the REAL Mystery....

LOL. Who would have thought that Rob was going to update the page at
the same time that I posted to you guys. The actual 'mystery object'
that I was referring to is the first one on THIS page.

http://puzzlephotos.blogspot.com/2006/12/set-150.html

Enjoy the current website, but if anyone has any insights to the object
that I was originally referring to, I'd be interested.

--riverman

It could used for a lot of things. Those of us that went to
engineering school before PCs had to take such things as drafting ( or
engineering drawing as it was called).
Part of the class was making nomographs. Nomographs could be made
for almost everything. Three of more lines on a paper in the right
orientation can give you a quick answer to a other wise long
calculation.
The cardboard slide rules you get for determing how many wires will go
in a conduit are really nomographs. The dials on cameras ( or that use
to be on cameras ) for light and F-stop setting are nomographs.
The gazortenblotch in the picture looks like a for a special use or
process. The use or the process???


On Jan 4, 11:29 am, "riverman" wrote:
LOL. Who would have thought that Rob was going to update the page at
the same time that I posted to you guys. The actual 'mystery object'
that I was referring to is the first one on THIS page.

http://puzzlephotos.blogspot.com/2006/12/set-150.html

Enjoy the current website, but if anyone has any insights to the object
that I was originally referring to, I'd be interested.

--riverman

BJ Conner wrote:
It could used for a lot of things.

The "measure the height of a building using a barometer" anecdote comes
to mind for some reason. g

Those of us that went to
engineering school before PCs had to take such things as drafting ( or
engineering drawing as it was called).

I took a Thermodynamics class using a slide rule. Nothing scares me
now. I actually spotted a Pickett slide rule in an antiques store a
few weeks ago. My youngest offspring was surprised not only that I
knew what it was, but that I knew how to use it (and seemed to take
pleasure in that talent).

The gazortenblotch in the picture looks like a for a special use or
process. The use or the process???

My rudimentary French suggests to me its function is some sort of
inclinometer (meters of length per 25 m/ht?). Beyond that, I'm
stumped.

Joe F.

rb608 wrote:
BJ Conner wrote:
It could used for a lot of things.


...My rudimentary French suggests to me its function is some sort of
inclinometer (meters of length per 25 m/ht?). Beyond that, I'm
stumped.

Joe F.

7 1/2 inches long and built with a grip that suggests it wasn't
designed as a sighting instrument. The hole in the grip would allow it
to hang more or less plumb but I can't think of any purpose that would
serve. The numbered and skewed crosshatching, front and back, are
pretty obviously calculators meant to convert the reading from the
needle into some useful value. Looks to me like the needle moving in
response to a push on the rod suggests strongly that something is being
measured right at the front end of the instrument. What and
why?.......dunno.

Wolfgang

"Wolfgang" wrote in message
7 1/2 inches long and built with a grip that suggests it wasn't
designed as a sighting instrument. The hole in the grip would allow it
to hang more or less plumb but I can't think of any purpose that would
serve.

I thought about that, but the numbers would be upside down, and from
appearances, the needle fulcrum doesn't seem to lead toward the hole in the
handle. Still, I wouldn't discount the hole as utilitarian.

Joe F.

I would think towards an old-fashioned leather drive belt tension gauge...
thickness/width/slack

SRW

"riverman" wrote in message
ups.com...
LOL. Who would have thought that Rob was going to update the page at
the same time that I posted to you guys. The actual 'mystery object'
that I was referring to is the first one on THIS page.

http://puzzlephotos.blogspot.com/2006/12/set-150.html

Enjoy the current website, but if anyone has any insights to the object
that I was originally referring to, I'd be interested.

--riverman

Wolfgang wrote:
rb608 wrote:
BJ Conner wrote:
It could used for a lot of things.


...My rudimentary French suggests to me its function is some sort of
inclinometer (meters of length per 25 m/ht?). Beyond that, I'm
stumped.

Joe F.

7 1/2 inches long and built with a grip that suggests it wasn't
designed as a sighting instrument. The hole in the grip would allow it
to hang more or less plumb but I can't think of any purpose that would
serve. The numbered and skewed crosshatching, front and back, are
pretty obviously calculators meant to convert the reading from the
needle into some useful value. Looks to me like the needle moving in
response to a push on the rod suggests strongly that something is being
measured right at the front end of the instrument. What and
why?.......dunno.

It looks to me that there is a clear correlation between the position
of the pointer, the position of the rod, and the scale on the graph.

I was thinking that there might have been some sort of slider that was
connected to the bar. When you adjusted the slider (possibly by moving
the pointer manually), the rod would move the slider and put a hairline
on the appropriate position on the graph.

--riverman