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Quick-reading micrometer

Asquith

Diamond
Joined
Mar 3, 2005
Location
Somerset, UK
JD 2020 Shardlow1.jpg JD 2020 Shardlow2.jpg

Recent discussion on oddball micrometers sent me to my 1930s(?) Shardlow micrometer catalogue (Ambrose Shardlow & Co, Sheffield).

This one opens fully with one turn of the thimble, and automatically closes when released. Full explanation in the text.

I don't know how it worked out in practice. Shardlow had some interesting ideas, including the 'Mizzy' direct reading micrometer, the 'check reading' micrometer, and the combined inch/metric mic, all of which I think I've posted about in the past. The ideas looked good on paper.
 
Very interesting design. It does look, though, as if it would be hard to make a 1-handed measurement, or at least harder than the cramped-hand method used with a conventional design mic.

I was also interested in the superscript position of the decimal point in the price list, the decimal point being in the customary basal postion in the preceding text. Was this a common typological practice?

-Marty-
 
Marty,

I think two-handed operation would have been the norm in its rolling mill application.


The money - as EG said, was the pounds, shillings and pence system, or £sd, or LSD.


Barking mad, but the system persisted in the UK and Ireland until 1971.


The symbols, £, s, d indicate its Roman origins.


The system was widely used' including in the US (until 1792). Imagine the arguments put forward for retaining it!

The d (denari) was a penny, and there were 240 in a pound. There were also half penny coins (ha’penny), and , until 1960, ¼d (farthings). Working out the cost of, say, seven items @ £1 3s 6½ d plus three at 12s 6d (also written 12/6) was probably good for developing mental arithmetic skills.
 
Working out the cost of, say, seven items @ £1 3s 6½ d plus three at 12s 6d (also written 12/6) was probably good for developing mental arithmetic skills.
I'm convinced that making things easier makes people stupider. I don't know about England, but in China the girls at the counter now can't even deduct ¥15.6 from ¥20.6 to get five. They used to be able to run an abacus, at least.

(Not too long ago all the bank tellers would double-check their math with an abacus. Alas, that's gone now)

And change .... when was the last time you had someone give back change correctly ? Sad :(
 
. . .


The money - as EG said, was the pounds, shillings and pence system, or £sd, or LSD. . . ..

Dang, suddenly the fuss all the way up to Brexit is clear. Those sneaky Brits -- including the makers of all those clever Shardlow mics -- have been on LSD all this time . . . :)
 
I'm convinced that making things easier makes people stupider. I don't know about England, but in China the girls at the counter now can't even deduct ¥15.6 from ¥20.6 to get five. They used to be able to run an abacus, at least.

(Not too long ago all the bank tellers would double-check their math with an abacus. Alas, that's gone now)

And change .... when was the last time you had someone give back change correctly ? Sad :(

Re abacus

As late as 1978, at a non ferrous scrap yard my firm used, the cashier was Harry - an elderly Orthodox Jew (complete with Kippah) who on being presented with my scale tickets, would double check the machine printing, then check the price on a ticker tape, and so on, right through every possible piece of modern ''computation equipment''

Then always saying the same line ''you can't be too careful with money boy'' as a final check run it through his abacus, and always - as in without fail, have a look of surprise as he'd exclaim ;- all the machines were right after.
 
I find that staying on track does tend to quickly kill a promising thread ;)

To address Marty's query, I have never seen such a jaunty placement of the decimal point. The Shardlow catalogue is done in art deco style, which probably explains such avant-garde behaviour.

I was taught to put the decimal point at mid height. Then foreign ways set in and moved it down.

In fact, in the apprentice training school drawing office I was taught that when specifying dimensions on drawings, the inch " symbol must be placed directly above the decimal point. This avoids those awkward situations when someone makes a component assuming that the faded decimal point is further to the right than intended.

Avant-garde? That reminds me - I must get a fireguard before my grandson's next visit.....
 
I find that staying on track does tend to quickly kill a promising thread ;)

Avant-garde? That reminds me - I must get a fireguard before my grandson's next visit.....

Another reminder - we're no longer allowed to put the grandkids up the chimneys to sweep em either.
 








 
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