6.12 Rules for Beginners

Several manufacturers made specific models of slide rules with students in mind. Below is a list of such rules that might be characterized as for “beginners”; they have a limited number of scales and/or are usually quite affordable or easy to find.

See also the vignette K+E Beginner’s Rules.

Maker Model Year Type L0 Note
K&E 4058
1915 L 10.0 very early 4058; no cursor; old table on back; marked 4058 on front left; no indication of Student/Beginner; no pi mark; no patent info; prod. mark 524 on end; owner E.P. McLaughlin
K&E 4058
1916 L 10.0 good condition; very early 4058; Xylonite indicator; old table on back; no indication of Student/Beginner but marked 4058
K&E 4058 (student) 1916-1925 L 10.0 Student’s Rule; nice condition; glass/metal cursor
K&E 4058 1925-1936 L 10.0 Beginner’s Rule; celluloid cursor; L scale increases to right
K&E 4058C 1929-1937 L 10.0 Beginner’s Rule; wood cursor frame; version 2 Equivalents
K&E 4058W 1930-1935 L 10.0 Beginner’s Rule; wood cursor frame
Lawrence 8-B 1935-1938 L 7.5 Lawrence Engineering Service, Wabash, IND.; overall good shape; clean table on back
K&E 4058W 1936-1943 L 10.0 Beginner’s Rule
Festus 50 1938 L 10.0 Festus Model 50; rough condition; magnifier cursor
Festus Acu-Rule 10D 1938 L 10.0 Nice early rule; paper scales on wood; good condition; magnifier cursor
Lawrence 10-B
1940 L 10.0 Lawrence Engineering Service; Peru, IN; plastic magnifier cursor
K&E 4058D 1942 L 10.0 Beginner’s Rule, rare version
K&E 4058D 1942 L 10.0 Beginner’s Rule; celluloid cursor; rare version; with box + instructions
Lawrence 10-B
1942 L 10.0 good condition; Peru, IN
K&E N4058W 1950 L 10.0 Beginner’s Rule
Pickett 120
1955 L 10.0 Trainer, beginner’s rule
Engineering Instruments 250-BT
1960 L 10.0 Rule in good condition; blue case; instructions;original box
Engineering Instruments 250-V
1960 L 10.0 Rule in very good condition
Dietzgen 1767
1965 L 10.0 National; Made in U.S.A.; torn case; conversion table
K&E 68-1892
1965 L 10.0 K-12 Prep; last of the K&E Beginner’s Rules; replaced Model 4058; Learning to Use the Slide Rule instructions
Sterling 684
1968 L 10.0 beginner’s slide rule; instruction sheet
K&E 68-1892
1970 L 10.0 K12 Prep; last of the K&E Beginner’s Rules; replaced Model 4058; Special Desktop Edition, mounted on leather pad
Pickett 80
1970 L 10.0 basic student trig training/beginner’s rule
Sterling 587
1970 L 5.0 pocket rule
Sterling 587 1972 L 5.0 pocket rule; from my high school years (Soph year, 1972)
Sterling 694 1972 L 10.0 Decimal Trig Log-Log; from my high school years (Jr year, 1973)
Sterling 694 1972 L 10.0 Decimal Trig Log-Log; duplicate of my high school rule