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2024 Mar 31
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Scale Wars
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The K&E Duplex rule introduced in the 1890s was a major improvement to the standard Mannheim. How did other makers react?
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2024 Mar 25
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The Scofield Engineer’s Slide Rule
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With the help of Thacher, a bridge engineer delivers an inexpensive but powerful slide rule at the turn of the 19th century.
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2024 Mar 22
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K+E Mystery Rules Update
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The earliest date for these rules of mystery just got a little earlier.
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2024 Feb 05
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Chicago Rules
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Chicago companies played a strong role in the development of US slide rules.
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2024 Jan 31
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America’s Earliest Part II
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American-made slide rules before Palmer’s Computing Scale? Enter the Belcher Brothers.
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2024 Jan 17
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American Favorite Part II
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Further study reveals new insights (to me) into the early K&E American, Favorite, and Mannheim brands.
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2024 Jan 10
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How Do You Byoutou?
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A WWII-era Hemmi slide rule was used to train junior officers in the basics of ballistics calculations, including how to lead moving targets.
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2023 Dec 14
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Gauging Electro Rules
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The electro rules were early specialty devices derived from the Mannheim design, and helped introduce log-log scales to modern slide rules.
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2023 Oct 25
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Kolesch Rules
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This New York City company sold German import slide rules, including some with special scales.
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2023 Sep 25
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Thacher’s Calculating Instrument
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Thacher’s cylindrical ‘Calculating Instrument’ (patented 1881) was sold by K&E until the 1940s, yielding the accuracy of a 30-foot linear slide rule.
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2023 Aug 11
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Following the Balloons
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Essentially a stadia-type calculation, slide rules were used to compute meteorological parameters through sightings of pilot balloons in flight.
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2023 Jun 27
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Carpenters vs. Engineers
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Those folding 2-foot rules with brass slides and logarithmic scales – what are they and how do they differ?
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2023 May 29
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Dietzgen Rosenthal Nestler Prototype
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Online images of a $7 Dietzgen for sale just didn’t look right. A Nestler prototype version of Dietzgen’s update to their Rosenthal model was uncovered.
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2023 Apr 22
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Slide Rules for the Sikes Hydrometer
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But, how much of that liquid in the barrel is actually alcohol? And, of course, how much tax should be collected?
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2023 Apr 08
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Gauging and Excise Tax Slide Rules
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Ever wonder how to calculate the amount of liquid in that funny-shaped whisky barrel?
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2023 Mar 10
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America’s Earliest Slide Rule
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Palmer’s Computing Scale of 1843 is often given this title.
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2022 Dec 23
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Spring Calcs Eternal
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Besides illustrating several spring calculation slide rules of various manufacturers, the formulas used are also derived!
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2022 Dec 10
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Out of Proportions
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Determining ratios and performing proportions calculations are basic functions performed by a standard slide rule.
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2022 Jun 20
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Vector/Hyperbolic Calculations
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Imagine finding the tangent of a complex number. You really can do this. With a slide rule!
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2022 Jan 05
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Stadia Rules
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Surveyors in the field and office used special slide rules with special trigonometric scales.
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2021 Dec 12
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Helical Slide Rules
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Accuracy is gained through helical curves on cylindrical surfaces – the Otis King and Fuller slide rules.
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2021 Dec 05
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The Early American Favorite
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Cleaning of a $10 slide rule reveals a fairly early K&E.
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2021 Oct 25
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Power Rules
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Log-Log scales are used for raising numbers to arbitrary powers. Their scales and use are explained.
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2021 Oct 03
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Lt. Shaw’s 4097D
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A simple search for a common model uncovers a slide rule very likely owned by a major player in the construction of the first US nuclear warships, the U.S.S. Nautilus and the U.S.S. Enterprise.
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2021 Oct 02
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Rule Change 4092-3
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A rare transitional scale arrangement for the K&E Model 4092-3 was just sitting in the collection all along.
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2021 Aug 10
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K+E Beginner’s Rules
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Keuffel and Esser sold slide rules designed for beginners almost from the beginning.
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2021 Jul 01
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An Early Home-Made Spring Calculation Slide Rule
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While slide rules for designing springs became available from the major makers around 1950, Baetzmann introduced this one almost a decade earlier.
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2021 Jun 20
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A K+E Rule of Mystery
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Certain K&E slide rules with no model number remain mysterious.
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2021 May 15
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British Thornton Special Scales
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Hard to get that last digit on your S/T scales when the values get close to one? The Thornton Sd/Td scales can help.
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2021 May 01
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Getting to the Root
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You know how to use A&D or B&C to find the square root of a number; but can you solve a quadratic equation on a slide rule?
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2021 Mar 01
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The Long and Short of It
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How the accuracy in calculations using logarithmic scales scales with scale length.
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2021 Feb 08
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Hemmi 153 Scales
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Now imagine finding the tangent of a complex number through the use of the Gudermannian function. Don’t worry, it’s all explained…
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2021 Feb 06
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A Boykin Discovery
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Can you only find significant slide rules online? It still pays to visit your local antique stores.
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2021 Feb 05
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Fermi’s Golden (Slide) Rule
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What slide rules did Enrico Fermi use? A family member gives us insight.
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2021 Feb 04
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Rules of Engravement
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Slide rules were used in the layout of newspapers and magazines in the last century.
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2021 Feb 03
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The Original 4083
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Before the development of the vector slide rule 4083-3, the 1916 K&E model 4083 was an early 16-inch Duplex general purpose rule.
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2021 Feb 02
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Rules to the Moon
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Pickett earned their place in US space history with their lightweight metal slide rules.
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2021 Feb 01
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A Favorite Rule
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Everyone should have a slide rule that just feels right. The Faber-Castell Model 1/54, a finely-made general purpose Darmstadt rule, fits the bill.
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