Author Topic: What is this drawing office thing?  (Read 1925 times)

Tim Hall

  • Victoria is my queen
What is this drawing office thing?
« on: 28 June, 2020, 10:47:16 pm »


Sorry for the crap phone pic.

I've just found this in one of the many boxes of tqt left to me by my Dad. His early working life was in a drawing office. At first glance it looks like a normal pair of compasses, but they don't open in the usual fashion. A very small amount of movement is possible by screwing in the thumb wheel halfway along the body of the gadget. I think the knurled wheel on the upper part is meant to grip the spike when tightened down fully.
There are two ways you can get exercise out of a bicycle: you can
"overhaul" it, or you can ride it.  (Jerome K Jerome)

Clare

  • Is in NZ
Re: What is this drawing office thing?
« Reply #1 on: 28 June, 2020, 10:51:55 pm »
What’s a sock anchor?

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: What is this drawing office thing?
« Reply #2 on: 28 June, 2020, 10:53:07 pm »
Yup, a compass for small diameter circles of accurate dimensions.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Re: What is this drawing office thing?
« Reply #3 on: 28 June, 2020, 10:56:32 pm »
Pump compass, for a adjustable ink nib. pencil lead.
As LWaB says - small diameter circles only. I have one somewhere.

Tim Hall

  • Victoria is my queen
Re: What is this drawing office thing?
« Reply #4 on: 28 June, 2020, 10:57:47 pm »
What’s a sock anchor?
You know when you empty the washing machine and the number of socks retrieved is n-1, where n=the original number of socks?  It's to try and stop that.
There are two ways you can get exercise out of a bicycle: you can
"overhaul" it, or you can ride it.  (Jerome K Jerome)

Tim Hall

  • Victoria is my queen
Re: What is this drawing office thing?
« Reply #5 on: 28 June, 2020, 10:58:31 pm »
Pump compass, for an adjustable ink nib.
As LWaB says - small diameter circles only. I have one somewhere.
It's got a graphite nib
There are two ways you can get exercise out of a bicycle: you can
"overhaul" it, or you can ride it.  (Jerome K Jerome)

Re: What is this drawing office thing?
« Reply #6 on: 28 June, 2020, 10:59:44 pm »
Pump compass, for an adjustable ink nib.
As LWaB says - small diameter circles only. I have one somewhere.
It's got a graphite nib
Crossposts - I had to brighten the image cos I couldn't see properly.
ETA - Some of them (my one) had the option of being fitted with adjustable (for weight of line) ink nib, or pencil lead/graphite holder.
I now need to dim this display as it is hurting my eyes.

Tim Hall

  • Victoria is my queen
Re: What is this drawing office thing?
« Reply #7 on: 28 June, 2020, 11:06:58 pm »
Pump compass, for an adjustable ink nib.
As LWaB says - small diameter circles only. I have one somewhere.
It's got a graphite nib
Crossposts - I had to brighten the image cos I couldn't see properly.
ETA - Some of them (my one) had the option of being fitted with adjustable ink nib, or pencil lead/graphite holder.
Ah, got it, thanks.  I've also got a Rulalipse, which is a Thing For Drawing Ellipses. Going by the making inside the box, he paid thirty seven and six for it.
There are two ways you can get exercise out of a bicycle: you can
"overhaul" it, or you can ride it.  (Jerome K Jerome)

Re: What is this drawing office thing?
« Reply #8 on: 28 June, 2020, 11:10:06 pm »
Other than using templates, you be hard pushed to draw accurate ellipses without one of those.
They're almost getting into Spirograph territory, in how they work.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: What is this drawing office thing?
« Reply #9 on: 28 June, 2020, 11:16:30 pm »
What’s a sock anchor?

I'm guessing it's not one of those underwater windsock things, for making boats stick to the water, instead of being blown around by the wind.

Re: What is this drawing office thing?
« Reply #10 on: 28 June, 2020, 11:21:55 pm »
That's a sea anchor.

Rust never sleeps

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: What is this drawing office thing?
« Reply #11 on: 28 June, 2020, 11:23:00 pm »
Must be the washing machine thing, then.  *nods*

Pingu

  • Put away those fiery biscuits!
  • Mrs Pingu's domestique
    • the Igloo
Re: What is this drawing office thing?
« Reply #12 on: 28 June, 2020, 11:23:45 pm »
Mrs P and I want to know what Vulcan Earth Anchors are.

Re: What is this drawing office thing?
« Reply #13 on: 28 June, 2020, 11:24:39 pm »
The same as Spock anchors.

IGMC

Tim Hall

  • Victoria is my queen
Re: What is this drawing office thing?
« Reply #14 on: 28 June, 2020, 11:25:52 pm »
What’s a sock anchor?

I'm guessing it's not one of those underwater windsock things, for making boats stick to the water, instead of being blown around by the wind.
Good guess but no. My extensive nautical knowledge (I've read all the Arthur Ransome books) suggests those are sea anchors.
A sock anchor is a permeable sock around 300mm long and 50mm or so diameter fitted around a stainless steel rod. Stainless steel or plastic end caps. There's a hole in one end. Drill a hole in your crumbling wall, insert sock anchor and pump cementitious grout into it. This stick like shit unto a blanket and serve to tie the wall back together.

I think my first explanation sounded more fun.
There are two ways you can get exercise out of a bicycle: you can
"overhaul" it, or you can ride it.  (Jerome K Jerome)

Pingu

  • Put away those fiery biscuits!
  • Mrs Pingu's domestique
    • the Igloo
Re: What is this drawing office thing?
« Reply #15 on: 28 June, 2020, 11:30:23 pm »
The same as Spock anchors.

IGMC

Is that spockulation?

Clare

  • Is in NZ
Re: What is this drawing office thing?
« Reply #16 on: 29 June, 2020, 12:01:53 am »
What’s a sock anchor?

I'm guessing it's not one of those underwater windsock things, for making boats stick to the water, instead of being blown around by the wind.
Good guess but no. My extensive nautical knowledge (I've read all the Arthur Ransome books) suggests those are sea anchors.
A sock anchor is a permeable sock around 300mm long and 50mm or so diameter fitted around a stainless steel rod. Stainless steel or plastic end caps. There's a hole in one end. Drill a hole in your crumbling wall, insert sock anchor and pump cementitious grout into it. This stick like shit unto a blanket and serve to tie the wall back together.

I think my first explanation sounded more fun.

I like to have a new thing learned everyday and today this is my new thing learned. Have to admit, I prefer the n-1 logicality though.

andytheflyer

  • Andytheex-flyer.....
Re: What is this drawing office thing?
« Reply #17 on: 29 June, 2020, 07:18:47 am »
Mrs P and I want to know what Vulcan Earth Anchors are.
Don't know that one in particular, but I've designed earth (and rock) anchors to tension structures against the ground, like a pile wall to support the sides of a deep excavation - you can tie the wall back by installing an anchor behind and pulling the wall back with a steel cable to the anchor. 

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: What is this drawing office thing?
« Reply #18 on: 29 June, 2020, 07:42:45 am »
I have one somewhere.

I would have put money on this being the case.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Beardy

  • Shedist
Re: What is this drawing office thing?
« Reply #19 on: 29 June, 2020, 07:45:19 am »
What’s a sock anchor?

I'm guessing it's not one of those underwater windsock things, for making boats stick to the water, instead of being blown around by the wind.
Good guess but no. My extensive nautical knowledge (I've read all the Arthur Ransome books) suggests those are sea anchors.
A sock anchor is a permeable sock around 300mm long and 50mm or so diameter fitted around a stainless steel rod. Stainless steel or plastic end caps. There's a hole in one end. Drill a hole in your crumbling wall, insert sock anchor and pump cementitious grout into it. This stick like shit unto a blanket and serve to tie the wall back together.

I think my first explanation sounded more fun.

I like to have a new thing learned everyday and today this is my new thing learned. Have to admit, I prefer the n-1 logicality though.
The problem with the n-1 solution is that it will deprive L-space of a sock supply and dire consequences will ensue.
For every complex problem in the world, there is a simple and easily understood solution that’s wrong.

Re: What is this drawing office thing?
« Reply #20 on: 29 June, 2020, 08:00:51 am »
What’s a sock anchor?

 Here is one I made earlier:

Move Faster and Bake Things

Tim Hall

  • Victoria is my queen
Re: What is this drawing office thing?
« Reply #21 on: 29 June, 2020, 08:49:13 am »
Mrs P and I want to know what Vulcan Earth Anchors are.
Don't know that one in particular, but I've designed earth (and rock) anchors to tension structures against the ground, like a pile wall to support the sides of a deep excavation - you can tie the wall back by installing an anchor behind and pulling the wall back with a steel cable to the anchor.

Ooh, we may have bumped into each other in Real Life.  Mrs. P*, they're lumps of metal (cast iron, stainless steel or aluminium alloy) with a hole in one end and a point on the other. As andytheflyer says a wire rope or steel bar tendon is attached to the m iddle of the anchor. Put a drive bar into the hole in the end and wallop them into the ground. Pull out drive bar, pull on tendon and the anchor flips in the ground so you can tie, eg, sheet pile walls in place.  Like a toggle bolt for he ground. Vulcan is the brand my employer makes, so named because the big ones have a (slight) resemblance to a Vulcan bomber.


* "Mrs P" puts me in mind of Walter Gabriel, me old pal, me old beauty, who would address Mrs. Perkins in such a way.
There are two ways you can get exercise out of a bicycle: you can
"overhaul" it, or you can ride it.  (Jerome K Jerome)

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: What is this drawing office thing?
« Reply #22 on: 29 June, 2020, 09:34:21 am »
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.