.29 diameter? So hard to tell from the photo... intriguing. I ignored the strange, repeating "betwixt" numerals, but they seem to fall in patterns every 10 units, digits 1-8 only though. Maybe an octal to binary translator.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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