WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS 2010 (partial edition)

Transcription

1 WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS 2010 (partial edition) Issues 1 to 11 (of 12) Information for plumb bob collectors Compiled by Wolf Ruecker plumbbobwolf@t-online.de

2 PREFACE Dear reader, Fellow Collector, This volume was not originally written as a book "in one step", rather, it is a summary of the single issues of "WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS I am one of a group of plumb bob collectors from around the world who report and exchange information about plumb bobs. This group is represented by collectors from the U.S.A. and from Europe (Spain, Italy, Germany, France and Turkey) who met in 2006 in Istanbul, Turkey for our 1st International plumb bob collectors meeting and in May 2008 with a 2nd Meeting in Paris, France. For the year 2010, we had a third meeting in Langenfeld and Cologne, Germany. The first written publication on plumb bobs was from 1991 to 1994 THE PUMB LINE, the definitive work on the simple plumb bob by Bruce Cynar from Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.A. This was continued in 2005 by Nelson Denny from Hadlyme, Connecticut, and is available as THE PLUMB LINE CONTINUUM. Since my specialization is patented plumb bobs, 50 weekly newsletters in 2007 were devoted to this subject. This includes over 300 pages and over 150 patents. In 2008, I wrote monthly on general topics having to do with plumb bobs and distributed it by (PDF file) to over 130 recipients in the world (U.S.A., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Turkey, Guatemala, Greece, Holland, England, France, Italy and Germany. This edition is available in English, German and Swahili. To keep up the tradition, Wolf's PLUMB BOB NEWS will appear in As before, they will be distributed by , free of charge. This year the topics will focus on 4 tool types I collect: 1. PLUMB BOBS (stand for the VERTICAL), 2. PLUMB LEVEL with plumb bob, the forerunner of the levels (stand for the HORIZONTAL) 3. ANGLE MEASURING INSTRUMENTS with plumb bob; (stand for the ANGLE) and 4. CHALK LINES, SNAP LINES (stand for the STRAIGHT LINE) If you are interested in plumb bobs and information, feel free to ask for information. Enjoy the plumb bob articles Wolfgang Ruecker A German plumb bob collector plumbbobwolf@t-online.de ON THIS SITE ALL PUBLICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD

3 Editor: Wolf Ruecker Wolf s PLUMB BOB NEWS 2010-complete SUMMARY of all 12 issues Information for plumb bob collectors #. TITLE / CONTENTS date: Dec.17, 2010 plumbbobwolf@t-online.de page 8 SOLUTIONS TO ADJUST THE LINE OF A PLUMB BOB (12 pp) 1. INTRODUCTION 2. TIE A SLIDING KNOT 3. PATENTED ADJUSTERS 4. COMMON ADJUSTERS 5. INTEGRATED ADJUSTERS (REELS etc.) 6. OOF THE SUBJECT 7. CONCLUSION page 20 EGYPT PLUMB BOBS + SCALES WITH PLUMMET (11 pp) 1. INTRODUCTION 2. WEIGHING OF THE HEART 3. WHAT TYPES OF SCALE-PLUMMETS EXIST? 4. EGYPT PLUMB BOBS AND A-LEVELS 5. CONCLUSION page31 PLUMB BOB LINES (10 pp) 1. INTRODUCTION 2. WHY WE NEED A LINE? 3. WHAT REQUIREMENTSDO WE HAVE for a line? 4. DIFFERENT TYPES AND MATERIAL 5. WHAT INFORMATION DO WE GET FROM BOOKS? 6. HOW ARE LINES PRODUCED? 7. MY QUESTIONNAIRE PIANO WIRE 9. PICTURES FROM FELLOW COLLECTORS 10. CONCLUSION Wolfg.Ruecker@t-online.de page 1/4 SUMMARY WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS 2010 COMPLETE.DOC

4 Editor: Wolf Ruecker #. TITLE / CONTENTS Wolf s PLUMB BOB NEWS 2010-complete SUMMARY of all 12 issues Information for plumb bob collectors plumbbobwolf@t-online.de page 41 ENGLISH PLUMB BOS PART 1 (18 pp) 1. INTRODUCTION 2. WHAT IS INTERESTING IN ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS? 3. ENGLAND; MAKERS 4. COLLECTION RICHARD JONES, WALES 5. UNMARKED 6. OTHER DISTRIBUTORS 7. PATENTED PLUMB BOBS 8. LAST BUT NOT LEAST 9. RELATED PUBLICATIONS page 59 ENGLISH PLUMB BOS PART 2(18 pp) 1. INTRODUCTION 2. LAIRD SHIPYARD 3. PLUMB BOBS IN AUSTRALIA 4. PATENTED PLUMB BOB FROM AUSTRALIA 5. PLUMB BOBS IN NEW ZEALAND 6. PLUMB BOBS IN CANADA 7. PLUMB BOBS IN INDIA 8. CONLCUSION 9. RELATED PUBLICATIONS page 72 HIGHLIGHTS FROM MY READER S COLLECTIONS (17 pp) 0. INTRODUCTION 1. YOUR OLDEST PLUM BOB? 2. YOUR BIGGEST / HEAVIEST PLUMB BOB? 3. YOUR SMALLEST PLUMB BOB? 4. YOUR MOST BEAUTIFUL PLUMB BOB? 5. YOUR MOST UNSIGHTLY PLUMB BOB? 6. YOUR MOST UNUSUAL / EXTRAORDINARY P B? 7. YOUR DARLING? 8. YOUR MOST EXPENSIVE PLUMB BOB? 9. YOUR MOST INTERESTING PLUMB BOB? 10. YOUR P B WITH THE BEST STORY OR HISTORY? 11. WICH PLUMB BOB TRAVELLED THE LNGEST DISTANCE? 12. YOUR MOST WIMSICAL PLUMB BOB? 13. YOUR RAREST PLUMB BOB? 14. YOUR VERY FIRST PLUMB BOB? 15. WHICH PLUMB BOB WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO ADD TO YOUR COLLECTION? Wolfg.Ruecker@t-online.de page 2/4 SUMMARY WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS 2010 COMPLETE.DOC

5 Wolf s PLUMB BOB NEWS 2010-complete SUMMARY of all 12 issues Editor: Wolf Ruecker Information for plumb bob collectors plumbbobwolf@t-online.de #. TITLE / CONTENTS page 89 THE MOUNT RUSHMORE PLUMB BOBS (8 pp) 0. INTRODUCTION 1. MOUNT RUSHMORE + MUSEUM 2. SCULPTOR GUTZON BORGLUM 3. THE POINTING SYSTEM 4. THE PLUMB BOBS 5. REMARK 6. FOOTNOTES AND SOURCES page 97 SPECIAL USES OF PLUMB BOS (16 pp) 0. INTRODUCTION 1. CYCLING 2. KITE 3. GOLF 4. BOWLS 5. PINBALL 6. AEROMODELLING 7. BOMBER TRAINING 8. CARS + RAILWAYS 9. AMUSEMENT 10. ARCHERY 11. SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT 12. SOURCES AND FOOTNOTES page YEAR ANNIVERSARY, PLUMB BOB (and CHALK LINE) PATENTS (15 pp) 0. INTRODUCTION 1. FR SCHOTT (FRANCE) 1909 THE RATIONAL P B 2. US WILSON 1909 REEL FOR PLUMB BOBS 3. US HALL 1909 CHALK LINE HOLDER 4. US AIRESMAN filed 1910 PLUMB BOB 5. US JOICE filed 1910 PLUMB BOB 6. US HULL 1910 LEVELLING AND GRADING INSTRUMENT 7. US BERGER 1909 MINING TRANSIT CENTER FINDER 8. US SCHMIDTKE 1909 PLUMB BOB 9. US LOEVEN 1909 PLUMB BOB 10. US STARR 1909 LINE CHALKER 11. US FERRIS 1910 SHAFT CENTERING DEVICE 12. US CAVILEER 1909 PLUMB BOB AND CHALK LINE HOLDER 13. US EASTMAN 1910 CHALK-LINE HOLDER 14. US LAUT 1911 CHALK LINE HOLDER Wolfg.Ruecker@t-online.de page 3/4 SUMMARY WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS 2010 COMPLETE.DOC

6 Editor: Wolf Ruecker Wolf s PLUMB BOB NEWS 2010-complete SUMMARY of all 12 issues Information for plumb bob collectors #. TITLE / CONTENTS plumbbobwolf@t-online.de page 128 INTERNATIONAL PLUMB BOB COLLECTORS MEETING COLOGNE 2010 (16 pp) 0. INTRODUCTION 1. THE HIGH ROOF OF THE COLOGNE CATHEDRAL 2. PRESENTATIONS 3. TOOL MUSEUM Gerhard Schmitz 4. TUTANKAMUN EGYPTIAN EXHIBITION 5. ROMAN GERMAN MUSEUM 6. NEXT COLLECTORS MEETING REMARKS page 144 PLUMB BOBS IN DAMS (7 pp) 0. INTRODUCTION 1. WHY A PLUMB BOB IN A DAM? 2. NORMAL PLUMB LINE 3. INVERTED or FLOATING PLUMB LINE 4. HOOVER or BOLDER DAM 5. REMARKS page 151 PLUMB BOB and ADVERTISING (11 pp) (NOT YET READY) 0. INTRODUCTION 1. PRESENTS 2. LOGOS AND COAT OF ARMS 3. MONUMENTS 4. REMARKS All these issues are available as single issues and complete for 2010 on Also available on this website are: the 50 articles from 2007 about PATENTED PLUMB BOBS and the articles from 2008 and Enjoy this special information for plumb bob collectors Wolf Ruecker plumbobwolf@t-online.de Wolfg.Ruecker@t-online.de page 4/4 SUMMARY WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS 2010 COMPLETE.DOC

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8 Editor: Wolfgang Ruecker Dear Reader of the News, Dear Fellow Collector, WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS 2010 Issue 01 January 01, 2010 LINE ADJUSTERS As promised, I ll continue to write also in 2010 monthly the WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS Solutions to adjust the line of the plumb bob TABEL OF CONTENTS 1) INTRODUCTION ) TIE A SLIDING-KNOT ) PATENDTED ADJUSTERS ) COMMON ADJUSTERS ) INTEGRATED ADJUSTER (REELS etc.) ) OFF THE SUBJECT ) CONCLUSION ) INTRODUCTION A plumb bob can t work alone; it needs a plumb line to be connected to the structure that is being plumbed. In order to make the plumb bob applicable to many applications this line or string is often longer than it needs to be, so another device may be an advantage, a string adjuster, to regulate the length of the line in small increments. This function of adjustability can be achieved in different ways, the simplest of which is to tie a slip knot around the plumb line. The friction of the knot on the plumb line allows the plumb bob to be raised or lowered in miniscule degrees to align the tip of the bob close to but not in contact with the work surface. Why we have to adjust the line? From a patent, in other words:.plumb bobs are widely used in construction work by the builder, carpenter and by the surveyor. Conventionally the plumb bob is suspended by a string or cord from a support or plumb line above a selected point and at a height such that its lower pointed end is positioned immediately above a point. Upon being moved from one position to another, or upon changes in the height of the support, the length of the supporting cord must be changed in order to retain the plumb bob in its optimum relationship with respect to the point Why is a string adjuster used? The principle advantage in employing some method of string adjustment is to save time. By allowing the regulation of the plumb line length to be controlled from a point close to the plumb bob itself and not far away from the bob at the point from which the plumb bob is suspended, frustrating trial and error adjustments are eliminated. More often than not the suspension point may be quite a distance above the tip of the bob so there is an extreme advantage in controlling the height of the bob within view of the bob itself. Related theme: 1. See WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS CAPS AND TIPS. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de - 8 -

9 2) TIE A SLIDING-KNOT From the beginning of the use of the optical surveying instruments, every surveyor has hung a bob beneath the instrument. They know the advantage of the basic slip knot. I found in a German book a good instruction drawing: In USA Surveying Paul Cook 1911 I found: Adjusting A Plumb-Bob Line So it looks in (my) reality (picture right) When plumbing a piece of work, if there is no help at hand to hold the overhead line, it is common practice to fasten the plumb line to a nail or other suitable projection. On coming down to the lower floor it is often found that the bob has been secured either too high or too low. When fastening the line give it plenty of slack and when the lower floor is reached make a double loop in the line, as shown in the sketch. Tightening up on the parts AA will bind the loop bight B, and an adjustable friction-held loop, C, will be had for adjusting the bob accurately either up or down. --Contributed by Chas. Herrman, New York City (unknown source) plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS LINE ADJUSTER

10 3) PATENDTED ADJUSTERS WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS LINE ADJUSTER

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12 A very new patent from 1954: The description says a great deal about the adjustment of lines. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS LINE ADJUSTER

13 4) COMMON ADJUSTERS Simple plastic button adjuster Brass adjuster with hook (under a tripod) Cheep plastic adjuster with surveyors plumb bob Some line adjusters on a wall in my museum Adjusters from Dale Riedesel (left: sighting view, not an adjuster, even when it is fixed on the line). VERITAS ADJUSTER is described in WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS LEE VALLEY and VERITAS and patent US 5,974,676 from 1999 GURLEY adjuster plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS LINE ADJUSTER

14 5) INTEGRATED ADJUSTER (REELS etc.) In a catalogue 1893 BAKER Surveying Instruments I found three methods of adjusting length of the plumb line. Here we see adjusters separate from the bobs themselves, and also one of many technical modifications made internal to certain types of bobs that contain an adjusting mechanism within the bob itself. If we see back to WOLF S PATENT NEWS 2007 we find a lot of plumb bobs with internal and external mechanisms on the bobs themselves to adjust the length of the plumb line. I think it is fair to say that the vast majority of plumb bob patents have to do with a method of regulating the length of the plumb line. I will only show some of them today. (You can see the others on on page patents or publications download. This illustration (picture above right), a plumb bob manufactured by GURLEY in 1905 was not patented. Several other manufactures employed almost identical solutions to provide plumb bobs to go along with their surveying instruments. Another patented solution: plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS LINE ADJUSTER

15 ONE OF THE BEST INTEGRATED ADJUSTER is the STARRETT patent: (more see WOLF S PATENT NEWS on ) US STARRETT You know the plumb bobs from STARRETT (#87 as mercury filled). One special part of this patent is the invention for fixing the line: The drawings are not very clear, but THIS INVENTION WORKS VERY WELL! Picture right: From the collection Riccardo Chetoni Pisa Italy a homemade brass adjuster from France. It can also be used as a spacer (red arrows) Picture left: A plumb bob under a tripod near to the marking point in my museum. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS LINE ADJUSTER

16 Another internal adjuster is the well known STANLEY, invented by TRAUT: US TRAUT 1874 PLUMB-BOBS (This one is so excellent, that it works still in our times and it was imitated by a lot of factories.) In the drawing we don t see a STEEL TIP. No MATERIAL for the BODY and the FRAME is mentioned in the patent. The full article about the STANLEY plumb bobs, see WOLF S PATENT NEWS on plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS LINE ADJUSTER

17 6) OFF THE SUBJECT Off the subject, but included in this Newsletter for lack of a better place to include it in my archive of plumb bob documentation, this most whimsical use of the plumb bob. I wonder if this was the origin of New Balance footwear: plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS LINE ADJUSTER

18 7) CONCLUSION Most trades that employ plumb bobs in their work benefit from some method of adjusting the height of the plumb bob above a specific point. This specifically relates to plumb bobs with pointed tips that need to be aligned to or to mark a specific point on a work surface. A great deal of mental energy has been expended both in patented and unpatented ideas to regulate the length of the plumb line. Many of these ideas also have a subsidiary function, that is, a method to contain excess plumb line on a winder, bobbin or reel. Untangling a string can be a time consuming and frustrating task! The plumb bob and plumb line combine to make a rather unruly device, an idea that you may sympathize with if you have ever had the occasion to use one to accomplish some real work. String Adjusters both apart and attached to the plumb bob are a very major theme in the improvements made to the plumb bob. Last, but not least, two other solutions for line adjustment: Remark: The original patents you can find in the GOOGLE PATENT SEARCH with the link: This is an article of the monthly published WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS that is sent on demand as PDFfile attachment by . You can see all former publications on the website Remarks and contact by plumbbobwolf@t-online.de Do we meet us on the 3 rd PLUMB BOB COLLECTORS MEETING 2010 October 1 st to 3 rd in Cologne /Germany? COLOGNE CATHEDRAL Stay-plumb Wolf plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS LINE ADJUSTER

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20 Editor: Wolfgang Ruecker WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS 2010 Issue 02 Feb. 01, 2010 EGYPT PLUMB BOBS EGYPT PLUMB BOBS + SCALES WITH PLUMMET TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION WEIGHING OF THE HEART WHAT TYPES OF SCALE-PLUMMETS exist? EGYPT, Roman and Greek PLUMB BOBS and A-LEVELS CONCLUSION Dear Fellow Collector, In this issue let s go back to Egypt in the time of the construction of the pyramids, one of the early civilizations with evidence of the use of plumb bobs. You know that one of the birth places of the plumb bob could be Egypt. Another is Babylon (the region between the rivers Euphrates and Tigris) now Iraq. See THE PLUMB LINE CONTINUUM (pp ) by Bruce Cynar and Nelson Denny on Figure above: On the camel, that s not me, but my son Thomas. illustration a plumb bob is used to build an A-level or a plumb board. You are familiar with these devices from other articles in my publications. In WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS you also find the Egypt stamp with the A-level. Here we see the use of the plumb bob as an integral part of a tool used by masons or architects. In an earlier issue of Wolf s Plumb Bob News, there is a photo of the plumb level taken in the Cairo Museum (pictured above). In this Plumb bobs used as weights on scales are familiar in the last 200 years on scales used on farms and in laboratories. A few years ago I found some articles about the use of the plummet / weight / plumb bob in Egypt as part of a scale. (figure right: Cairo Museum) plumbbobwolf@t-online.de

21 1. INTRODUCTION This issue is a small newsletter: although I have worked on it periodically for many years. The major problem in my research has been the vast discrepancies in my source material. Since there no real examples of Egyptian balances exist 1, (the Cairo Museum example is a reproduction) every Egyptologists have constructed reproductions from stone carvings and paintings found in monuments, buildings and burial sites throughout the area. (see pp 22+23) These depictions are not always clear, having partially decomposed over the centuries. To add to the problems of interpretation, the Egyptians never mastered drawing perspective or scaled technical drawings. Thus, the evidence is largely artistic in temperament, subjective in viewpoint and very much open to interpretation. Since we are an INTERNATIONAL group of collectors, we always faced with the problem of definition. What is the true nature of a plumb bob? In different countries the definition of the word plumb bob differs. In this article, I have the same problem. Is a plumb bob a tool to measure verticality only, or can it be simply a simple weight suspended on a line? In this article I used the original text from English, French and American books; there is no one that is definitively correct. 2. WEIGHING OF THE HEART The most famous picture with a scale and a plummet is the ceremony WEIGHING OF THE HEART. The Ancient Egyptians believed that when you died, you travelled to the Hall of the Dead. Here you can see Ani on the far left watching while his heart is weighed against an ostrich feather representing Maat. Anubis is checking the scales while Thoth writes down the result. Ammit who is part lion, part hippopotamus and part crocodile waits in to see if a meal will be on offer (the heart would be eaten if the dead person was found wanting). About the ceremonial use of plumb bobs you will find many sources on the www. Everybody has his own idea, what this plumb bob is and if or why it is being touched by hand. Is this fellow tipping the scales? You can decide for yourself, if only one or both are worthy of being included in your collection. I will not write about Egypt scales and balances, rather I will include only the illustrations that look like plumb bobs or plummets. The sources, (if I know it) will be footnoted. 1 Dissertation Thomas Ibel 1908 p16 The Egypt ceremony WEIGHING you can also buy on Ebay for 200$ as jewelry tag as a symbol for the SIGN OF THE ZODIAC: - LIBRA (The Scales) (cardinal, air, social): In astrology Libra is ruled by the planet Venus. The tropical duration of Libra is September 23 to October 22. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS EGYPT PLUMB BOBS.doc

22 3. WHAT TYPES OF SCALE-PLUMMETS exist? Found in old books (thanks to GOOGLE BOOK SEARCH) different uses of the plumb bobs and plummets on Egypt scales. To give you an idea how many different types, here are some pages from a French book from A vast field open to interpretation. 2 ANNALES DU SERVICE DES ANTIQUITÉS DE L ÉGYPTE Paris 1906 pp plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS EGYPT PLUMB BOBS.doc

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24 3 a) FIRST TYPE: WEIGHT/PLUMMET HANGS ON 3 LINES For better understanding, I made for me some sketches: In a German book, a picture illustrating weighing of silver or golden rings The author says: The man watches the scale. The weights are equal, if all 3 lines appear tight. Is one is loose, the beam is not level. In this construction the CENTER OF ROTATION is directly over the plummet (in line with the hook). If the weight is higher than the goods, the beam rotates and the plummet will hang on one line only and the other two lines are (more or less) loose. Drawing for a EXTREME ROTATION. The worker looks very closely at the plummet and not (as in other pictures) to the weight. This way he can gauge the tightness or slack in the different strings. The construction of this scale must be as follows: The vertical beam is suspended in a ring that hangs in a hook. UNDER the beam (in the middle) we find a plummet (weight) suspended by 3 lines. Figure right: from a French book From my perspective this construction is NOT A PLUMB BOB following my definition, even if it looks like a plumb bob. Personally, I think this is an interesting use, but I don t think that it was an idea used in Egypt. The idea looks great (I made a test scale), but it is too difficult to fix the lines exactly, etc. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS EGYPT PLUMB BOBS.doc

25 3 b) Second type: BEAM THROUGH RING In an English book 3 I found a description: The principle of the common balance was simple and ingenious; the beam passed through a ring suspended from a horizontal rod, immediately above and parallel to it, and when equally balanced, the ring, which was large enough to allow the beam to play freely, showed when the scales were equally poised, and had the additional effect of preventing the beam tilting, when the goods were taken out of one, and the weights suffered to remain in the other. To the lower part of the ring a small plummet was fixed, and this being touched by the hand, and found to hang freely, indicated, without the necessity of looking at the beam, that the weight was just. From a book 4 : Another kind, used for light objects, had a registering plummet fastened to the beam; but the ordinary scales for weighing the rings of gold and silver that served for money, and for heavy goods, had the beam fastened to the pillar, with a transverse bar above, supporting a ring through which the beam passed; and which not only showed, when hanging free, that the two scales were equally poised, but prevented the beam tilting when the weight was taken out of the one of the scales. you would use an electrical circuit with an alarm bell, or a light indicator.) Here we find a weight/plummet suspended by a ring. This weight has (in my opinion) nothing to do with a plumb bob. It is only to add weight to the ring that it hangs correctly in a defined position under the hook. Position 0: The beam is free of the ring and the beam is level. Weight = goods WHY THE WORKERS TOUCH THE PLUMMET? In this picture (source unknown) you can see very clearly, how the worker (weighing metal parts; left) LOOKS AT THE ANIMALS, HEADS (the weights had the shape of animals or animal heads), WHILE TOUCHING THE PLUMMET (BEING USED AS A SENSOR), to feel if the beam touches the ring. In this solution there is NO NEED TO LOOK AT THE PLUMMET. (An early one man operating system). Today Position 1: If the goods are heavier than the weight, the beam touches the ring (and you can feel it on the weight) Position 2: If the weights are heavier than the goods, the beam rotates to the right, but will not be stopped in a defined position. 3 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS of THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS, Wilkinson London 1837 p THE EGYTIAN IN THE TIME OF P page 91 plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS EGYPT PLUMB BOBS.doc

26 3 c) Third type BEAM WITH TONGUE / NEEDLE / POINTER A third type is shown on different pictures as follows. Another kind of TONGUE: From an unknown book in the chapter THE BOOK OF THE DEAD p 128 I found:... he says that the beam was suspended by a loop or ring from a bracket; below the beam a long tongue was attached, while a plummet hung down the tongue to test the level of the beam. The god Thoth watches this plummet to see if the tongue remains vertical and the beam horizontal. The text in a German book says: There is a POINTER/INDICATOR fixed to the beam with a plumb bob, which points to a mark at the bottom. (I can t see any mark ) In an English book from 1895 I read under the same picture: The cross-beam was apparently fixed to an upright, which itself hangs by a loop from the peg. The balance is told by a plummet, showing the verticality of the upright. THE SOLUTION!? A reproduction in the Cairo Museum shows nearly the same situation, but if you look at the NEXT PICTURE, you can see that the PLUMB LINE IS BEHIND THE POINTER. I think arrangement could be correct. The plumb line gives the vertical and the pointer must be covered by the line. I think in this illustration we can really speak of a plumb bob or plumb line. It is the same as the way masons would employ a plumb bob to compare a vertical line with another object such as a wall. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS EGYPT PLUMB BOBS.doc

27 Here we see a combination of TONGUE and BEAM THROUGH RING On this picture we see both: the tongue and 3 strings or beam through ring. In my collection I have an incomplete WILL SCALE from USA that shows a combination of TONGUE / NEEDLE to show the position of the beam (and the weight difference) on a marked scale and a PLUMB BOB that shows if the complete installation is in correct position. In an Encyclopedia I found:... to test the evenness of the balance a tongue was attached to it, but instead of observing the tongue against a long vertical sling of the balance, as in modern times, the ancient tongue was below the beam, and the verticality of it (and evenness of the beam) was observed against a plummet. As the plummet was easily set swinging by a lurch of the stand, the characteristic action shown in weighing is for the man to steady the plummet with his hand in order to read its position. I think, this is NOT the reason to touch the plummet. If the balance is in so bad condition that it swings while used that is not worth to fix it on a picture. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS EGYPT PLUMB BOBS.doc

28 4. EGYPT, Roman and Greek PLUMB BOBS and A-LEVELS A very good overview about the early tools especially those from Egypt, found in an English 5 book from 1917 titled TOOLS AND WEAPONS. This book is also of interest for woodworking tool collectors of saws and axes. (see footnote). Remark: I had to modify (marked: mod ) some pictures, because the quality was not good. Also I inserted the single tools directly in the text. (The original source listed them in a table at the end of the book) The use of the plumb line must have started with Egyptian building, and the plumb bob has been found at the end of the iiird dynasty, B 64, xlviii.(the drawing was bad. I restored some lines) The mode of using the plumb line is shown by a mark on pottery of the xith dynasty {Gizeh Rifeh, xiii, J. 5), and the model B 57 of the xixth dynasty. This, with the squares and level, (xlvii), all come from the tomb of an architect Sen-nehem, a group now in the Cairo Museum. in the Capitoline Museum, Rome. The plumb bob in Egypt was first made with a groove round it, in which to tie the line, see B 64 (above) from Meydum, and B65, both probably from the end of the iiird dynasty (pl. xlviii). The square bob of hard brown limestone (B 66), with a hole through it for the line, was found at Gizeh ; it bears the name Khuf, and is doubtless of Khufu. B 67, 68 are without a history, but belong probably to the These were not the actual working tools, but copies of them made to place with the burial. The A form of leveling plumb line (B 59), and the square with a foot (B 60), were both vith or xiith dynasty. B 69 is from Quft, undated. B 70 is of limestone, 71 of alabaster. B 72 of limestone, and 73 of marble, are from Kahim, of the xiith dynasty ; the system for the line was to have a short vertical hole in the axis, and across used in Roman work, as shown on the stele of Aebutius 5 TOOLS AND WEAPONS ILLUSTRATED BY RTHE EGYTIAN COLLECTION IN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LONDON 1917: Copyright-free. www-link: this a hole from side to side ; the line was put through the axial hole, the end pushed out to one side, and knotted to retain it. 74 is of limestone. 75 is of yellow limestone, 76 of wood, plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS EGYPT PLUMB BOBS.doc

29 and 77 of shelly limestone, all three from Kahun. 78 is of limestone, 79 of steatite, 80 of limestone, 81 from Kahun of limestone. 82, 83, 84 are of lead, probably of Greek age. (the pictures of B85 to B89 were too bad for reproduction ) 85 is of steatite, 86 of diorite, 87 of limestone, 88 of black steatite. B 89 is a remarkable Roman cubic plumb bob of nummulitic limestone, with figures of gods on the sides; Horus, Hathor, and Amen? can be distinguished. The Roman bobs on pl. xlvii are B90, of marble with a bronze loop ; 91, 92, 93 of bronze. 92 is of the form on the stele of Aebutius The square was doubtless used in early times in Egypt, but no example occurs until the model from the tomb of Sen-nehem, B 60.(above p22). A similar form, with a foot, is figured in the tomb of Rekhmara (xviiith dynasty) and on the stele of Aebutius. The plain square of wood, B 94 (xlix),(no picture) was found in the destroyers' rubbish at the pyramid of Lahun, probably Ptolemaic. Another plain square, from Pompeii, B 61, is of bronze. The need of a mitre square was naturally felt in Egypt ; a carpenter of the xviiith dynasty has the form 62, with a foot to slide along an edge ; a bronze square with a foot, and mitre slope comes from Pompeii ; and another without a foot is represented on a stele, 63. REMARK: To have an idea of the extremely long time span of the use of the plumb bobs they are noted in these Egyptian Dynasties. The iiird, vith, xith, xiith, xiii, xviiith, and xixth. (from WIKIPEDIA). The Third Dynasty of ancient Egypt is the first dynasty of the Old Kingdom. Other dynasties of the Old Kingdom include the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth. The capital during the period of the Old Kingdom was at Memphis. Old Kingdom is the name commonly given to the period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization in complexity and achievement the first of three socalled "Kingdom" periods, which mark the high points of civilization in the lower Nile Valley (the others being Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom). The Eleventh dynasty (2134 BC 1991 BC) of ancient Egypt was one group of rulers, whose earlier members are grouped with the four preceding dynasties to form the First Intermediate Period, while the later members are considered part of the Middle Kingdom. They all ruled from Thebes. The Eighteenth Dynasty ( BC) is perhaps the best known of all the dynasties of ancient Egypt. As well as boasting a number of Egypt's most famous pharaohs, it included Tutankhamun, the finding of whose tomb by Howard Carter in 1922 was a sensational archaeological discovery despite its having been twice disturbed by tomb robbers. The dynasty is sometimes known as the 'Thutmosid Dynasty' because four of the pharaohs had the name Thutmosis, which means "(The God) Thoth (Appears as a) Child." Hatshepsut and perhaps two others of a handful of native women known to be crowned king of Egypt, ruled during this dynasty, as did Akhenaten (also known as Amenhotep IV), the "heretic Pharaoh" who with his wife, Nefertiti, instituted what many identify as the first recorded monotheistic state religion. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS EGYPT PLUMB BOBS.doc

30 5. CONCLUSION Preparing this article I learned of some new and interesting novelties about plumb bobs. - In Egypt the very first SHAPED PLUMB BOBS had a groove cut round it, to contain the line and keep it in place. I made a reproduction of this type of line attachment from a wooden egg Especially for our American friends: Just before time to going to press I found a relation between the SPHINX in Egypt and MOUNT RUSHMORE in the U.S.A. Later I will write about the system used by Gutzom Borglum. I hope the president must not sneeze, when the plumb bob touches his nose. This works and looks much better than the reproduction that I made using a common stone cross tied with line. The suspended stone is no doubt the earliest type of plumb bob. - In a slightly more sophisticated version, an elongated stone was selected through which a hole was drilled laterally; the line passed through the hole and knotted. Yet another improvement would be to add a vertical hole to intersect a horizontal hole. In this example: 1.) the line would have been threaded downward through the axial hole, 2.) the end pushed out to one side, 3.) and knotted to retain the string in place. Drilling was not usual at this time. (drawing by WR) - New materials (for me) were (SHELLY) LIMESTONE, MARBLE, STEATITE and DIORITE (stone types) After reading the sources and writing this article, I am really not sure, WHAT IS THE TECHNIC USED BY THE EGYPTIANS. XXX REMARK: This is an article of the monthly published WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS that is sent on demand as PDFfile attachment by . FREE. You can see all former publications on the website Remarks and contact by plumbbobwolf@t-online.de Thank you for your interest! Wolf plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS EGYPT PLUMB BOBS.doc

31 Editor: Wolf Ruecker WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS 2010 Issue 03 March 01, 2010 PLUMB BOB LINES PLUMB BOB LINES TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION WHY WE NEED A LINE? WHAT REQUIREMENTS DO WE HAVE for the line? DIFFERENT TYPES AND MATERIAL WHAT INFORMATION DO WE GET FROM OLD BOOKS AND CATALOGUES? HOW ARE LINES PRODUCED? MY QUESTIONNAIRE PIANO WIRE PICTURES FROM FELLOW COLLECTORS CONCLUSION SOMETHING TO SMILE AT THE END: RELATED PUBLICATIONS Dear Reader of the News, Dear Fellow Collector, I have this topic since a long time on my TO DOlist and you remember, that I asked you 2 years ago for your opinion and knowledge about PLUMB BOB LINES. I got feedback from some of you and I think that this theme is of interest for others, who had no idea about it. 1. INTRODUCTION If collectors get a new plumb bob, there is often a complete line attached or a piece of the line, or you find a knot inside the plumb bob. Some friends take off the line and put them into a box or into the waste basket and hang the plumb bob with a new cord on the wall WHY WE NEED A LINE? The plumb bob itself is nothing else than a piece of metal. If the mason, surveyor or anyone else will use it, he needs a connection to the earth by a line. Now the plumb bob is suspended on a hook and can hang and swing freely and point to the middle of the earth. Ready to work. The point to fix the line can be the hand of a mason or a hook under a tripod. The plumb bob is now connected by the line with the gravity-system of the earth.. THE PLUMB BOB SYSTEM: - FIX POINT (hook) - CONNECTION ( line) - PLUMB BOB (weight) 3. WHAT REQUIREMENTS DO WE HAVE for the line? - strong enough to hold the weight (safety) - Resistant to water (waterproof), heat and environmental influence (oil, chalk, sun, etc.) - No change of the length while hanging - Flexible to wind up on a reel, spool or the body of the plumb bob - No twist, if it is in position - Thin to have a low resist by the wind, especially of long lines (bridge builders, mining surveying) - Thick to be better seen by surveyors plumbbobwolf@t-online.de

32 - Adapted to the diameter of the hole in the cap of the plumb bob - No kink or ravel - Cheap - You see that some of the points are CONTRARY, so it is clear, that we can t use ONE LINE FOR ALL PLUMB BOBS 4. DIFFERENT TYPES AND MATERIAL Type: - BRAIDED LINE - CHAIN - CORD - FIBRE - PIANO WIRE - THREAD - TWINE - WIRE - WOVEN LINE - YARN - 5. WHAT INFORMATION DO WE GET FROM OLD BOOKS AND CATALOGUES? In catalogues usually the plumb bobs are sold without a line, but in special cases (built in reel, chalk line combination, special winding system etc.) they are sold WITH A LINE. Than you can be sure that the line is adapted to the requirements of the plumb bob. Let s have a look in come catalogues. We got a good overview from the catalogue STRELINGER 1895 (digitized by Google): Material: - BRASS - COPPER - FLAX - HEMP - IRON - LINEN - NYLON - Other synthetic material - SILK - STEEL - plumbbobwolf@t-online.de V0 WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS PLUMB BOB LINES.doc

33 V0 WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS PLUMB BOB LINES.doc

34 CHALK LINES from a RIDGELY CAT No In the matter of bob-cord, braided fishing line will prove most satisfactory, as it does not rough up under exposure or show any tendency to twist, thus keeping the bob under constant motion 5 - I use a braided linen line which is made for fishermen and is found in the sporting goods stores. If I happen to get one which is braided around a core, I simply draw the core, getting some valuable linen thread and leaving a solid braided line to use. 6 In the catalogue page above and in other catalogues we find a lot of information about the offered plumb bob lines in the 1900s: - the line should be braided or woven 1 - the price for Plumb Bob Cord: best linen; thin, medium or thick costs $ 0.02 and best braided silk $ 0.06 per yard 2 - Different catalogues with MERCURY PLUMB BOBS, 3 4 : Each Plumb Bob is furnished with a braided silk line - For underground: Braided cotton fishline, about 1/32 inch in diameter, in 7- foot lengths, is used for plumb bob strings. For plumbing short-lifts, up to 150 feet, number 30 tinned iron wire put up in 50- foot spools, is used. For longer distances, number 22 soft copper wire in 1-poundspools is used. If weights heavier than 9 pounds are used, the wire must be of hard copper or of larger diameter 7 - Plumb Bobs: Two sizes were used, a 9 oz. Bob for underground mine surveying and a 14 oz bob for outside work in windy weather. An extra bob with a flat topped neck for fore and back sights underground was used on these bobs. For shaft plumbing a specially constructed pair of winged steel bobs 9 in. high 6 in. wide and weighing 11 lb. Each with No. 20 copper wire was used. 8 New for me were the China line or SEA GRASS LINE and the CORD GRIP to replace a KNOT. We only find SOME SPECIAL PLUMB BOBS offered and sold WITH A LINE. The other (simple / common) plumb bobs are sold without a line. For these plumb bobs we don t find a proposition what type or diameter should be used for it. 1 International Correspondance School EUGEN DIETZGEN BROWN & SHARP WHITE, VAN GLAHN & CO CONNECTICUT CIVIL ENGINEERS AND SURVEYORS OHIO SOCIETY OF ENGINEERS A MANUAL OF UNDERGROUND SURVEYING COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES MAGAZINE 1917 plumbbobwolf@t-online.de V0 WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS PLUMB BOB LINES.doc

35 6. HOW ARE LINES PRODUCED? The plumb line cord or lines can be made by hand or by machines. Unfortunately I could not find a good and short written article about line making or rope making. If you know a good publication, please let me know. Below you find some drawings and pictures showing this trade. A corderie in France. Rope making. Drawing by Diderot et D Alembert. (1772) plumbbobwolf@t-online.de V0 WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS PLUMB BOB LINES.doc

36 V0 WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS PLUMB BOB LINES.doc

37 7. MY QUESTIONNAIRE 2008 I asked in 2008 the readers of the NEWS some questions about THE PLUMB BOB LINES: Below some answers. Thank you to all who answered. A. When you get a plumb bob with a line. What are you doing with the line? - I let the line in place (It is a foot print of human use of this tool) - I cut the line off and replace it by another line to hang it on the wall - I make a practice of affixing some sort of string on all my bobs, whether it comes with the bob or not... because I mark my bobs in my inventory by putting a tag on the string with my identification number written on the tag. - Like everyone else I have tons of string that I have saved along with the string holders that came with it. A lot of them home made. Some commercial. - The first thing I do is hold it by the line to see how the bob looks & to see if it is plumb. B. What did you learn about the lines from your plumb bobs? - There is a huge variety of materials and twisting - As a user of plumb bobs for their intended purpose I know and appreciate the value of a bob not to spin. - Some carpenters used to work with the plum bob line as a chalk line. C. What type do you use to hang the plumb bobs for display? - I hang them with a leather cord - I always like the fine braided line - I use fishing reel backing line to hang my bobs. - I use a lot of different cords, strings, small wire & even one chain. Sometimes I use the one that came with if it look original & I replace the ones that are wore out - When I hang Ottoman plumb bobs for exhibition I prefer to use flax string (Flax is a very strong and cheap material. Due to the nature of the raw material the thickness of the string is not uniform, being in the range of 1 to 2 mm, this string suits perfectly.) D. What do you know about the fabrication of braided lines? - Nothing, but I have noticed many different kinds - I know nothing - Woven by rope making machines - E. What do you know about the diameters of lines in relation to the hole in the cap of the plumb bob? - The diameter of the line must be close to the diameter of the hole - If you calculate the surface area of a plumb bob line you get the surface area of a pack of cigarettes for a long line. - I like to have the line a little smaller than the hole but not to small that the bob has movement (back & forth) in the hole - In the Ottoman levels Type 5 (Tèrazi) I have noticed that the diameter of the hole for hanging the small plumb bob can be as small as 1 mm or less. In this case, a selected flax string or maybe a thin cotton string was used. F. What influence has the line for the quality of the measurement? - Line is very important. The line is in connection with the plumb bob stability and consequently with the accuracy of the measurement / result - I was in the survey business for about 40 years. We always used a fine line under a transit that usually sat over a tack - And in the field we would use a heavy line for 2 reasons. First we needed the strength and wearability and the second we could see it at a greater distance. (Accuracy for highway survey and such was really not dependent on the size of the line.) - You don't want the line out of center in hole because the point of the bob will not be plumb with the line. - The problem with thin strings is that they can be easily tangled, but if you need a long line you may not have another plumbbobwolf@t-online.de V0 WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS PLUMB BOB LINES.doc

38 alternative. For the Ottoman Type 3 or 4 (plasterers bobs) do not need a length of string longer than 3 or 4 meters (10 to 15 feet). Thus, builders prefer to use cordon made of cotton which does not get tangled. The diameter of the hole on the top of the bobs and that of the spacers is in the range of 7 to 8 mm, so cordon must be near that. G. Do you have any pictures or drawings about this theme? - Yes, attached H. Do you have any sources where I can find information? - Unfortunately NO - I found some spools of braided line that I had shopped from TAIWAN at great expense; however, their fines line wasn t fine enough for some of my applications. I was also waxed, I believe so that it could be used to stitch leather. I. What do you want to know about this topic? - I look forward to read your special issue soon. - Boy, would like to know about braided line! - Where can I buy some braided line? A German maker 9 of PIANO WIRE wrote: The following text should give a basic knowledge about string materials to make the decision easier. First of all is naturally that the string should not break. Harpsichord strings are available in a big spectrum of tear resistance. The tear resistance (Rm) is dependent on: The type of material (iron, brass, copper,...) the alloy within a type of material (CuZn28, CuZn15,...) the way of production (diameter reduction, intermediate annealing, surface quality,...) There is no big problem to determine the tear resistance technically. Unfortunately it tells us only something about the point where it is already too late and the string is broken. In the practice there will be made a security subtraction of e.g. 20% or one tone below the tearing limit. Of course these are arbitrary assumptions and also years of experiences are of no use if the new bought material does not have the absolutely same physical properties as that material used before. That s why we invested much time and money in the string testing. You receive a detailed test report (without surcharge) to the string roles we deliver. The test report includes e.g. the load deflection curve and practical hints for using the material General answers: - Your questions are very good. - I wish I could answer them. (But this is why I like this topic). - I would like to build a display of samples about 25 cm each. You see there is some knowledge, but also a wish to know more. I hope I could answer some questions and help with this small article. 8. PIANO WIRE I bought a ring of piano wire to see how it looks like. Piano wire was used by mining surveyors. This wire cannot be used by common trades or collectors. On a piano wire with a diameter of 0.7 mm. you can hang a plumb bob weight of 150 kg (over 300 lbs.) A diameter of 1 mm is good for 300 kg (660 lbs). 9 Marc Vogel GmbH plumbbobwolf@t-online.de V0 WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS PLUMB BOB LINES.doc

39 9. PICTURES FROM FELLOW COLLECTORS You can make you an own display like pictured above. If you know the description, you can mark it. Some thick lines from a French collector. Used by masons. Thanks Alain Different lines from mason plumb bobs in the Netherlands. Thanks Eric. Picture right: In the upper part of this stand from iron wire you can store your long lines without any problem. 10. CONCLUSION Searching for information about plumb bob lines I found a lot of sources. Unfortunately I couldn t put all these information together to one block. So I typed the different information for you and you can make your own mind about it. There is not one single line used, but a lot of different lines depending of the weight, the use and the measuring quality plumbbobwolf@t-online.de V0 WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS PLUMB BOB LINES.doc

40 11. SOMETHING TO SMILE AT THE END: The longest plumb bob line you can see on an ad from From New York to Miami. 1,100+ miles Diameter like a railroad track. And last but not least a drawing that I found anywhere. For me it is a German conical plumb bob that meets its line. The original drawing says something like: Mr. Kite is greeting his wife Mrs. Line 12. RELATED PUBLICATIONS Further information about plumb bob lines you can also find in: - THE PLUMB LINE CONTINUUM - WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS , , , and All publications are available on I forgot to tell you that lines from banana yarn are made by hand. See picture above. You can use this line only for/with the special biological banana-plumb-bob. Important: correct results you get in half-moonnights only. The moon compensates the special shape. REMARK: This is an article of the monthly published WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS that is sent on demand as PDFfile attachment by . FREE. You can see all former and future publications on my website Remarks and contact by plumbbobwolf@t-online.de Thank you for your interest! Wolf Ruecker plumbbobwolf@t-online.de V0 WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS PLUMB BOB LINES.doc

41 Editor: Wolf Ruecker WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS 2010 Issue 04 April 01, 2010 ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS Part 1 ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS Part 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION WHAT IS INTERESTING IN ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS? ENGLAND; makers CHESTERMAN Sheffield COOKE, TROUGHTON & SIMMS RICHARD KELL MARPLES MILITARY RECORD TOOLS PICADOR, Watford EDWARD PRESTON & SONS RABONE & SONS STANLEY OTHER MAKERS: BDS, WILLIAMS, LMSD, TAYLOR ROLPH, FOREIGN etc COLLECTION RICHARD JONES, Wales UNMARKED OTHER DISTRIBUTORS PATENTED PLUMB BOBS LAST BUT NOT LEAST: RELATED PUBLICATIONS INTRODUCTION Dear Fellow Collectors, I was asked recently by a Fellow Collector from the United States to write about English plumb bobs. My first reaction was that I have insufficient information to fill 10 pages on this subject. Later, after searching my archives I found more illustrations of tools from England and the countries of the former British Commonwealth. Additionally, in my box of catalogue pages I found enough material to start a newsletter on this topic. Riccardo Chetoni from Italy is preparing a book about English Plumb Bobs, but it will be a while before it is ready for publication. Finally, I asked some friends to support me with pictures. Thus, thanks to Nelson in Connecticut, Riccardo in Italy, Karl-Heinz in Germany, Richard in Wales and all the other Fellow Collectors who helped me to write and illustrate this issue. Ultimately, I assembled so much material, that I decided to divide the article on this subject into two parts. This month I will deal with English Plumb Bobs from the BRITISH ISLES, Part 1, then next month, English Plumb Bobs from the Former Members of the BRITISH COMMONWEALTH, Part 2. (Australia, New Zealand, India and Canada.) Unfortunately I have no histories of the makers at hand. Hopefully this Newsletter will stimulate those readers who have information to contribute it to the cause of a better understanding of English manufactured plumb bobs. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de 41

42 2. WHAT IS INTERESTING IN ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS? I asked some Fellow Collectors why they love English plumb bobs. Here are the answers: - DIVERSITY AND VARIETY OF SHAPES - BEAUTIFUL SHAPES - Highly ORNATED - WELL MADE - POLISHED BRASS - HEAVY - BEAUTIFULLY FORMED BODIES - REFINED - AN UNUSUAL VARIETY OF MATERIALS such as BRASS, IVORY, IRON, WOOD - Etc. And Nelson wrote me: YOU KNOW, I CAN T THINK OF A COUNTRY THAT HAS PRODUCED MORE PLUMB BOBS FROM RARE MATERIALS, NEVER INTENDED FOR USE AS TOOLS, SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS GENTLEMAN S TOOLS, PRODUCED FOR DECORATIVE OR CEREMONIAL USES I THINK THAT THIS IS REALLY WHERE ENGLAND SHINES. I agree with these statements completely. Below I will let speak the pictures for themselves. 3. ENGLAND; makers 3.1. CHESTERMAN Sheffield CATALOGUE 1934 plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS PART 1.DOC

43 3.2. COOKE, TROUGHTON & SIMMS The MERCURY in the cat looks like STARRET USA. S239 self winding is unknown to me WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS PART 1.DOC

44 3.3. RICHARD KELL (Description from an Ebay auction, with permission. Thanks) Richard Kell Toolmaker Northumberland, in the north of England, is the home of Richard Kell, Toolmaker. Richard s series of solid brass tools are not only a pleasure to behold but are also very ingenious. Each tool is crafted by Richard himself in his small workshop and a lot of time and attention goes into each individual piece. Richard Kell is a designer and craftsman who is known for his integrity of fine craftsmanship. He is known for designing simple, useful tools such as this absolutely beautiful plumb bob. If he puts his name on a tool, it is deemed to have passed his stringent benchmark test of the highest standard and quality. This quaint plumb bob comes exquisitely encased in a finely-crafted brass cannister, with a two-rimmed engraved rings on both ends. The cannister is just over 2" tall. The plumb bob is about 1 2/8" long and 5/8" in diameter and it is connected to the lid of the cannister with a very fine strong line. It has a finely-etched finial. The top of the plumb bob unscrews out for any need of a line change. For safekeeping, the plumb bob is lowered tip first into a solid inner stand which carries a rounded indentation which has been carved to accomodate the tip of the plumb bob snugly. Picture right: from my collection a similar looking plumb bob with some technical equipment. Unmarked plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS PART 1.DOC

45 3.4. MARPLES 3.5. MILITARY Plumb bobs or instruments in military use are marked with AM (AIR MINISTRY) and the CROWN or with E arrow B. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS PART 1.DOC

46 3.6. RECORD TOOLS Pictures (from left to right): Part of the David Lynch collection; Record with patina and extremely polished; RECORD 00 and 6 1/2 For more information see the site from David Lynch Australia. He is expert for RECORD planes and the history of RECORD TOOLS: plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS PART 1.DOC

47 3.7. PICADOR, Watford Some time ago I had contact to a former director of PICADOR. From this interview and some catalogue information: PICADOR produced between 1950s and 1980s two types of bobs; - TRADITONAL as # in 60gr 80gr 100gr and 110gr and - PARALLEL as #582 1/ in 60gr 100gr 200gr 340gr 530gr The mark on the original plumb bob is located differently than shown in the pictures. I am astonished that the PARALLEL is much heavier than the TRADITIONAL.. The DIE CAST ZINC in 1963 (DIE CAST LIGHT ALLOY in 1980) plumb bobs were produced from PICADOR MOULDS but sub contracted to other foundries. Why different information about the MATERIAL in the catalogues? Zinc is a material that was added to some of PICADOR products as an aluminium substitute. Possibly for reducing costs while maintaining good quality. Where it is stated aluminium cast, it also states that the alloy will be pure. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS PART 1.DOC

48 3.8. EDWARD PRESTON & SONS Edward Preston is one of the most famous makers for plumb bobs. Let s have a look into some catalogues: Pictures right: The heaviest in this range a #12 with a weight of 4 lbs I bought it back from INDIA to Europe. 7 in = 18 cm high. I didn t polish it. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS PART 1.DOC

49 3.9. RABONE & SONS This depth weight or plumb bob was patented GB John Rabone & Sons Ltd, Birmingham WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS PART 1.DOC

50 3.10. STANLEY This flat plumb bob (left) and the Rollband patent (US from 1973) and the P741 from a 1931 catalogue page are described detailed in my WR PATENT NEWS (available on The (US PAT from 1975) was produced 1 year in the U.S.A. and later in England plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS PART 1.DOC

51 3.11. OTHER MAKERS: BDS, WILLIAMS, LMSD, TAYLOR ROLPH, FOREIGN etc. There are a lot of other makers, where only makers marks and a few details are known. If you know more, please let me know. Some by distributors in England sold plumb bobs are made in Germany i. e. BDS MADE IN WEST GERMANY. Unfortunately I could not find exactly the distributor / maker. There are some possible abbreviations. The mark MADE IN WEST GERMANY shows, that it was sold in the 1950s, when Germany was still occupied. Later Germany marked with Made in Germany. We also find a marking FOREIGN. This mark was printed on all goods not produced in England, especially imports from Germany to protect the English economic system. HARLAND & WOLF SHIPYARD PLUMB BOB (Nelson Denny collection) This 20 pound, solid brass bob is about 10" long and 5 3/4" in diameter. This tip is steel or maybe iron and the cap, with a knurled lip unscrews. I've made a hanger for the cap as I wanted a chain to support the bob. It is held in a screw and is easily removable. On the girdle of the bob is: H&W BELFAST Harland & Wolf is the very old Belfast shipyard where the Titanic was built, before being moved to Southampton. Wonderful age and character marks. Of course, the Titanic sailed in 1912 and this is dated 1913, so there is no absolute tie, but the possibility does exist. The H. JOYCE 1835 is a quintessential example of an English plumb bob. Bruce Cynar noted author of The Plumb Line, noted, the Joyce bob was one of the finer pieces I ve ever owned. Sold at auction in England in the early 1990 s it traveled to the American Mid-West then in 2004 it traveled to a noted collector in Olympia Washington. Since 2009, Joyce resides in Hadlyme, Ct., a proud centerpiece in the collection of Nelson Denny. Did YOU already visit my SEARCH PAGE on my web site? There are still some other Wanted plumb bobs. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS PART 1.DOC

52 LMSD (Pictures below are from different Fellow Collectors) WHO KNOWS THIS COMPANY LMSD? Perhaps: London, Midland & Scottish railways and the "D" for Darlington Depot Nelson Denny sent me the following information: o I HAVE 11 EXAMPLES MARKED LMSD AND MY OBSERVATIONS ARE BASED ON THOSE 11 o IT HAS BEEN PROPOSED FROM MORE THAN ONE SOURCE THAT LMSD STANDS FOR LONDON, MIDLAND, SCOTTISH DERBYSHIRE THE NAME OF AN ENGLISH RAILROAD IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY BEFORE THE NATIONALIZATION OF BRITISH RAILWAYS. o THE SHAPES ARE HIGHLY VARIED, BUT ALL THESE SHAPES HAVE A CHARACTERISTIC INDENT AT THE TIP, AND CAPS THAT WOULD BE TERMED ACORN IN SHAPE. o MARKINGS ARE ALL THE SAME SIZE, A CIRCLE WITH THE LETTERS LMSD AND A NUMERAL. MOST ARE STRUCK WITH THE MARKING IN SEVERAL PLACES ON VARIOUS PARTS OF THE BOBS. o THE LMSD S ARE BRASS WITH STEEL TIPS AND OFTEN EMPLOY LIGNUM VITAE AS AN ACCENT MATERIAL IF NOT FOR THE ENTIRE BOB BODY. o ALL 11 BOBS I HAVE ACCUMULATED ARE IN WHAT WOULD CALL UNUSED CONDITION. THIS CONDITION FACTOR, AND THE EXTREMELY STYLIZED AND DECORATIVE ELEMENTS LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THEY WERE NOT NECESSARILY CONSTRUCTED AS WORKING TOOLS. o APPEARANCES AT LIVE AUCTIONS AND ON EBAY ARE FREQUENT; THERE SEEMS TO BE A FEW OF THEM SURVIVING, AND I HAVE NEVER SEEN 2 EXACTLY ALIKE WILLIAMSON I am searching since a very long time without positive result for a WILLIAMSON S patent with INTERNAL BOBBIN. Who knows more about it? plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS PART 1.DOC

53 TAYLOR ROLPH patent Recently on EBAY, there was a listing for a patented TAYLOR ROLPH with a patent number This patent GB MERCER 1911 MEASURING DEV FOR BOWL GAMES is not for a PLUMB BOB, but for a measuring system of a bowling game. Separated into its parts, you could use either part as a plumb bob, however, that is not the defining feature. The pieces (plumb bobs) are used horizontal as the END and BEGINNING of the MEASURING LINE. Inventor is John Harley MERCER, of British nationality, Mount Carron, Carron, Falkirk, Engineer TAYLOR ROLPH used his patent to sell his products (Games, especially bowling games). Drawing from the patent GB MERCER 1922 MEASURING DEVICE FOR GAMES GAMPPER The German maker Gampper produced plumb bobs before 1900 und now for all over the world, especially for the English market. In a catalogue page from 1926 you see, that shapes from all countries are in the program. They never marked with the Gampper name. More commonly they were marked with the distributors logo. (More in the next issue about the plumb bobs in Australia): plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS PART 1.DOC

54 4. COLLECTION RICHARD JONES, Wales WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS PART 1.DOC

55 5. UNMARKED Some unmarked English plumb bobs from the collection of Karl-Heinz Riess and my own showroom. 6. OTHER DISTRIBUTORS Other names of distributors or makers are known. Perhaps later I will write about names like: LAIRD ship yard; MWST; W&W; LION TOOLS Swindon; MDS Ltd; CHARLES NURSE; BUCK & HICKMAN; HEADLAND THOMAS TOOLS; KAYE & SONS; SKELTON; STEDALL & CO; MOORE & WRIGHT; NICHOLSON & WEST; BM & CO; AIRLYNE LTD; MARLIN; PO ASB; STORMONT ACHER; MONUMENT BRAND; THORNHILL; MANN, Liverpool; WILLIAM FARNBURN etc. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS PART 1.DOC

56 7. PATENTED PLUMB BOBS About patented English plumb bobs I will write later a special issue, but today I will show a very interesting English patent GB More about it you can read in the WR PATENT NEWS Mechanized Plumb Bobs. In THE PLUMB LINE by Bruce Cynar it was shown Picture above: patent drawing. I had a problem to find the patent, because Troughton & Simms marked it with the WRONG patent number. #6247 from 1909 instead of #19687 from Inventor in both patents was William George Wiesener from Sydney Australia. It is a very expensive plumb bob. Value nearly 600 Below some nice pictures of this mechanized patented English plumb bob from Fellow Collectors. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS PART 1.DOC

57 8. LAST BUT NOT LEAST: NICE DISPLAYS OF ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS from the collection of RICCARDO CHETONI, Italy Figure right: a row of old ivory bobs. 9. RELATED PUBLICATIONS Further information about English plumb bobs in: - THE PLUMB LINE CONTINUUM - PLUMB BOBS OF THE WORLD - WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS INFORMATION FROM CATALOGUES FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - WOLF S PATENT NEWS LASER PLUMB BOS CARTER Gyrostatic Gimbals Flat French + STANLEY Mechanized plumb bobs All these publications above are available on REMARK: This is an article of the monthly published WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS that is sent on demand as PDF-file attachment by . FREE. You can see all former and future publications on my website Remarks and contact by plumbbobwolf@t-online.de Thank you for your interest! Wolf Ruecker CONTINUED in the next WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS PART 2 plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS PART 1.DOC

58 interleaved blank page

59 Editor: Wolf Ruecker WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS 2010 Issue 05 May 01, 2010 ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS Part 2 ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS Part 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION LAIRD SHIPYARD PLUMB BOBS IN AUSTRALIA PATENTED PLUMB BOB FROM AUSTRALIA PLUMB BOBS IN NEW ZEALAND PLUMB BOBS IN CANADA PLUMB BOBS IN INDIA A VERY UNIQUE PATENTED PLUMB BOB CONCLUSION RELATED PUBLICATIONS CONTINUATION OF PART 1 1. INTRODUCTION Dear Fellow Collector, in THE TOOL SHED number 86 April , published by CRAFTS of New Jersey Peter Habicht wrote about BRITISH TOOLS (not only plumb bobs): more and more we are hearing reference of English tools, really we should say British tools. Many of us forget, or do not realize, that Scotland is not a part of England. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are a part of Britain, or more correctly the United Kingdom (UK). It was not too long ago that Scotland had its own monarchy. Even today Scotland has its own parliament and bank England followed by Scotland were the principal manufacturers of woodworking tools in Britain. I agree with Peter Habicht, but for the PLUMB BOB NEWS I will use the term ENGLAND for the countries of the United Kingdom and in part 2 we will write about the other countries of the BRITISH COMMONWEALTH, as Australia, New Zealand, Canada and India. It is a simplification for all of the foreign collectors. Peter Habicht s remark about British plumb bobs:. One British tool that has been very popular with the American collector for several years is the brass plumb bob. The British bobs tend to be more ornate and shapely than their American counterparts. The more well-known ones are onion or turnip shaped. Many of these were manufactured by Edward Preston and William Marples, and range in sizes from 00(1 oz) to 12 (4 lbs). For the most part however the British bobs were unmarked, other than being stamped with the owner s initials or name. Another difference between British and American bobs is patented and mechanical plumb bobs. While American ones abound, I know of only fourteen patented or mechanized British plumb bobs. Any of you who have read THE PLUMB LINE 2 by BRUCE CYNAR are familiar with large numbers of mechanized, American-patented plumb bobs from the late 1800s into the early 1900s REMARK: Your can read and download the complete THE PLUMB LINE CONTINUUM on on the page: THE PLUMB LINE. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de 59

60 2. LAIRD SHIPYARD Let s start our tour around the world to the countries of the British Commonwealth by building a ship on a SHIPYARD in Liverpool. As you know from the Part 1, some very interesting plumb bobs were used in the shipbuilding trades. Wayne Robbins from Oregon, USA told me in Dec 2008 about a very interesting plumb bob from his collection: pertaining to John Laird and the plumb bob that was possibly used to help build one of the most famous ships of history, the CSS Alabama during our Civil War. Wayne, thank you for the pictures and the story. The plumb bob (see page 59) is marked JOHN LAIRD B HEAD and MOULD ROOM. It is from brass, weights 8 lbs and is 8 ¾ in high. Some information that Wayne found about his plumb bob are used in an article written by Herb Kean in September : John Laird was the John Laird of Laird Company of Birkenhead, one of the most famous shipbuilding yards in all England. Figure above left: drawing, how the plumb bob was used to build the ships of the 1800s. Figure above right: Birkenhead shipyard Plumb bobs on shipyards are used for: aligning the hull to the center of the building ways; and for checking structures within the hull to dimensions placed on the floor of the ways, such as the centers of the rudder, shaft line, length of vessel, beam of hull, and checking structures for vertical, such as the mast. Some masts are deliberately set with a rearward angle for increased speed. This is done by offsetting the plumbed distance from the top of the mast to the base of the mast. It will become clear that the plumb bob was an important tool in shipbuilding. This bob is stamped MOULD ROOM, as that is where it was used. The mould room, or mould loft as it was more commonly referred to, was one of the first steps in shipbuilding. It was a large building or sheltered area in a shipyard for laying off full-sized templates (or moulds) of the hull structure components from the construction drawings. The moulds, which were made out of thin wood, were used to shape the actual ship s timbers. For the story about the CSS ALABAMA (figure right from Wikipedia) and the CIVIL WAR see WIKIPEDIA: 3 THE PLUMB BOB THAT WAS INVOLVED IN THE CIVIL WAR CONSPIRACY by Herb Kean with research by Wayne Robbins. Published in THE TOOL SHED number 153 September 2008 by CRAFTS of New Jersey. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS part 2.doc

61 3. PLUMB BOBS IN AUSTRALIA I got a list of Australian plumb bob makers or distributors. Unfortunately, I am only able to illustrate some from my own files. More pictures of these brands would be greatly appreciated - BAWYA - DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE - ERECTORS INC. PTY - HERGA & CO. (Brisbane?) - JAMES WATT TOOLS - MHW LUKE MURAS LTD (marked: WITH THE COMPLIMENTS OF LUKE MURAS Ltd) PHI TELSTAR ESDAILE - CARTER TOOLS (logo: C overlaying T) Parramatta, NSW Carter Brothers started manufacture in Sydney after the WW II and continued on as Carter Tools Pty Ltd, the company ceased manufacturing operations in Different shape found with CT identification plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS part 2.doc

62 A lot of plumb bobs sold in Australia are produced in Germany by GAMPPER and marked with the distributor s logo, like BOKER, FHP, BODMANN, KAUFMANN etc. see WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS W.H.PLUMB Sidney - PAUL CALL (PAUL S MERCHANTS Pty Ltd 4 ) Sydney, NSW HERE IS ENOUGH PAPER FREE FOR YOUR INFORMATION ABOUT AUSTRALIAN PLUMB BOBS. 4 PTY LTD Propriety Limited (company structure in Australia) plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS part 2.doc

63 Some unmarked plumb bobs from my collection bought in AUS. I am not sure if they are all products of Australia. A homemade plumb bob, a brass body filled with lead. I am not sure if it was used as a plumb bob or had another use. A very heavy lead plumb bob with a long iron tip. It seems to be factory made. Unfortunately, it has a broken neck. But it works, because it has an iron rod cast through the body. Figure right: Similar to the item above, but smaller Figure left: Full brass with steel tip plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS part 2.doc

64 Some of the offered plumb bobs on Ebay in the last 6 years plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS part 2.doc

65 4. PATENTED PLUMB BOB FROM AUSTRALIA The patent GB from W. G. WIESNER, Sydney AUSTRALIA was already mentioned in part 1 on page 56. Here is some additional information, recently uncovered: Figure right: Wiesener s shop in 1880 (The Bulletin, 11 September 1880) Figure below: Wiesener s trade label for instrument sales, c (Macleay Museum) Parts from the WIESENER HISTORY 5 : Theodore Frederick Wiesener was born in Goslar, Hannover, in the north of Germany, about His father, also Theodore, was possibly a merchant or tradesman. His family must have been in a position to give him a sound education. Mr. Wiesener learnt his business in such houses as Hunt and Roskell, of London, Breguet, of Paris, Fensohn, of Hamburg, and Ceraglia, of Rome. What made him look to Australia for the right opportunity? German immigration to Australia in the nineteenth century was more significant than it now appears. Whatever his particular reasons for emigrating - an improved climate for the sake of his health may have been a factor as it was for many immigrants - young Theodore Frederick arrived in Sydney on the ship Winifred in Before long he set up as a watchmaker at 1 Hunter Street and by 1875 had moved to 348 George Street. This presumably provided both larger premises and a more prominent position. He was then living at 106 Phillip Street. As a jeweller and watchmaker also dealing in optical and fancy goods, Wiesener found a responsive market. Wiesener applied for naturalization on 16 February The trade card he had printed to go inside the lid of instrument cases made a comprehensive claim: "Astronomical, Mathematical, Optical, SURVEYING, and Philosophical Instrument Maker". Clearly surveyors were the principal market. Troughton & Simms theodolites are specifically mentioned and Wiesener s "new traversing head tripod" is particularly highlighted. The English firm of Troughton and Simms were leading makers of surveying instruments in the nineteenth century, the name would have epitomised quality to Wiesener s potential customers. He died on 1 June 1897 and was buried at Rookwood Cemetery two days later. It seems however that it was the younger son, William George, who eventually managed the business. It was he who patented an improved adjustable plumb bob in The firm continued in the name of T.F. Wiesener until 1918 when it was sold to Sidney Whatson who began the Precision Instrument Co. in By Julian Holland. Macleay Museum, University of Sydney, NSW 2006 plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS part 2.doc

66 5. PLUMB BOBS IN NEW ZEALAND The only plumb bob that I know with a maker mark from New Zealand is: W&T MARSHALL MAKERS CHCH NZ. Offered in 2005 on ebay CHCH stands for CHRISTCHURCH. No further information known. If you know more, please let me know. 6. PLUMB BOBS IN CANADA History (from WIKIPEDIA): Canada (kænədə/) is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean. It is the world's second largest country by total area. Canada's common border with the United States to the south and northwest is the longest in the world. The land occupied by Canada was inhabited for millennia by various groups of Aboriginal people. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French expeditions explored, and later settled, along the Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867, with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation, Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces. [8][9] This began an accretion of provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom. This widening autonomy was highlighted by the Statute of Westminster of 1931 and culminated in the Canada Act of 1982, which severed the vestiges of legal dependence on the British parliament. A federation consisting of ten provinces and three territories, Canada is governed as a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state. It is a bilingual nation with both English and French as official languages at the federal level. One of the world's highly developed countries, Canada has a diversified economy that is reliant upon its abundant natural resources and upon trade particularly with the United States, with which Canada has had a long and complex relationship. The only maker commonly distributed in Canada is HERCULES. In my contact with a German maker I know that plumb bobs were manufactured in Germany and sold in Canada under this name. The top and the body of this cylindrical bob are distinctly checkered. WHO KNOWS MORE ABOUT CANADIAN PLUMB BOBS? Please let me know. A Fellow Collector from Quebec (in the French speaking part of Canada) sent me some information and pictures: Attached you get some photos of plumb bobs (see next page) made in the region of Quebec by artists. I would be glad to tell you more, but collecting since more than 30 plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS part 2.doc

67 years I could not find a special Canadian shape. Figure right: an interesting plumb bob made by an artist from different materials as plexiglas, aluminum, copper, brass, iron etc. Plumb bobs made in the region of Quebec, Canada. 7. PLUMB BOBS IN INDIA HISTORY: (from WIKIPEDIA) From the 16th century, European powers such as Portugal, the Netherlands, France, and the United Kingdom established trading posts and later took advantage of internal conflicts to establish colonies in the country. By 1856, most of India was under the control of the British East India Company.[34] A year later, a nationwide insurrection of rebelling military units and kingdoms, known as India's First War of Independence or the Sepoy Mutiny, seriously challenged the Company's control but eventually failed. As a result of the instability, India was brought under the direct rule of the British Crown. In the 20th century, a nationwide struggle for independence was launched by the Indian National Congress and other political organisations.[35] Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi led millions of people in several national campaigns of nonviolent civil disobedience.[19] On 15 August 1947, India gained independence from British rule, but at the same time the Muslim-majority areas were partitioned to form a separate state of Pakistan.[36] On 26 January 1950, India became a republic and a new constitution came into effect.[37] If we see this history, we find also two different periods for plumb bobs. - The Original English shapes as shown in part 1 of this article in the time between the 1850s and 1947 as part of the British Commonwealth. We can call it the BRASS PERIOD Figure right: The largest Edward Preston plumb bob. I bought it from India. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS part 2.doc

68 - And an own development of plumb bob shapes in this subcontinent. For me it is the IRON PERIOD Some years ago I bought from a German seller a lot of plumb bobs he had purchased in India. More recently, I purchased some that had been sourced in the region of GUJARAT, INDIA. Figures right: young dealers of plumb bobs plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS part 2.doc

69 8. A VERY UNIQUE PATENTED PLUMB BOB In summer 2006 I found on ebay in AUSTRALIA an offer of a Gyrostatic PLUMB BOB. Nelson Denny won the auction. It was the only we ever saw on the market. If YOU know others, please let me know. The shape on the picture right is not the only one that Carter proposed in his patent. More shapes see in the picture below. I described this plumb bob already detailed in my PATENT NEWS The final conclusion by Nelson Denny after his tests with this very unique item: THE BOB SEEMS TO BE IN FINE BALNACE AND I HAVE LUBRICATED IT WITH SOME LIGHT MACHINE OIL. I VE CRANKED IT UP IN EVERY WAY AND ORIENTATION I CAN THINK OF NOW I EXPECTED THAT THE GYROSCOPIC ACTION WAS INTENDED TO DAMPEN IF NOT TOTALLY STABILIZE THE SWING OF THE BOB ON THE PLUMB LINE RATHER; IT SWINGS AROUND JUST LIKE ANY OTHER PLUMB BOB OF THE SAME WEIGHT. WHAT AM I MISSING? THE PATENT DRAWINGS SHOW SOME VERY SOPHISTICATED VERSIONS OF THE PRINCIPLE, USING WEIGHTES REVOLVING SIMULTANEOUSLY IN BOTH HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL PLANE I WOULD SAY THIS IDEA IS VERY THEORETICAL: I CAN T IMAGINE THAT A SPRING OR A PULL CHORD COULD EVER POWER IT LONG ENOUGH, FOR THE BOB TO COME TO REST IT LOOKS GREAT THOUGH! plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS part 2.doc

70 9. CONCLUSION By Nelson Denny from the American point of view. The English in the British Isles and by their influence in the British Empire, produced an array of simple but distinctive, utilitarian plumb bobs found mostly in the English speaking world in the 19 th and 20 th centuries. English design influence is most certainly discernable in early American made plumb bobs. Perhaps, more distinctly English, is a proliferation of plumb bobs of a defiantly non-utilitarian sort, that are most common to the English island domain. These examples tend to a high degree of ornamentation, the use of rare and unusual materials such as ivory, exotic hardwoods, or sterling silver, and seem to have a purpose seemingly more ceremonial in intent, than simple working tools. There can be identified a whole genre of decorative plumb bobs, vertical in their aspect, referred to as clock maker plumb bobs. There is also a proliferation of plumb bobs that have been made with specifically fit, detailed boxes or cases to house their ornamented bobs. A term that is frequently used in English auction vernacular, and by English tool sellers to identify this somewhat unusual phenomenon is gentleman s tools. This implies that in the transition in English society in the 19 th and 20 th century of common workers to the status of gentlemen, that real working tools might have been replaced by symbolic tools, a lingering affection for their former status. Similarly, the Masons, and other working trade affiliated organizations, no doubt used the plumb bob, along with the tri-square and compass, as symbols in their rituals. This may in part, account for many of these decorative un-utilitarian examples. To confirm his point of view, below and on the next page some English plumb bobs from his collection: plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS part 2.doc

71 10. RELATED PUBLICATIONS Further information about English plumb bobs you can also find in: THE PLUMB LINE CONTINUUM WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS , , , and WR PATENT NEWS pdf (WIESENER) WIESENER history.doc (on demand by the author) WR Patent News pdf (CARTER) All publications are available on REMARK: This is an article of the monthly published WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS that is sent on demand as PDF-file attachment by . FREE. You can see all former and future publications on my website Remarks and contact by plumbbobwolf@t-online.de Thank you for your interest! Wolf Ruecker The largest English bridge builders plumb bob from my collection. 11 in, 8+ lbs (28 cm 3,7 kg) plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS ENGLISH PLUMB BOBS part 2.doc

72 WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS 2010 Issue 06 June 01, 2010 FROM THE FANS OF THIS NEWSLETTER Highlights from my Readers Collections Editor: Wolf Ruecker HIGHLIGHTS FROM MY READERS COLLECTIONS TABLE OF CONTENTS 0. INTRODUCTION YOUR OLDEST plumb bob? YOUR BIGGEST / HEAVIEST plumb bob? YOUR SMALLEST plumb bob? YOUR MOST BEAUTIFUL plumb bob? YOUR MOST UNSIGHTLY plumb bob? YOUR MOST UNUSUAL / EXTRAORDINARY plumb bob? YOUR DARLING? YOUR MOST EXPENSIVE plumb bob? YOUR MOST INTERESTING plumb bob? YOUR plumb bob with the BEST STORY or HISTORY? Which plumb bob TRAVELLED THE LONGEST DISTANCE? YOUR MOST WHIMSICAL plumb bob? YOUR RAREST plumb bob? YOUR VERY FIRST plumb bob? Which plumb bob would you most like to add to your collection? A REMARK: B FOOTNOTES and SOURCES INTRODUCTION Dear Fellow Collector, Over the years I have attempted to make inroads on the dissemination of information on the subject of plumb bobs. At first it was unclear how many men had been captivated by the appeal of these simple tools. In time I have discovered that there is a significant community spread worldwide that have for one reason or another have assembled collections of examples, sometimes rare, sometimes mundane, of this universally known tool. One of the sad realities of plumb bob collecting is that it is a somewhat isolated activity. Although of late there has been a sharing of information on this topic, it is relatively rare for most collectors to be able to share the depth of their collections. For this reason I have embarked on a plan, a questionnaire about special plumb bobs from the collections of my readers that for one reason or another, are noteworthy. Most contributors found it difficult to isolate just one example to illustrate each question or topic so I was pleased with the number of illustrations each respondent provided. The result shows the diversity of our hobby.. This Newsletter is not an end to this inquiry. If YOU want to contribute too, feel free to send me an with your own special selections; they will be posted in future editions. Thank you. Remark: In the text I use the following initials from collectors who sent me back the answers and allowed me to publish their names: BR = Bernard Ridens USA; DB = Dogan Basak TR; DR = Dale Riedesel USA; EK = Eric Klimp NL; JA = José Asturias Rudeke GT; JMT = Jean-Marc Tranchant FR; KB = Ken Burris USA; KHR = Karlheinz Riess GER; MM = Michel Mailhot CA; ND = Nelson Denny USA; RC = Riccardo Chetoni I; DJ = Dick (Richard) Jones GB; WRo = Wayne Robbins USA; JW = John Wittersheim USA; WRu = Wolf Rücker GER In the FOOTNOTES on the last page you will find the publications, where you can read more details. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de 72

73 Here are some answers from the readers of the PLUMB BOB NEWS: 1. YOUR OLDEST plumb bob? DB: bought from Austria, according to the seller from c. 4 th century AD, 370gr DR: this bob is an Ottoman from Turkey and I assume very old 1 ND: FOUND AT ANCIENT CITY OF NIKOPOLIS AD ISTRUM IN THE EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE PROVINCE OF MOESIA INFERIOR. (PRESENT DAY BULGARIA) c. 3 rd Century AD DJ: This is my oldest 1880 s or there about s. EK: My oldest bob is a detector find from Amsterdam. I think it is about 16/17th century and made of lead. JA: No significant old plumb bob. I do have a c. XIV archipendolo. RC: oldest found in Athens, Greek. Stone years old??? 2. YOUR BIGGEST / HEAVIEST plumb bob? DB: from British shipyards, 7kg JMT: believed to be Roman KB: 1-3 AD Roman Plumb WRo: The Laird plumb bob 2 is my largest bob and weighs 8 pounds, 2 oz. I feel it is also my most beautiful one, and my most valuable. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS HIGHTLIGHTS from collections.doc

74 DR: This bob is a mining or shaft bob it weighs 45 pounds and is 18 inches tall. EK: Biggest one, 10 inches KB: 10 long, 12 lbs used on 10 story bank building in the 60 s in Albuquerque, NM ND: from the seller: As for the plumb bob (16 in long), in the earlier years we used it mostly on bridge and trestle projects to transfer centerline control to the ground in connection with re-driving wood and steel bridge pile bents. Also used it over some of the coastal lakes on the Coos Bay Branch between Reedsport and CoosBay. This was usually necessary in order to transfer centerline when replacing upper portion of bents above water with fabricated frame bents. The piling below water level was sound so existing bents would be cut-off when water level was lowest in the lakes and the new frame bents would be set on the freshly cut-off piling. From talking to some of the older guys, the plumb bob was probably around as far back as the 20's or 30's, maybe earlier. DJ: talest, biggest, heaviest ND: Named ESMERALDA for her voluptuous and exotic proportions, she intimidates my collection with never ending demands for group encounters. She s hollow and over 18 from tip to toe. Her purported use, construction erection. (Arrow shows the smallest bob) plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS HIGHTLIGHTS from collections.doc

75 3. YOUR SMALLEST plumb bob? DB: on a business card: 23mm WR: I have a lot of very small ones. Most from balances / scales or parts of old instruments. 4. YOUR MOST BEAUTIFUL plumb bob? BR: The small one I mentioned is in fact in the analytical balance photo I sent you a year or so back. (German balance August Sauter, sold in Chicago) DB: 185gr Ottoman Type 1 DR: this bob is a charm, it weighs 0.05 oz. and is 0,40 inches tall EK: Smallest bob, 3 cm, also a detector find DR: this bob is English, weighs 69 oz., is 7 3/4 inches tall, Plymouth dock, animal and floral etchings. JA: From a Keuffel & Esser optical square (Ø 3/4, 1 ) DJ: I am not sure if this is a bob or is it a mouse for threading the cords through box frame windows. EK: Most beautiful, sorry I got three FAVORITE BOBS the first 2 with their original spacers. 3 plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS HIGHTLIGHTS from collections.doc

76 JA: Mint and boxed largest Leistner PB, 4 ND: KB: Ivory w/ sterling silver point KHR: some home made brass plumb bobs from a very good friend DJ: With so many bobs it is very difficult to select the most beautiful. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS HIGHTLIGHTS from collections.doc

77 5. YOUR MOST UNSIGHTLY plumb bob? DB: 700gr DR: these 2 bobs are what I consider the ugliest. The longer one is home made with a dowel center and a cut off nail as a point. The other one is a lead bob which looks like I poured it. KB: I don t think this was meant to be a plumb bob, I think it might have been part of a steam valve. It has five different patent dates stamped on the side from , *** 1875, , , & Under the dates is ***mer & Poole, Philada. Notice how lopsided it is. Remark WR: The story of this plumb bob you ll find in answer # 10 EK: DJ: This one has been chosen because it has a hexagon headed stud as its final. JA: More than Ugly is a useless, stupid and expensive PB Remark WR: If you want to know, why he is so angry about it, ask me. ND: OWNER CONTRIVED OIL CAN WITH WINDING BOBBIN INSIDE JMT: : no comment plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS HIGHTLIGHTS from collections.doc

78 6. YOUR MOST UNUSUAL / EXTRAORDINARY plumb bob? DR: this bob is hollow with inserted batteries and a small lamp so that when you hold it by the string it shines a lite thru the hollow point at the place you want to mark. It is called a brass plumb lite by Griffin Industries. Remark WR: GRIFFIN US patent from EK: Looking forward to it JA: Köln 2,010 commemorative plumb bob Remark WR: José designed this very interesting plumb bob for the 3 rd Plumb Bob Collectors Meeting in Cologne, Germany Oct 1 st 3 rd 2010 More about it on the meeting in Cologne DJ: This one is made of some sort of white metal in the shape of a diamond with a hard steel point. Remark Wolf: All extraordinary (except the COLOGNE- PLUMB-BOB from José Asturias Rudeke) and whimsical - plumb bobs that we have in our collections are nothing in comparison with the work of Prof. John Wittersheim. Currently, a Professor of Art at Siena Heights University, in Adrian, Michigan. He gave me the permission to use his pictures for the NEWS. Below some samples of his work of More you can find on JW: I'm a sculptor / educator who's principle subject has been the plumb bob. As you can tell from the site I've been producing, but also collecting, plumb bobs for over thirty years. JMT: some friends made it for my birthday, with a granite pavement! KB: Reed & Knaus Auto Bob US Pat Knaus plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS HIGHTLIGHTS from collections.doc

79 7. YOUR DARLING? KB: Unused A.L. Thompson # 5 Lowell, Mass DB: 648 gr, Ottoman 7 Type 3 WRo: Also, I am attaching a couple of photos of another very old bob---most likely French, which I really appreciate. To my eye, it has a great shape, and is a favorite of mine. DJ: Again it is very difficult to choose which one is your favourite one, but it must be this one because of the ebony band around the middle. It also doubles with my collection of ebony tools. DR: My darling is a steel bob I picked up with a home made leather holder. Don't know why but I like it. EK: WR: It is an Al Thompson #5 (I like this shape) followed by a RIDGELY 8 patented (US CAVILLEER 1909) chalk line / plumb bob combination. I use a photo of the Ridgely on my computer screen as back ground) JA: ND: plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS HIGHTLIGHTS from collections.doc

80 8. YOUR MOST EXPENSIVE plumb bob? JA: It will be the triple PB Köln 2,010 commemorative DB: 550, 366gr. Patented WIESENER Plumb bob: KB: KNAUS US PATENT from DR: this bob is a Buff and Buff mining plummet 11, with a wick in the top for lighting and a body which would be filled with oil. Cost was $1649. The second most expensive was $481. DJ: This one cost me sterling when I bought it about 10 years ago. ND: BOXED YOUNG AND SONS PLUMMETS 13 EK: Most expensive one, from France - bought on E-Bay plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS HIGHTLIGHTS from collections.doc

81 9. YOUR MOST INTERESTING plumb bob? JA: It will be the triple PB Köln 2,010 commemorative DB: found by a treasure hunter using metal detector in the East Turkey DR: This bob is the standard (recent) plumb Robert. 14 The text in Latin around the equator : "TERTIUS PLVMBIA ORBIS CONGREGATIORVM SYMPOSIVM GERMANIAE COLONIA CLAVDIA ARA AGRIPPINSENSIVM * MMX" Means: 3 rd PLUMB BOB COLLECTORS MEETING IN THE GERMAN COLOGNE 2010 KB: Mound Indian culture from the Mid Ohio river valley about 900 AD DR: this bob is a paperhanger bob sold as a promotional item (I think) Veritas made in Canada. Remark WR: more see 15 DJ: E.R. Watts optical bob that was part of a surveyors Transit. EK: Most interesting bob, bob and spacer are from the same material and by screwing the spacer on the bob it feels like putting a silencer on a gun ) plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS HIGHTLIGHTS from collections.doc

82 10. YOUR plumb bob with the BEST STORY or HISTORY? DB: used for the construction of minarets, 2140gr JA: My main master in life: José Luis Franco Carrazco, Mexican Renaissance man, had the c. XIV Archipendolo hanging on his office door. It was his most precious asset! He told that it was a Master Mason s tool (Architect) from the Strassburg Masonic Lodge, according to the geometrical grid that was used in its design (Matila Ghyka). Master masons had to prove their identity, besides other things, pointing the origin s center of a circle, with a particular lodge s grid (in this case equilateral triangles, Strassburg), explaining how the tool design was developed. When I visited him, I always admired the big A. He got cancer in his 80 s, the last time I saw him, before I went out through the mentioned door he put the big A inside my coat and we embrace in a long farewell! José Asturias Rudeke About plumb levels see 16 KB: This is a pair of Buff & Buff earrings that were given out to the ladies by Mary McAllister. The story is Mary caused the breakup of Buff & Berger and that Louis Buff had to make Mary a sales Engineer to officially keep her around. The men received the famous small Buff watch fob plumb bob. WR: After KB sent me his most unsightly plumb bob with the FIVE PATENT DATES,(see question #5 and figure right) I tried to find out the different patents. With the help of Bruce Cynar and new close up photos we found the correct patent dates. You know, it must be a Tuesday, because all patents of the last week were dated on the next Tuesday. Now Bruce searched in a local library all patents of these dates, but did not find any patent that looks similar to a plumb bob. His conclusion: I've had a nagging suspicion ever since seeing the photos, that this plain, everyday bob did not qualify for even a single patent, much less 5 of them. So we thought this would be one of the unsolved secrets of patented plumb bobs. Some days later I started a new search on Google patent search and finally I found one name that came up on all five dates between 1874 and 1886: SCHOFIELD. This is the name that we could not read clearly. All patents given to Schofield had something to do with FAUCETS and COCKS. Aug. 11, 1874 patent 154,090 STEAM GAUGE COCKS May 11, 1875 patent 163,263 FAUCET July 12, 1881 patent 244,320 DEVICE FOR ATTACHING FAUCETS TO BARRELS June 23, 1885 patent 320,705 FAUCET Jan. 12, 1886 FAUCET A look to one of the drawings of the last patent gave us the solution. All instruments had a HANDLE where the patent dates were stamped. One of the handle was broken off and a worker (or WRo: For the LAIRD-story see NEWS English Plumb Bobs Part 2 plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS HIGHTLIGHTS from collections.doc

83 anyone else) modified this part to a patented plumb bob with a new thread and screw at the top and some work with the file where the handle was broken. See below my combination of the plumb bob and the drawing. KB: Wolf, You are right on with your findings. I can't believe the great expedition I started. I have had this plumb for many years and now I have a great story to go along with it.. I would like to thank you for the great effort in solving this mystery. I have a great belief in the fact that this is what a group of collectors should be about. It is a collecting moment that I will always remember and file away with the thought of having my chance to help a fellow collector when called upon. Again Thanks. Ken The factory Gampper produced them in silver plated and nearly 2,000 in gold plated. The base was a common 8 oz (250 gr) zinc-diecast plumb bob with iron tip 17. For the golden cover it was sent to Idar-Oberstein, the German Capital of Gemstone Industry nearby. These plumb bobs were used as a present (conversation tool) to the clients of Mercedes on the fair BAUMA 80 in Munich. DJ: A set of 3 bobs made by apprentices at Rolls Royce Darby for use within their own works. There is a stores commodity # on them, as with all things at Rolls Royce everything had to be accounted for at the end of your working shift. Later some of the remaining (golden) plumb bobs were used for special events, like the laying of the foundationstone of a new Mercedes sales office in Mainz 1986 ND: WR: MERCEDES ordered 1980 a lot of 15,000 plumb bobs for the BAUMA 80 (International trade fair for construction machinery) in Munich. MR. GRIFFIN (see figure right), WITH SIGNED GRIFFIN PATENTED PLUMB BOB 18. I HAVE THE SIGNED BOB IN MY COLLECTION. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS HIGHTLIGHTS from collections.doc

84 11. Which plumb bob TRAVELLED THE LONGEST DISTANCE? DB: travelled from Germany to New Zealand and then to Turkey. 784 gr. WR: I bought from Australia a 24 oz brass plumb bob marked FHP and produced by Gampper Germany in the 1930s for the tool dealer F.H. PRAGER from Remscheid- Lüttringhausen. A trip around the world back to the roots. More about the markers see 19 DR: I would guess it came from Turkey to Southern Idaho, USA. 12. YOUR MOST WHIMSICAL plumb bob? DR: This bob is just a brass egg shaped bob. EK: I think I'm going to make that one myself soon. EK: Longest distance bob, it is the same as my darling bob, coming from the North of the USA to the Netherlands. JMT: from Beijing China to France WR: I think some of the art work of Prof. John Wittersheim (see Question # 6) could also be placed here. ND: DECORATED WITH AN ARRAY OF CARNIVAL ANIMALS Some more from the ND-collection KB: This is a Large A.L. Thompson that from Lowell, Mass. Ended up in New Zealand and then I purchased on Ebay and it ended up in Albuquerque, NM USA Plumb bob with propeller, helps bring the plumb bob to rest. Plumb bob as tool of torture during inquisition. DJ: Surveyors Service Co. Los Angeles. From California U.S.A. to Wales. Pencil bobs (left: patented) plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS HIGHTLIGHTS from collections.doc

85 13. YOUR RAREST plumb bob? DR: The brass bob is what I believe a W & L E Gurley. I purchased a 1880 surveyors transit and this bob was in it, I believe that it is original but I can't prove it. The second on is old cast with a Robert Duplex Gauge Cock. How old, don't know EK: Rarest bob, a detector find from Amsterdam I think it is about 16/17th century and made of lead DJ: The Edward Preston with the pierced Edward Preston logo on the reel, as well as being stamped on it. WR: A chalk line / plumb bob combination from Keller & Knappich from Augsburg Germany. Produced in the 1910s. 20 JA: It will be the triple PB Köln 2010 commemorative ND: DATED AND INSCRIBED PLUMB BOBS ARE RARE ESPECIALLY IN IVORY More of these fine tools you can see on 21 plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS HIGHTLIGHTS from collections.doc

86 14. YOUR VERY FIRST plumb bob? DB: Ottoman Type 2 JA: Lost long time ago. I was an architect before becoming a collector. It was a WILD HEERBRUG surveyor PB, included with a 1,962 T1 theodolite. JMT: It's the reason of my colloection, When I bought it, it was the first time I saw a Plumb bob different of the "cylindrics"... BR: At age four, 1942, I was caught playing with my dad s machinist bob (a mercury filled Starrett 22 ) and got my fingers smacked. That taught me that there is something special about such objects. I have that specific bob today and it gives me very special memories. I started collecting bobs at age 15. I could not afford to buy the really neat bobs that I would come across. I do have 525 very common but different bobs. Remark WR: Photo right is not this original plumb bob. DR: Being a surveyor I've had many plumb bobs since about 1955, but this one probably got me started. I found it in an old tool box under a cabin. Purchased in northern Idaho in about EK: MM: given by my grandfather DJ: It is my oldest and first bob. WR: My very first plumb bobs for my collection were twins! This morning I saw very different shapes of plumb bobs on a local flea market and these two where from brass, a not very common material for plumb bobs in German. Most of the plumb bobs are from iron, lead or zinc-die-casted. KB: No picture, but was 1978 as I started the sheet metal worker apprentice program, I wanted a nice Plumb bob so I bought a nice brass bob at the flea market, which is still in my tool box today. I used to tease my dad as to the poor quality of the plumb bob he carried in his tool box and he asked me one day why I didn t remember it. Turns out I had made it in 9th grade metal shop. Remark WR: really a nice story. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS HIGHTLIGHTS from collections.doc

87 15. Which plumb bob would you most like to add to your collection? Now we know what special plumb bobs exist in some collections. Very interesting is now to know which plumb bobs our Fellow Collectors want to add to their collection. DB: I want to get an Italian medal from the 17 th century showing a plumb level. A very high symbolic scene. Description from a BALDWIN auction 23 : 440 Cosimo III de Medici ( ), Grand Duke of Tuscany, cast Bronze Medal 1684, draped bust right wearing breast plate with image of Hercules fighting the Laernean Hydra, COSMVS III D G MAGNVS DVX ETRVRIAE VI, rev Cosimo III stands dressed as a Roman general, pointing to a plumb line held over an altar by a crowned female, behind them a circular temple on whose architrave the word PACI, in exergue SIC STABIS, 90mm (V&T 35; M&E Lankheit 121). This highly symbolic reverse is designed to represent the Grand Duke s political impartiality An extremely fine contemporary cast with brown patina WRo: Your question is a hard one for me to answer, as I am not looking for any specific type of bob. I am visually oriented when keeping an eye out for my next bob. It takes me a couple of seconds to make up my mind if I like a certain one or not. I appreciate unique shapes and styles, some being very beautiful over others. JMT: My wish to add to my little collection an ancient plumb level used by many works. EK: An original Roman plumb bob like on the photo right. MM: a dream for me that I'll probably realize someday. I want to make a plumb bob in bronze or stainless steel 24-inch diameter by 3 or 4 feet long, to hang outside in my garden, I'll run in a foundry and machine do its would fantastic ND: Actually, I have no particular wish for a specific bob, now that Joyce has been captured. Any American mechanical would be gladly accepted, patented preferred. However, I do want an original letter from Paul Leistner to J. O. Heimbach thanking him for the idea of adding plumb bobs to his list of manufactured items. I root for the underdog. WR: On my list to Santa Claus I have four plumb bobs: A Roman plumb bob like on the photo right 24 A Russian 25 plumb bob like this one A pair of mining plumb bobs in a wooden box And last but not least a German Hamburg plumb bob from the 1820s 26 plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS HIGHTLIGHTS from collections.doc

88 Did YOU already answer the questions above for YOUR collection? Good luck. A REMARK: This is an article of the monthly published WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS that is sent on demand as PDF-file attachment by . FREE. You can see all former and future publications on my website Remarks and contact by plumbbobwolf@t-online.de Thank you for your interest! Wolf Ruecker B FOOTNOTES and SOURCES All publications are available on 1 WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS Ottoman and Anatolian Plumb Bobs 2 WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS English Plumb Bobs Part 2 3 WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS Wooden and metal spacers 4 See on page LEISTNER and HEIMBACH 5 WOLF S PATENT NEWS update Light / Laser plumb bobs 6 WOLF S PATENT NEWS Mechanized plumb bobs 7 WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS Ottoman and Anatolian Plumb Bobs 8 WOLF S PATENT NEWS Combination with c halk lines 2 9 WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS English Plumb Bobs Part 2 10 WOLF S PATENT NEWS Mechanized plumb bobs 11 WOLF S PATENT NEWS and WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS mining plummets 12 WOLF S PATENT NEWS Mechanized plumb bobs 13 See on page EXHIBITIONS / DISPLAY the article: How collectors display their collections 14 WOLF S PATENT NEWS Barbara and Robert (figural plumb bobs) and WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS WOLF S PATENT NEWS and VERITAS Update 16 WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS The plumb levels 17 Production of this type see WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS Production of plumb bobs 18 WOLF S PATENT NEWS update Light / Laser plumb bobs 19 WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS Production of plumb bobs 20 WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS History of chalk lines, snap lines, sumitsubo 21 See on page SPECIAL PLUMB BOBS or directly: 22 WOLF S PATENT NEWS Mercury of lead filled Photo from the collection of Hans-Tewes Schadwinkel 25 WOLF S PATENT NEWS Russian plumb bobs 26 WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS German plumb bobs plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS HIGHTLIGHTS from collections.doc

89 Editor: Wolf Ruecker WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS 2010 Issue 07 July 01, 2010 THE MOUNT RUSHMORE PLUMB BOBS THE MOUNT RUSHMORE PLUMB BOBS TABLE OF CONTENTS 0. INTRODUCTION MOUNT RUSHMORE + MUSEUM SCULPTOR GUTZON BORGLUM THE POINTING SYSTEM THE PLUMB BOBS A REMARK: B FOOTNOTES and SOURCES INTRODUCTION Dear Fellow Collector, Last year I wrote about the plumb bobs used in the construction of the Washington Monument 1. Another National Monument of extraordinary physical stature are the famous sculptures at Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Logic would dictate that like all construction projects the plumb bob played a role in the sculpting of the presidents on the stone face of the mountaintop. Unlike the shape of the Washington Monument which is quite regular in its geometry and therefore a relatively straightforward application of the plumb bob and plumb line, I felt it would be interesting to find out how the simple plumb bob was adapted to an application of construction as irregular as the faces of the four presidents on an even more irregular stone surface. What is important to remember is that the artist could conceptualize the recognizable facial features of his four subjects in a large but reduced scale studio model. It is quite another matter for those exact features and proportions to be transferred to the mountainside to figures twelve times larger than the model. Dangling from cables, with no sense of perspective of the overall view, workers with stone working tools had to work to remove stone to specific points of reference, proportional to the studio concept. Employing a principle somewhat like a pantograph an interesting application of the use of the plumb bob was employed to transfer the proportions of the artist s model to the immense stone face on the mountainside. Searching in the www for Mount Rushmore, you get thousands of pages, but only a few mention the role of the plumb bob used to build this monument. Knowing that there must have been a special plumb bob in use on the site I asked the National Park Service, NPS, for some specific information. Their first response was not very promising: Hello Wolf, we unfortunately do not have any history of the pointing system online or on our website. There are some historic photographs on our website, but we don t have any that specifically show the plumb bob in use. I also unfortunately don t have a photo of our second plumb bob. I have two photographs in our archives that I have attached here. They are pictures of the upper part of the pointing system, but I don t have photos specifically of the plumb bob Rex Alan Smith s book The Carving of Mount Rushmore 2, actually has more photographs that what I have concerning the pointing system. He also has a good general explanation of the creation and use of the pointing system. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de 89

90 I will not attempt to rewrite any of the fine articles about Mount Rushmore. Rather, I will chart a new emphasis the things of interest to the plumb bob collector. The other information you can get from the world wide web. The official web site of the National Park Service NPS is: Other sources see foot notes on the last page. 1. MOUNT RUSHMORE + MUSEUM After several false starts regarding the site and subject matter for the memorial, Borglum s demand for a national rather than a regional monument prevailed and the feet high outcrop of Mount Rushmore became the future site of a monument to the Empire Builders of the nation the four U. S. presidents George Washington (as a leader of the American Revolution), Thomas Jefferson (for completing the Louisiana Purchase), Abraham Lincoln (for winning the Civil War and maintaining the Union), and Theodore Roosevelt (for construction the Panama Canal). Some general information (from Wikipedia 3 ) Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore near Keystone, South Dakota in the United States. Sculpted by Gutzon Borglum and later by his son Lincoln Borglum, Mount Rushmore features 60-foot (18m) sculptures of the heads of former United States presidents (in order from left to right) George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. The entire memorial covers 1, acres (5.17 km2) and is 5,725feet (1,745m) above sea level. South Dakota historian Doane Robinson is credited with conceiving the idea of carving the likenesses of famous people into the Black Hills region of South Dakota in order to promote tourism in the region. Robinson's initial idea was to sculpt the Needles; however, Gutzon Borglum rejected the Needles site and chose the larger Mount Rushmore. Borglum also decided the sculpture should have a more national focus, and chose the four presidents whose likenesses would be carved into the mountain. After securing federal funding, construction on the memorial began in 1927, and the presidents' faces were completed between 1934 and Upon Gutzon Borglum's death in March 1941, his son Lincoln Borglum took over construction. Though the initial concept called for each president to be depicted from head to waist, lack of funding forced construction to end in October The U.S. National Park Service took control of the memorial in 1933, while it was still under construction, and manages the memorial to the present day. It attracts approximately two million people annually. The Museum Postcard Drilling holes FAQ S to the NPS see: plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS MOUNT RUSHMORE PLUMB BOBS.doc

91 2. SCULPTOR GUTZON BORGLUM From Wikipedia 4 : (John) Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum (March 25, 1867 March 6, 1941) was an American artist and sculptor famous for creating the monumental presidents' heads at Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, the famous carving on Stone Mountain near Atlanta, as well as other public works of art. The son of Danish immigrants, Gutzon Borglum was born in 1867 in St. Charles, Idaho. His father worked mainly as a woodcarver. At the age of seven, he moved to Nebraska, and later graduated from Creighton Preparatory School. He was trained in Paris at the Académie Julian, where he came to know Auguste Rodin and was influenced by Rodin's impressionistic lightcatching surfaces. Back in the U.S. in New York City he sculpted saints and apostles for the new Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in 1901, in 1906 got a group sculpture accepted by the Metropolitan Museum of Art the first sculpture by a living American the museum had ever purchased and made his presence further felt with some portraits. He also won the Logan Medal of the Arts. After graduation from Harvard Technical College, his reputation surpassed that of his younger brother, Solon Borglum, already an established sculptor. A fascination with gigantic scale and themes of heroic nationalism suited his extroverted personality. His head of Abraham Lincoln, carved from a six-ton block of marble, was exhibited in Theodore Roosevelt's White House and can be found in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C. A patriot, believing that the "monuments we have built are not our own," he looked to create art that was "American, drawn from American sources, memorializing American achievement" according to a 1908 interview article. His equation of being "American" with being born of American parents "flesh of our flesh" was characteristic of nativist beliefs in the early 20th century. Borglum was highly suited to the competitive environment surrounding the contracts for public buildings and monuments, and his public sculpture is sited all around the United States. From WIKIPEDIA 5 : His Mount Rushmore project, , was the brainchild of South Dakota state historian Doane Robinson. His first attempt with one of the faces was blown up after two years. Dynamite was also used to remove large areas of rock from under Washington's brow. The initial pair of presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, was soon joined by Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt. Borglum alternated exhausting on-site supervising with world tours, raising money, polishing his personal legend, sculpting a Thomas Paine memorial for Paris and a Woodrow Wilson one for Poland. In his absence, work at Mount Rushmore was overseen by his son Lincoln. During the Rushmore project, father and son were residents of Beeville, Texas. When he died in Chicago, following complications after surgery, his son finished another season at Rushmore, but left the monument largely in the state of completion it had reached under his father's direction. 3. THE POINTING SYSTEM For us of interest are the pointing system and the used materials. A very good description was printed 1933 in Modern Mechanix6: WORLD S LARGEST STATUE CARVED IN MOUNTAIN The world regards with awe the stupendous sculptural achievements of the ancient engineers who built the Egyptian Sphinx, the Colossus of Rhodes and the Pyramids, but now it has a new monumental edifice to marvel at which dwarfs the projects of the ancients to almost insignificant proportions. In the Black Hills of South Dakota a group of engineers, captained by the famous sculptorengineer, Gutzom Borglum, are carving from a mountain of living granite the figures of Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln, whose faces alone measure sixty feet from chin to cranium top twice the height of the face of the Sphinx of Gizeh. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS MOUNT RUSHMORE PLUMB BOBS.doc

92 Next I made a working model of Washington which was five feet from the chin to the top of his head. This model was taken to the top of Rushmore and used to guide the carving of the great stone head. The measurements taken from the working models are multiplied by twelve an inch on the model being a foot on the statue and are transferred to the granite of Mount Rushmore with the aid of a 30 ft. swinging boom and plumb bob. This boom swings horizontally through a graduated arc of 180 degrees. The plumb bob may be suspended from any point upon it. After setting the angle, the distances horizontally outward and vertically downward to the rock are measured by tape. Skillful engineering here is as important to the work as artistic modeling. Borglum Explains Engineering Procedure When the work was first begun, I picked the largest sound piece of granite for the figure of Washington, Mr. Borglum continued. The carving of the rock monument consisted in excavating the excess granite by a process of drilling and blasting which removes successive thin layers without injuring the mountain itself. As little as ten inches of granite can be moved at one time. In a special interview with a MODERN Mechanix correspondent, Mr. Borglum explained the engineering procedure by which he is attacking his titanic job. First, the bronzed and rugged sculptor said, I prepared a small scale model to get the proper grouping of the three figures. This work was done in a studio with a great plate glass window looking out upon Rushmore. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS MOUNT RUSHMORE PLUMB BOBS.doc

93 Engineers Work in Safety Harness This process proceeds to within a few inches of the final surface, and then the finishing is done by a broaching process A photo of the THREE figures in the studio, before Roosevelt was added.. There are no reserved seats at Rush-more. Workmen when engaged in actual carving are suspended over the edge of the cliff in steel and leather harnesses attached to a 3/8 inch steel cable. These cables are paid out or reeled in by hand winches. Usually ten Ingersoll-Rand R12 Jack-hammer drills are on the job for the rougher work. When in use these, too, they are attached to cables. The drills are 7/8 inch steel finished with cross bits. All drilling is dry. On the head of the three figures, now roughly completed, the drill holes were from 10 to 12 inches deep, about three inches apart and set about six inches from the face. About a 40 per cent special gelatin dynamite is used in each hole. The cap wires of a row of holes, usually from 60 to 75, are connected and the charges in the row of holes are fired simultaneously by means of a 110-volt power circuit. The dynamite does its work rapidly and smoothly. When blasting has brought the work to within three or four inches of the finished surface, another procedure is employed for the final sculpturing. Holes three or four inches in depth are drilled vertically into the face at intervals of about three inches over the entire surface. Chisel bits are used in this step, as they do faster work. Once all the holes have been drilled, the rock between is broached out with the aid of short pointed steel gads driven by plugger drills. Broaching produces the finer finished surface. A better photo of Gutzon Borglum's model of Mt. Rushmore memorial--washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt & Lincoln c you can see on www 7 : THE POINTING SYSTEM 8 Measurements were taken from the model and applied to the mountain carving using the pointing system. The way the pointing system worked was a metal shaft (1) was placed upright at the center of the model s head. Attached at the base of the shaft was a protractor plate (2), marked in degrees, and a horizontal ruled bar (3) that pivoted to measure the angle from the central axis. A weighted plumb line (4) hung from the bar; it slid back and forth to measure the distance from the central head point, and raised and lowered to measure vertical distance from the top of the head. Thus, each point on the model received three separate measurements. The number was multiplied by 12 (angles remained the same) and transferred to the granite face via a large scale pointing system anchored at the top of each head. Every inch on the model equals one foot on the mountain. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS MOUNT RUSHMORE PLUMB BOBS.doc

94 POINTING SYSTEM: 9 Pointing involves transferring as many locations as needed (sometimes thousands) along the surface of a study model, typically a human figure, as well as marking the depth of the hole to be drilled into the finishing model. After locating enough points around an area, assistants could then cave short of the finished surface, allowing the sculptor to complete the figure. The POINTER: 10 As Borglum s son noted, the pointer was a more modern figure, part technician and part project manager rather than artisan. As a pointer for Mount Rushmore starting in 1933 Lincoln Borglum recounted that, the pointer was the most important man on the mountain, next to the sculptor, since he was responsible for all measurements and approved all drilling and blasting. In the day-to-day operation, he had to constantly lay out new work so there would be no delay in placing the workmen to the greatest advantage, and he was the one who must be able at all times to tell the sculptor how much stone there was at any given points. Borglum senior was mostly removed from the daily work on the memorial, stipulating in his contract that he would visit the site on an irregular basis and be directly involved only in the finishing of the surface. On LINCOLN S HEAD 11 plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS MOUNT RUSHMORE PLUMB BOBS.doc

95 Figure below: Jim Larne and Lincoln Borglum, standing on head beside pointing machine. Ca THE PLUMB BOBS The NPS has two original plumb bobs in the collection. There is NO MERCURY FILLED plumb bob (as mentioned in some newspapers). It is likely that they were made onsite during the time of construction. The catalog description from the NPS reads: 13 ½ inch steel plumb bob, fastened at the top, pointed at opposite end. Used in transferring measurements from studio models to memorial figures. Working on the models they used a common six sided / hexagon plumb bob. 13 plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS MOUNT RUSHMORE PLUMB BOBS.doc

96 Not to see on the photo: The plumb bob at the end of the plumb line A REMARK: This is an article of the monthly published WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS that is sent on demand as PDF-file attachment by . FREE. You can see all former and future publications on my website Remarks and contact by plumbbobwolf@t-online.de Thank you for your interest! Wolf Ruecker B FOOTNOTES and SOURCES 1 WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS THE PLUMB BOB OF WASHINGTON MONUMENT IN WASHINTON D. C. 2 On Amazon for less than $ Modern Mechanics 1933 WORLD S LARGEST STATUE CARVED IN MOUNTAIN From Glenn Forley: 10 From Glenn Forley: 11 MORU 0269:Photograph by Julian Spotts, NPS Photo, MORU 5210 Unknown photographer 13 Modern Mechanics 1938 p 825 Models used in shaping Mt. Rushmore group plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS MOUNT RUSHMORE PLUMB BOBS.doc

97 Editor: Wolf Ruecker WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS 2010 Issue 08 August 01, 2010 SPECIAL USES OF PLUMB BOBS SPECIAL USES of PLUMB BOBS TABLE OF CONTENTS 0. INTRODUCTION CYCLING KITE GOLF BOWLS PINBALL AEROMODELLING BOMBER TRAINING CARS + RAILWAYS AMUSEMENT ARCHERY SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT SOURCES and FOOTNOTES Above: Drawing from patent US from 1987 DEVICE FOR ASSESSING INCLINATION 0. INTRODUCTION Dear Fellow Collector, Usually we think that only workers like masons, carpenters etc. use plumb bobs to verify the verticality of their work. But there are also other people who use plumb bobs in unusual, imaginative and sometimes whimsical ways. Today I will illustrate the use of plumb bobs in relation to other activities not normally associated with work and tools used to perform work. An offer B : Plumb Bob Brass Plumb Bob with waxed string. Small size - stows easily into Bike Fit Systems Cleat Screw Kit, measuring 1" in length. $ The sources for the material in this newsletter are old patents, old books or newspapers and the world wide web. 1. CYCLING To get the right position on a bicycle a plumb bob is used A : plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS SPECIAL USES of PLUMB BOBS.doc

98 2. KITE From a 1910 French newspaper C Translated from the French original: Angle Indicator for a KITE I tried to make an angle indicator for a kite. It consists of one quarter of a circle whose center is equipped with a plumb line indicating the angle of the scale graduated cable retainer kite with the horizon at the same time against each other cable and part b, the instrument is maintained and steadily and can slide downwards. The center of the quadrant is pierced with a tiny hole through which a wire ending in a ball of lead (p), this thread is the index of the scale. The dimensions shown relate to one quadrant with a degree equal to 2 millimeters, to make the scale easier to perform and also reading less tiring. The central recess is designed to make the device lighter, to distort the least possible information. The drawing shows the device placed on the cable ALBERT BENEZET plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS SPECIAL USES of PLUMB BOBS.doc

99 3. GOLF You want to improve your game of golf? There are more patents than you would imagine where a plumb bob is proposed to improve your game. Here some examples: I learned on a web site D that there exists a special GOLFER TYPE plumb bob! THE PLUMB BOB GUY Plumb-Bob Guy evaluates a putt from every direction. First they stand behind the ball and plumb-bob their putter as if they are surveying new road construction. They don't feel confident until they consult a U.S. Corps of Engineers topographic map they have spread out on a Black and Decker Workmate set up on the green. Then they take a soil sample to determine moisture content and grass variety. By this time you've sat in the fairway so long waiting for them to clear the green you get hungry so you build a fire and roast hot dogs. This could be correct. I found some patents that show members of this type plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS SPECIAL USES of PLUMB BOBS.doc

100 WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS SPECIAL USES of PLUMB BOBS.doc

101 FLAG FOR GOLF COURSE The mining surveyors would be happy to know this patent from 1935, but it is for a Golf Course: GOLF PUTTER WITH INDICATING LEVEL 4. BOWLS As already mentioned in the NEWS English plumb bobs part 1 PLUMB BOBS are also used for playing bowls: TAYLOR ROLPH patent Recently on EBAY, there was a listing for a patented TAYLOR ROLPH with a patent number This patent GB MERCER 1911 MEASURING DEV FOR BOWL GAMES is not for a PLUMB BOB, but for a measuring system of a bowling game. Separated into its parts, you could use either part as a plumb bob, however, that is not the defining feature. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS SPECIAL USES of PLUMB BOBS.doc

102 The pieces (plumb bobs) are used horizontal as the END and BEGINNING of the MEASURING LINE. Inventor is John Harley MERCER, of British nationality, Mount Carron, Carron, Falkirk, Engineer TAYLOR ROLPH used his patent to sell his products (Games, especially bowling games). Drawings below from the patent GB MERCER 1911 MEASURING DEV FOR BOWL GAMES and GB MERCER 1922 MEASURING DEVICE FOR GAMES WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS SPECIAL USES of PLUMB BOBS.doc

103 5. PINBALL The Roll Tilt which is a metal ball that runs along an inclined guide that senses if the machine has been lifted. The Playfield Tilt - which is a set of contacts that detect excessive slamming or lifting / dropping of the machine. Harry Williams (with Sam Stern) went on to establish Williams Manufacturing in 1944, another name that is well renowed, but unfortunately ceased manufacturing Pinball Machines in 1999, as the Pinball History will reflect. Plumb Bob Everybody knows a pin ball machine. But did you know that there is a plumb bob hidden inside? Here are some details (more see on the web site of the pinball-fixers E : TILT Harry Williams (while working for Pacific Amusements) was the person responsible for inventing the "TILT" mechanism in The idea was to stop people from lifiting and moving the machine, so they could "win" at it. Another milestone for Pinball History, without it, the newer machines would never have gained their popularity as a game of skill. As Pinball Machines had now progressed from the early Bagatelle games, where you could now win prizes, there needed to be a way to prevent people from "cheating". The TILT mechanism solved this problem, and there are different versions of the TILT mechanism: The Plumb Bob Tilt - which has a weighted metal rod dangling down into a metal circle, therefore sensing all movement and "Tilting" the machine. The Slam Tilt - which is a set of contacts that detect the "slamming" of the front door. The Plumb Bob was first used as a Tilt Mechanism in This new design (also by Harry Williams) was far more reliable, easier to adjust, and didn't have to be reset. The idea of a Plumb Bob has been around a long time, and is used in construction, surveying, and measurement, to name a few. Basically it is a piece of string that is attached to a weight at one end, while hanging from the other. This gives you a perfectly vertical line that is vertically level. The Plumb Bob Tilt works on this principle, but is a metal rod attached to the pinball machine cabinet at one end (top), with the weight at the other (bottom). It has a metal ring surrounding the weighted end. The Plumb Bob works as a switch contact. The metal rod is attached to one half of the switch wiring, while the metal ring is attached to the other half. When the Plumb Bob swings due to movement of the pinball machine, it eventually plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS SPECIAL USES of PLUMB BOBS.doc

104 touches the metal ring, closing the circuit (switch), and tells the pinball it has been "tilted". This process causes the pinball machine to shut down until the ball has returned to its start (drained). Modern Pinball Machines give Warnings (which are usually adjustable from 0 to 5) before they shut the machine down, and wait for the ball to be returned. Harry Williams called this new version "Tilt" after he overheard some players saying that the machine had "Tilted" after nudging it too much. The Plumb Bob can be adjusted to determine how it reacts to nudging. If the Plumb Bob (or weight) is moved up on it's shaft, it becomes closer to the metal ring. This means that it takes less movement for the Plumb Bob to make contact. Similarly, moving it further down the rod increases the amount of movement required before the machine will tilt. The Plumb Bob Tilt when activated causes modern pinball machines to stop play on the current ball. Once the ball has drained, a new ball is started, and play is allowed to continue. But you can cause the machine to end the current game, loose that credit, and have to start over again... Here are some patent drawings of this system from 1937 and 1994: plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS SPECIAL USES of PLUMB BOBS.doc

105 The same mechanism is also used for a US Patent MOTION SENSOR / PEDOMETER: (must be very very small) TANK WAGON This system is also used to be sure that a tank wagon is in the correct position (horizontal), when it is checked at the board of weights and measures / gauging office. The photos below are from a visit in a German Eichamt in Bad Kreuznach. With the diameter of the hole and the diameter of the plumb bob you can make a definition of tolerance. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS SPECIAL USES of PLUMB BOBS.doc

106 6. AEROMODELLING In the www I found another use of the plumb bob F : It is the story of the construction of a Seabee Sport/F3A Pattern. With the aircraft fully assembled and ready to fly, I hung it in a home-made balance-rig to do a final check on the Center-of-Gravity. The CoG will always lie directly under the point of suspension, and a plumb-bob hanging from the same point will show the exact location of the CoG on the airframe. Ready for TAKE OFF! 7. BOMBER TRAINING In MODERN MECHANIX from Oct 1940 G I found: Tricycle Trains Army Bombers Perched on an odd three-wheeled framework of metal tubing, a U. S. Army pilot and his bombardier are pictured above at Riverside, Calif., getting in some ground bombing practice with an electrical machine said to simulate actual bombing conditions. A falling plumb bob plays the role of a bomb. Note that the bomb sight, a closely-guarded Air Corps secret since it is reputed to be the most accurate in the world, is covered with a hood to hide it from the prying eye of the camera. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS SPECIAL USES of PLUMB BOBS.doc

107 8. CARS + RAILWAYS Last year I got from the USA an instrument to measure the alignment of the wheels on a car. With some relative degree of accuracy some parameters of the WHEEL such as camber, caster, king pin alignment and side inclination of front wheels, can be measured and corrected. Searching for more information I found some patents from 1931, 1935 and 1951(not all shown here): Two homemade versions from the www: This type of tool was offered on Ebay some years ago. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS SPECIAL USES of PLUMB BOBS.doc

108 As recently as 1953 this plumb bob was part of a patent. Much older is the RAILWAY GAUGE patent from The drawings tell it all. Another instrument (plumb level) for this measurement from BELGIUM: plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS SPECIAL USES of PLUMB BOBS.doc

109 9. AMUSEMENT TEXT BY ANDY ANDRADE H Unlike normal pendulums, like you find in grandfather clocks, two external forces are operating on the pendulum: the downward action of gravity acts upon the mass of the pendulum, and the tension on the line between the mass and the anchor point. It is the interplay between these two forces that, primarily, describe the patterns in which the mass moves. To know more about the Original Foucault Pendulum in Paris, see WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS about the collectors meeting in Paris on It s a beautiful dance, but it s difficult to see just how elegant and complex the movement is until you find a way to see the movement in context. By sharpening the mass to a point and having it describe its path through a shallow dish of sand, you can see the track the pendulum takes on its regular rhythmic cycle. Back and forth, to and fro, the pendulum swings into gorgeous elliptical loops and whorls. This chrome Pit and Pendulum, while not as sinister as the version Poe wrote about, belongs on your desk, creating art out of science beauty out of mathematics. Using phrases like conical pendulum mathematical aesthetics make a person appear smart, a prerequisite for mad scientists. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS SPECIAL USES of PLUMB BOBS.doc

110 10. ARCHERY WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS SPECIAL USES of PLUMB BOBS.doc

111 11. SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT Sometimes not a PLUMB BOB but a CHALK LINE is used to get information about the vertical position.(unknown source) A POLICE TEST: SERGT: NOW SIR, WILL YOU PLEASE WALK DOWN THAT CHALK LINE. LOOK HERE SERGENT HIG NO LARKS HIG - WISH LINE D MEAN? Standard version Last but not least: A GOLFERS PLUMB from Design patent US from 1996 High speed version (aerodynamic) plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS SPECIAL USES of PLUMB BOBS.doc

112 Last message before deadline: PLUMB BOB SELLER ON THE MOON! The French are now also represented on the moon with a tool shop. (See picture right). The last time I saw D. V., (a reader of my newsletter and a well known French tool seller) at the meeting in Bievres/Paris; May This could still be a fine topic for one of the next NEWS. By the way, Alan Shepard did not use any of the golf training aids shown in the chapter 3 GOLF. See picture right ix Portrait by Apollo 12 Astronaut And Fourth Man On The Moon, Alan Bean, Of Apollo 14 Astronaut And Fifth Man On The Moon, Alan Shepard, Hitting The First Lunar Golf Ball With a No 6 Iron Golf Club, Feb. 1971: 12. SOURCES and FOOTNOTES The full patents you can find on REMARK: This is an article of the monthly published WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS that is sent on demand as PDF-file attachment by . FREE. You can see all former and future publications on my website Remarks and contact by plumbbobwolf@t-online.de Thank you for your interest! Wolf Ruecker FOOTNOTES: A B C D E F G H ix plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS SPECIAL USES of PLUMB BOBS.doc

113 Editor: Wolf Ruecker WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS 2010 Issue 09 September 01, YEAR ANNIVERSARY, PLUMB BOB PATENTS Year Anniversary, Plumb Bob (and Chalk Line) Patents TABLE OF CONTENTS 0. INTRODUCTION FR SCHOTT (France) 1909 fil à plomb rationnel. The rational plumb line US WILSON 1909 REEL FOR PLUMB BOBS US HALL 1909 CHALK LINE HOLDER US AIRESMAN filed 1910 PLUMB BOB US JOICE filed 1910 PLUMB BOB US HULL 1910 LEVELLING AND GRADING INSTRUMENT US BERGER 1909 MINING TRANSIT CENTER FINDER US SCHMIDTKE 1909 SENKLOT US LOEVEN 1909 PLUMB BOB US STARR 1909 LINE CHALKER US FERRIS 1910 SHAFT CENTERING DEVICE US CAVILEER 1909 PLUMB BOB AND CHALK LINE HOLDER US EASTMAN 1910 CHALK-LINE HOLDER US LAUT 1911 CHALK LINE HOLDER REMARKS INTRODUCTION Dear Fellow Collector, As a specialist in patents and patented plumb bobs, I feel I must devote at least one issue a year to the subject of patents. Unfortunately I forgot it last year. Today we will see those patents celebrating their centennial birthday, filed or issued in the year 1909 or These patents were issued for plumb bobs or instruments which incorporate a plumb bob. Since I am also collecting CHALK LINES I added some CHALK LINE HOLDER PATENTS. A Only few of the following patents were mentioned in my WR PATENT NEWS 2007, so the rest is new material to my faithful readers. FR SCHOTT (France) 1909 fil à plomb rationnel. The rational plumb line. US WILSON 1909 REEL FOR PLUMB BOBS US AIRESMAN filed 1910 PLUMB BOB US JOICE filed 1910 PLUMB BOB US HULL 1910 LEVELLING AND GRADING INSTRUMENT US BERGER 1909 MINING TRANSIT CENTER FINDER US SCHMIDTKE 1909 PLUMB BOB US LOEVEN 1909 PLUMB BOB US FERRIS 1910 SHAFT CENTERING DEVICE US CAVILEER 1909 PLUMB BOB AND CHALK LINE HOLDER GB18557 CAVILEER 1909 IMPROVED COMBINED PLUMB BOB AND CHALK LINE HOLDER US STARR 1909 LINE CHALKER US EASTMAN 1910 CHALK-LINE HOLDER US HALL 1909 CHALK LINE HOLDER US LAUT 1911 CHALK LINE HOLDER I was unable to find pictures for some of the devices that were actually made and have survived the century. Like most ideas that are patented, one is never sure if that idea was ever made or survived as a prototype or even more unlikely, achieved any level of commercial success. Nevertheless these patents remain important artefacts in the evolution of plumb bobs. If anyone knows of any of these patented instruments, please let me know. Thanks. Wolf If you want to know more about other PATENTED PLUMB BOBS, see on page PATENTS. There you can see and download all 50 articles, written in plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS Year Anniversary Patents.doc

114 1. FR SCHOTT (France) 1909 fil à plomb rationnel. The rational plumb line Original text : Le fil à plomb rationnel est un instrument qui permet d'établir un plan horizontal renferment l'oeil de l'observateur. Il est basé sur le principe suivant: Un cercle horizontal a pour image apparente une ellipse chaque fois qu'il est situé dans un plan horizontal plus élevé que l'oeil de l'observateur. Sa forme apparente est encore une ellipse quand il es situé dans un plan horizontal lus bas que l'oeil de l'observateur. A la meme hauteur que l'oeil de l'observateur, son image apparente est une ligne droit horizontale. Cette ligne droite horizontale détermine dans l'espace le plan horizontal qui renferme l'oeil de l'observateur. Le fil à plomb rationnel, est construit en tout métal et en toutes dimensions. Il se compose (fig.1), d'un cercle perpendiculaire à l'axe du cone qui le surmonte. Il sert, aux dessinateurs à trouver sur la nature la hauteur de la ligne d'horizon, aux architectes, aux ingénieurs militaires, etc., à opérer des nivellements, à apprécier des hauteurs et des altitudes, à tracer le profil des routes et à déterminer l'éloigement d'un point à un autre. Translation The rational plumb line is an instrument which makes it possible to establish a horizontal plane containing the eye of the observer. It is based on the following principle: A horizontal circle has as an image an ellipse each time it is located in a horizontal plan higher than the eye of the observer. Its apparent form is still an ellipse when it is located in a horizontal plane below the eye of the observer. With the same height as the eye of the observer, its image apparent as a horizontal line right. This horizontal straight line determines in space the horizontal plane which contains the eye of the observer. The rational plumb line is built in any metal and all dimensions. It is composed of a circle perpendicular to the axis of the cone which surmounts it. It is useful for the draughtsmen to find on nature the row height of horizon, for the architects, the military engineers, etc, to operate levellings, to appreciate heights and altitudes, to trace the profile of the roads and to determine one point with another. I understand it as follows: (The arrow shows the direction of viewing) DID ANYONE SEE THIS PLUMB BOB? plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS Year Anniversary Patents.doc

115 2. US WILSON 1909 REEL FOR PLUMB BOBS What he claims is: Who saw this invention????? 3. US HALL 1909 CHALK LINE HOLDER WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS Year Anniversary Patents.doc

116 4. US AIRESMAN filed 1910 PLUMB BOB This is one of the build in reel plumb bobs that was never produced. Or do you know one? If you want to see more mechanical patented plumb bobs, see on page PATENTS OF PLUMB BOBS or download on page THE PLUMB LINE continuum the full issue WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS Year Anniversary Patents.doc

117 5. US JOICE filed 1910 PLUMB BOB This patent was already mentioned in WOLF S PATENT NEWS MARKING PLUMB BOBS At the first view I didn t see that the tip was formed for marking plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS Year Anniversary Patents.doc

118 6. US HULL 1910 LEVELLING AND GRADING INSTRUMENT This invention is not so interesting for plumb bob collectors, but I like the drawing with the two surveyors. See drawing below plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS Year Anniversary Patents.doc

119 7. US BERGER 1909 MINING TRANSIT CENTER FINDER 8. US SCHMIDTKE 1909 SENKLOT WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS Year Anniversary Patents.doc

120 9. US LOEVEN 1909 PLUMB BOB 10. US STARR 1909 LINE CHALKER I never saw a produced chalk line with fixed guides. The commonly used metal chalk lines have no guides. (see figures right) plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS Year Anniversary Patents.doc

121 11. US FERRIS 1910 SHAFT CENTERING DEVICE This patent was already mentioned in WOLF S PATENT NEWS This tool is from my collection. The patent date is mysterious: I found for FERRIS an application date Aug. 26, 1908 patent date May, and appl. Feb. 25, 1909 with patent date Mar. 29, 1910 for the following patents, but not Aug. 30, plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS Year Anniversary Patents.doc

122 12. US CAVILEER 1909 PLUMB BOB AND CHALK LINE HOLDER Below the text from the WOLF S PATENT NEWS This combination tool is one of my favorites that I have on my computer screen as back ground. This tool was produced by RIDGELY in Ohio, a far distance from San Francisco. Bruce Cynar told me in 2003: The Ridgely Company was located in Springfield, Ohio and to my knowledge no longer exists. Back at turn of the century and up thru at least the 1930s, they made and or distributed (I don't know if they were a manufacturer or only a distributor) wall paper supplies. Produced by RIDGELY Another very interesting combination of plumb bob and chalk line is the invention of Cavilleer from San Francisco CA in This patent was accepted also in England as GB on 28 th Oct., The text of the patent is not exactly identical, the last paragraph is shorter in the English version. Also did they translate some American phrases (that s my impression): to coil = be wound; color= colour; set screw = set-screw; opposite the same = opposite therto.. The drawings are not exactly the same. The numbers are different, the hatching is different and the size of the Fig.2 is longer in the US version. That shows that these drawings and the text are especially made for the other country. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS Year Anniversary Patents.doc

123 pressed by the screw cap to fix the line at a wanted length. This rubber also wipes off the superfluous chalk. In my chalk line # 377 unfortunately after almost 100 years of live the rubber was rigid, so that the BRAKE did not work. I added a small piece of rubber and now it works again. Since this is one of the rare examples that achieved some level of commercial success, let s look at some DETAILS: Examples that have survived have some modifications that I will describe later on: 1. The shape 1 2. The top with the wiper 13 and the setscrew The crank 19 and axe The tip 4 The SHAPE is very different. Perhaps the engineers in the factory told the inventor what shape would be better. The shape, however, is not a critical part of the claim of originality. The TOP is described as follows: A very detailed description of this parts 14, 13 and 16, but I don t believe that this construction would work a long time! Also the SET-SCREW 15 was not designed for the normal use of a carpenter. In the later produced item they used a simpler but better working system: A rubber piece that was plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS Year Anniversary Patents.doc

124 Inside the line is fixed to the axe by a screw. Length of the original line: 5.60 m = 20 feet. The CRANK 19 has two modifications: The counter-balance 21 that was proposed does not exist. I don t think that the carpenters turn the handle so fast that it would be balanced On the axe of the crank 22 is fixed a movable piece of metal longer than the handle. This is a very smart solution to prevent that the line will be confused with the handle while winding. It works excellent! Also the crank can t get lost. It is fixed to the line now. The power transmission from the crank to the axe is also modified. Let s come to the TIP. The invention says: It was produced with a fixed BIG tip from iron or filled with lead, but NOT filled with MERCURY as the inventor proposed. I don t think that this small quantity of heavier metal would bring a better result. MERCURY --- plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS Year Anniversary Patents.doc

125 13. US EASTMAN 1910 CHALK-LINE HOLDER This chalk line is the most common chalk line in the U.S.A. (with modifications also from DANDEE-Reel, WARNER Accuracy, etc. The handle is different in the drawings and in the picture. I never saw the shape shown in Fig. 8. Have you? plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS Year Anniversary Patents.doc

126 14. US LAUT 1911 CHALK LINE HOLDER 2008 was offered on Ebay: WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS Year Anniversary Patents.doc

127 15. REMARKS The full patents you can find on REMARK: This is an article of the monthly published WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS that is sent on demand as PDF-file attachment by . FREE. You can see all former and future publications on my website Remarks and contact by plumbbobwolf@t-online.de Thank you for your interest! Wolf Ruecker A An article about THE INTERNATIONAL HISTORY OF THE CHALK LINES you find on on page CHALK LINE / SUMITSUBO as WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS CHALK LINES plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS Year Anniversary Patents.doc

128 Editor: Wolf Ruecker WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS 2010 Issue 10 October 22, 2010 Plumbbob Collectors Meeting Cologne International Plumb Bob Collectors Meeting Cologne 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS 0. INTRODUCTION THE HIGH ROOF OF THE COLOGNE CATHEDRAL PRESENTATIONS TOOL MUSEUM Gerhard Schmitz TUTANKAMUN EGYPTIAN EXHIBITION ROMAN GERMAN MUSEUM NEXT COLLECTORS MEETING REMARKS The participants in front of the Cologne Cathedral. From left to right.first row: Riccardo Chetoni, Italy; Michel Mailhot, Canada; Ulrich Biber, Germany; Heinrich Vogel, Germany; Dogan Basak, Turkey; Ali Refi Enginsal, Turkey, José Asturias, Guatemala; Second row: Dick Jones, Wales; Jean-Paul Michel, France; Wolf Ruecker, Germany; Gerhard Schmitz, Germany; Laura Chetoni, Italy; Liss Asturias, Guatemala plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS MEETING COLOGNE.doc

129 0. INTRODUCTION Dear Fellow Collector, After the meetings in Istanbul in 2006, in Paris in 2008, this year s biannual meeting was held in Cologne, Germany. As you can see the participants came from all over the world. They travelled by air, train and automobile, in spite of a hurricane in Costa Rica and a transportation strike in Madrid that hampered the plans of some travellers, all miraculously arrived in Cologne on time. Unfortunately some of our group could not come for different reasons, but I hope they can next meeting in Picture right is the official poster for this meeting with the flags of the countries of the participating Collectors and a typical shape of plumb bob of each country. Everyone had a special identification card with his name and the flag of his coutry. As a small memento of the occasion, all participants received a miniature plumb bob. See picture below with my business card to indicate the scale of these gifts. Below you will find photos contributed by different collectors. We did not have problems with the capacity of camera memory chips, but by the end of the visit, in the museum of Gerhard Schmitz, the batteries in many cameras were totally exhausted. Since this report is published in the www I tried to use no private photos for this Plumbbob News. Below you will find a short introduction to each point in our meeting agenda and some photos to illustrate the high points of interest. We lodged together in the Kolping Hotel Am Römerturm in the City of Cologne, 10 minutes from the Cathedral and the railway station. Most of us were already there the evening before the official start, so we had some extra hours to talk plumb bob. Figure right: First impression, the Cathedral of Cologne. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS MEETING COLOGNE.doc

130 Wolf Ruecker gave information about the different plumb bob shapes produced by the factory Gampper, Alsenz, Germany. More details on demand. Figure above: Plumb bobs from Gampper, German producer of plumb bobs since more than 100 years. On this picture you see at the left side plumb bobs not shown in the actual catalogue. Figures below and right: Special edition 1980 by Mercedes for the exhibition BAUMA 80 in Munich, Germany as a nickel plated and a gold plated bob with the logo of Mercedes. Beside you find the common zinc-die-cast plumb bob. Figures right: José Asturias brought us some typical brass plumb bobs in two different shapes with wooden spacer, produced recently in Guatemala. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS MEETING COLOGNE.doc

131 1. THE HIGH ROOF OF THE COLOGNE CATHEDRAL On the first day, we had a very special guided tour which included the high roof of the Cathedral. The group was limited to 17; that was the maximum capacity of the elevator. On the figure right you see this elevator that brought us up to the roof. It was cloudy but dry so we were allowed to walk outside onto the roof where we could see up close the cathedral sculptures and then from this vantage point, all the way down to the central station. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS MEETING COLOGNE.doc

132 Most visitors and parishioners see the cathedral s extraordinary windows and ornate structural elements from ground floor level only. Our guide brought us up into the gothic arches near ceiling level, a vantage point from which we were able to view the structural elements and statuary up close. We were amazed by the enormity of the scale of these elements. (figures right). On the photos below you see (from left to right; top down): A scale model of the Cathedral; Explaining technical details of the bell and clock installations; The clock work Photos of a big bell with the clapper; The big clapper and a small bell; Tools of the workers hanging on a wall; Large calipers (see yellow arrow) employed by the stone carvers to render the sculptures in the correct scale. Remember the pointing system of Borglum used for the 4 Presidents on Mount Rushmore (see Wolf s Plumbbob News ); plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS MEETING COLOGNE.doc

133 The center of one small tower was the triangulation reference point for the surveyors laying out the measuring net in Germany. The guided tour was nearly two hours and we had to climb a lot of narrow stairs to reach all these lofty vantage points. Especially for me, as a collector of inclinometers, this indicator for the inclination of one of the bells was of special interest. It was used 1925 and is now out of order. To learn more about the maximum inclination for a bell you will find articles in the www. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS MEETING COLOGNE.doc

134 2. PRESENTATIONS From the hotel we used a bus to go to Langenfeld 15 miles on the other side of the river Rhine. The powerpoint presentations were held on Saturday from 9 to 12 in the Kulturelles Forum in Langenfeld. By the end of November 2010 I will putting all presentations on my web site on page meeting Cologne 2010 for download. A: Wolf Ruecker: REVIEW TO THE PREVIOUS MEETINGS. B: Riccardo Chetoni presented his new book about ITALIAN PLUMB BOBS in 3 languages Italian, English, German. 138 pages with 300 color photos. Every participant got a book from Rik gratuitously. Thank you. If you are interested to buy it, please contact Riccardo by riccardo.chetoni@fastwebnet.it Figures right: Cover and one page with typical Italian plumb bobs. THE AUTHOR: Riccardo Chetoni was born in Pisa, Italy where he lives and works as a civil engineer specialized in structural calculation. He has studied plumb bobs since the 1980s, researching at the same time both cognitive sources and the related literature. His collection of over 3000 items is the result of journeys and research throughout the world. THE BOOK Within the context of the specific literature regarding plumb bobs, this book is one of the rare publications on this topic and the only volume dealing with Italian bobs. The historical evolution and tradition of Italian plumb bobs is studied and documented with more than 300 photographs, which illustrate both large scale manufacture and the more spontaneous and creative production typical of popular art. The plumb bobs photographed in this book all belong to the author s personal collection. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS MEETING COLOGNE.doc

135 C: Dogan Basak talked about THE SUN AND THE PLUMB BOB D: José Asturias presented the ideas that he had while he was creating his COLOGNE MEMORATIVE PLUMB BOB WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS MEETING COLOGNE.doc

136 E: Otto Stoll a German collector of photos from sculptures on buildings showing mason s tools found in his huge archives. Above you see some ancient plumb bobs in German museums etc. From left to right, top down: Line and plumb bob 1985; By artist Klaus Rinke Roman plumb bob; Clemens Sels Museum Neuß Plumb level 18. Century Stadtmuseum Jülich Roman plumb bobs; Römermuseum Xanten Tomb stone 2. century; Museum Trier Plumb bob and Roman tools; Mainz Römisch- Germanisches Zentralmuseum F: Finally Wolf Ruecker showed all the secrets of the official web site for plumb bob collectors plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS MEETING COLOGNE.doc

137 3. TOOL MUSEUM Gerhard Schmitz After a walk of 10 minutes we arrived at the Plane-Museum of our Fellow Collector Gerhard Schmitz. You can read more about this museum and the woodworking tools in WOLF S PLUMBBOB NEWS on The team of Gerhard Schmitz, his brother Karl and Elisabeth Arnold welcomed us and took great care for our well-being. After the introduction we visited the huge woodworking collection and after a cup of coffee with special cakes from this region, we had a chance to see all Gerhard s plumb bobs displayed on several boards in various places in the thirteen rooms full of woodworking tools in his house. At the entrance of the museum. On the staircases of the museum we saw an original rod of the old Roman bridge built in 310 AD in Cologne with the iron protector for the tip. See pictures below. Gerhard presenting special woodworking tools. Gerhard + Karl Schmitz, Wolf Ruecker Coffee and special cake plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS MEETING COLOGNE.doc

138 We saw a very small plane (see red arrow) and also a very large one (7 ft 8 in). See yellow arrow.... and tools EVERYWHERE, ceiling, walls, vitrins,.. plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS MEETING COLOGNE.doc

139 . and hundreds of plumb bobs were hanging everywhere. Most of them from Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and England. From Riccardo he got some Italian plumb bobs and from José one from Guatemala WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS MEETING COLOGNE.doc

140 WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS MEETING COLOGNE.doc

141 WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS MEETING COLOGNE.doc

142 4. TUTANKAMUN EGYPTIAN EXHIBITION On Sunday most of us visited the Tutankamun exhibition. And finally the 5. ROMAN GERMAN MUSEUM Here we found three Roman plumb bobs WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS MEETING COLOGNE.doc

143 6. NEXT COLLECTORS MEETING 2012 We discussed where we will meet us next time. Two proposals considered: a) In the U.S.A. in cooperation with the MWTCA or the EAIA b) or, in ATHENS, GREECE? The majority voted for ATHENS, Greece, where our friend Elias will help us to prepare the next biannual meeting, autumn ATHENS, we will come in 2012! 7. REMARKS Thanks to all who helped me with their photos to compile this report. A very special thank to Gerhard Schmitz and Elisabeth Arnold for the pleasant hours in the woodworking tools museum. This is an article of the monthly published WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS that is sent on demand as PDF-file attachment by . FREE. You can see all former and future publications on my website The presentations of this meeting will be soon ready for download on our web site. Remarks and contact by plumbbobwolf@t-online.de Thank you for your interest! Wolf Ruecker Last but not least: A free mason s piece from José with a lot of symbols: plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS MEETING COLOGNE.doc

144 Editor: Wolf Ruecker WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS 2010 Issue 11 November 29, 2010 Plumb bobs in DAMS PLUMB BOB IN DAMS TABLE OF CONTENTS 0. INTRODUCTION WHY A PLUMB BOB IN A DAM? NORMAL PLUMB LINE INVERTED or FLOATING PLUMB LINE HOOVER or BOLDER DAM REMARKS INTRODUCTION Dear Fellow Collector, last year I wrote about the plumb bob used in the construction of the Washington Monument. (See WOLFSPLUMBBOB NEWS Washington Monument Plumb Bob). There the bob was used to verify the verticality of the structure. Since then I have found that plumb bobs also were used in dams and barrages. During my research I found that it was really a life saver because it shows very early if something is wrong with the dam. Those way precautions could be made in the reinforcement of the dam to withstand water pressure and to create an evacuation plan for the cities downstream of the dam, etc. In the construction of dams plumb bobs are working quietly without public notice. For the collector plumb bobs are perhaps not as interesting as the more decorative examples that would hang in our display rooms. But one aspect is very interesting: In the dams a certain species of plumb bob may be employed, floating plumb bob, also referred to as an inverted plumb bob. Up to now I thought a plumb bob must have a weight and be suspended on a string. We know a lot of inventions, where other metal (like mercury) was added to make it heavier. I never heard of a floating plumb bob. You ll see the explanation below. Witka dam, Poland, collapsed on August 7, 2010 My sources were the internet, German and American companies. More information you will find in the footnotes. Thanks to all who helped me to write this article by sending me pictures or drawings. Today s essay pays no heed to modern electronic and laser instruments and their superlative degree of accuracy and ease of use. Rather, here we are talking about measurement systems where you can still see the plumb bob working. This article will not compare the different systems employed by different firms, but will let you know that there are different possible solutions. List of reservoirs and dams in the USA: plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS PLUMB BOB IN DAMS.doc

145 1. WHY A PLUMB BOB IN A DAM? I found a good definition by Department of Surveying Engineering University of New Brunswick Fredericton, N.B., E3B 5A3, Canada September 1992: Suspended and inverted plumb lines. Two kinds of mechanical plumbing are used in controlling the stability of vertical structures: (1) suspended plumb lines, and (2) floating plumb lines also called inverted or reversed plumb lines. Inverted plumb lines have an advantage over suspended plumb lines in the possibility of monitoring absolute displacements of structures with respect to deeply anchored points in the foundation rocks which may be considered as stable. In the case of power dams, the depth of the anchors must be 50 m or even more below the foundation in order to obtain absolute displacements of the surface points. If invar wire is used for the inverted plumb line, vertical movements of the investigated structure with respect to the bedrock can also be determined (Boyer and Hamlin, 1985). Caution must be used in installing plumb lines. If the plumb line is installed outside the dam, a vertical pipe of a proper inner diameter should be used to protect the wire from the wind (Chrzanowski et al., 1967). The main concern with floating plumb lines is to ensure verticality of the boreholes so that the wire of the plumb line has freedom of motion. The tank containing the float is generally filled with water to which some anti-freeze can be added. The volume of the float should be such as to exert sufficient tension on the wire. It should also be noted, however, that in a float tank thermal convection displacements may easily develop in consequence of thermal gradients which may affect measurements to a considerable extent. Hence in some cases, the whole tank should be thermally insulated. Several types of recording devices that measure displacements of structural points with respect to the vertical plumb lines are produced by different companies. The simplest are mechanical or electromechanical micrometers. With these, the plumb wire can be positioned with respect to reference lines of a recording (coordinating) table to an accuracy of ±0.1 mm or better. Travelling microscopes may give the same accuracy. Automatic sensing and recording is UNB Report on Deformation Monitoring, possible, for instance, with a Telecoordinator (Huggenberger. Switzerland) and with a Telependulum (Telemac, France). An interesting Automated Vision System has been developed by Spectron Engineering. The system uses CCD video cameras to image the plumb line with a resolution of about 3 g.m over a range of 75 mm. Several plumb lines at the Glen Canyon dam and at the Monticello dam in California have used this system. Two sources of error which may sometimes be underestimated by users are: the influence of air currents, and the spiral shape of wires; see also Appendix 2. To reduce the influence of the air pressure, the plumb-line should be protected within a pipe (e.g., a PVC tube) with openings only at the reading tables. The German company GLÖTZL Baumeßtechnik 2 PLUMB WIRE MEASUR. SYSTEMS has the following definition. Drawings see below. Type: GA... Art. No.: 82.01/05 Measuring principle Pendulum plumb type GAGL Fixed point of plumb wire: at the top Fixed point of plumb wire: at the bottom Floating plumb type GARS Strain of plumb wire by traction to bottom Strain of plumb wire by traction to top In both cases, the plumb wire is aligning along the gravity effective at the measuring location, namely independently from environmental influences (temperature-, humidity-, barometric pressure changes a.s.o.). For barrages, it is generally the objective to unite the pendulum plumb measurements with the geodetic measurements. For this purpose, the horizontal displacement of the wall top is recorded with a weight plumb, whereby the elongation of the measuring line is done with a 2 GÖTZL Rheinstetten, Germany plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS PLUMB BOB IN DAMS.doc

146 floating plumb for getting an undisplaceable reference point in the underground. Floating plumb-plumb wires are anchored in the stable underground in stainless steel pipings, the most appropriate exchangeable ones. The spatial bending line of piping in the underground can be recorded for an installed plumb wire by means of a plumb wire deviation probe with the existing optical or electrical plumb wire measuring instruments. Plumb devices are operating with a high accuracy because its mechanisms are nearly not subject to friction- and temperature influences. Inclination movements of a construction can be recorded without any problems by measurement of the horizontal displacement of the construction - relatively to the free hanging plumb wire. A continuous bending line can be determined if the relative displacements are measured in several storeys. Normally, the movements in two directions (horizontal) are measured at a measuring station so that a spatial bending line e.g. in tower constructions can be determined in case of several measuring points. In the German language I also found a very detailed presentation from the Hochschule für Technik, Wirtschaft und Kultur, Leipzig (FH). Title: ÜBERWACHUNGSMESSUNGEN AN TALSPERREN. 3 Console Focke Optical coordimeter 2. NORMAL PLUMB LINE Photos from the German company RICHTER 4 and the Freiberger Präzisionsmechanik FPM 5 showing the installation of a normal plumb line inside the dam on different levels. Console for plumb wire measuring system Normal plumb line with measurement 3 FH Leipzig Vortrag: 4 Richter Deformationsmesstechnik GmbH Frauenstein 5 Freiberger Präzisionsmechanik Overview measuring systems plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS PLUMB BOB IN DAMS.doc

147 Drawings from SME: NORMAL PLUMB LINE Details see footmark 6 NORMAL PLUMB LINE Model SME-2130 is used to monitor the relative displacement between Dam top and Dam base. System basically comprises of a plumb with steel wire hanged from the top of the dam for measurement of relative movement of plumb in X and Y direction. The observation table is placed at the inspection gallery. The plumb is a heavy weight of 10 to 20 kg hanged through a wire and is submersed in a thick oil tank under the frame to dampen the vibration effect. Two reference plumbs are hanged behind plumb wire in each direction. Initially the position of reference plumb and alignment is noted by aligned cross-wire of microscope. The difference between reference plumb provides the displacement of dam base from dam top. SYSTEM by GOETZL 7 (figure right) Scheme of a weight plumb device 1 Anchoring console 2 Plumb wire clamp 3 Plumb wire 4 Plumb wire meas. device el./opt. 5 Console for pl. wire meas. System 6 Drop screen 7 Weight 8 Dampening fluid 9 Dampening vessel 6 SME SENSORS & MESUREMENTS ENTERPRISES 7 GÖTZL Rheinstetten, Germany plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS PLUMB BOB IN DAMS.doc

148 3. INVERTED or FLOATING PLUMB LINE Drawing by SME: Details see footmark 8 INVERTED PLUB LINE Model SME-2140 is used to monitor the relative displacement between dam base and the foundation rock. System basically comprises of a stainless steel float with a steel water tank and are placed at the top of the dam or some time it is kept just above on the measurement frame. A heavy plumb with wire is passed through the hole and grouted at the bottom of the hole with rock or suitable surface. A support frame with a top plate having a hole at the centre mounted with two travailing microscopes at right angle to each other for measurement of relative movement of plumb in X and Y direction are placed at the inspection gallery. The other end of the wire is fixed with float submersed in a water tank placed at the top of the structure. For measurement the difference between reference plumb provides the displacement position of dam base from the foundation. GÖTZL 9 Scheme of a floating plumb device 1 Float vessel 2 Float 3 Console for float vessel 4 Tension lock with hook and eye 5 Plumb wire clamp/ screw-type sleeve 6 Plumb wire meas. device el./opt. 7 Console for pl. wire meas. System 8 Plumb wire 9 Drop screen 10 Plumb wire anchor 11 Tight closure of piping 12 Plumb wire deviation probe 13 Reel for tape measure 8 SME SENSORS & MESUREMENTS ENTERPRISES 9 GLÖTZL Gesellschaft für Baumesstechnik mbh Rheinstetten plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS PLUMB BOB IN DAMS.doc

149 4. HOOVER or BOLDER DAM Bureau of Reclamation: Lower Colorado Region - Hoover Dam Historical Collection More information on From Wikipedia 10 : Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the US states of Arizona and Nevada. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression, and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President Franklin Roosevelt. Its construction was the result of a massive effort involving thousands of workers, and cost over one hundred lives. Since about 1900, the Black Canyon and nearby Boulder Canyon had been investigated for their potential to support a dam that would control floods, provide irrigation water and produce hydroelectric power. In 1928, Congress authorized the project. The winning bid to build the dam was submitted by a consortium called Six Companies, Inc., which began construction on the dam in early Such a large concrete structure had never been built before, and some of the techniques were unproven. The torrid summer weather and the lack of facilities near the site also presented difficulties. Nevertheless, Six Companies turned over the dam to the federal government on March 1, 1936, more than two years ahead of schedule. worker using a pb to plumb the slide gate guides Figures right: plumb bobs used during construction plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS PLUMB BOB IN DAMS.doc

150 5. REMARKS Did YOU already see a dam or barrage INSIDE? I would be glad to get photos from this visit. Thank you. This is an article of the monthly published WOLF S PLUMB BOB NEWS that is sent on demand as PDF-file attachment by . FREE. You can see all former and future publications on my website Remarks and contact by plumbbobwolf@t-online.de Thank you for your interest! Wolf Ruecker plumbbobwolf@t-online.de WOLF'S PLUMB BOB NEWS PLUMB BOB IN DAMS.doc