Keuffel & Esser

[mojjax]

Keuffel & Esser

They made slide-rules , surveying , drafting stuff . What does this thing do ?

mojjax

 

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[CodyCat Borat]

Re: Keuffel & Esser

At first glance i thought it was a Tea Pot, but after seeing the quarter next to it, I have to go with the answer above me. Pencil sharpener.

 

[idahotokens]

Re: Keuffel & Esser

Actually, it is not a pencil sharpener - it is a lead sharpener. It won't work on a typical wood pencil. Back in the days before computers and CAD, draftsmen, engineers, etc. used a lead holder that more or less looked like a pencil. It was the predecessor to the .5 and .7mm mechanical pencils of today, but used about a 1mm lead. To sharpen the lead to the fine point necessary for good drawing, you extended the lead out a bit, then poked the end of the holder down the hole in the top of the sharpener and ran the pencil around in a circle. The sandpaper-like material inside this sharpener did a great job of sharpening the lead and contained the lead dust to boot! Mine is now relegated to the garage workbench...
John in ID

 

[RuffandTuff]

Re: Keuffel & Esser

Yep. Used to get a fine, sharp point on special drawing (lead) pencils that you could adjust the amount of lead needed for sharpening - architects. Thanks RuffandTuff.

 

[doublet2a]

Re: Keuffel & Esser

I have one just like it that my Father used in the 50's
for his work designing relays
Everything had to put on paper first
I even have some of the mechanical pencils he used
If I can find them I will post a pic


HH TIM

 

[Angelo]

Re: Keuffel & Esser

Here is one that I have on my desk.

Tony

 

[doublet2a]

Re: Keuffel & Esser

Yeah, thats one of them
You pushed to button on top , and it opened the jaws to feed the lead out


HH TIM

 

[Lafitte]

Re: Keuffel & Esser

Dang, shouldn't have thrown mine away. But that's what happens when everyone goes to AutoCad.
At work, we actually made a little museum display showing things like lead-holders, french curves, and (dare I say it) compasses.

 

[SimonLakeSub]

Re: Keuffel & Esser

Located in Lower Manhattan, on Fulton street, There is a very old building, and on the top of the building, it says: Keuffel & Esser Building. It would be in the heart of the printing area, many early newspapers were located in that area. I would date the building to about 1875.

Regards Simon.....

 

[RevJoel]

Re: Keuffel & Esser

Yeppers, a lead pointer. I have one clamped to the left edge of my drafting table, and several lead holders with about 8 different hardness grades in the desk drawer. Some of us resist change!

K&E made all sorts of engineering instruments including calculators, transits, theodolites, plane tables, etc. They were "it" until the onset of the electronic era.

Pax Christi
Rev. Joel+

 

[dgaughan]

Re: Keuffel & Esser

it drafts slide rules for surveying just a guess

 

[stefen]

Re: Keuffel & Esser

Actually, it is not a pencil sharpener - it is a lead sharpener. It won't work on a typical wood pencil. Back in the days before computers and CAD, draftsmen, engineers, etc. used a lead holder that more or less looked like a pencil. It was the predecessor to the .5 and .7mm mechanical pencils of today, but used about a 1mm lead. To sharpen the lead to the fine point necessary for good drawing, you extended the lead out a bit, then poked the end of the holder down the hole in the top of the sharpener and ran the pencil around in a circle. The sandpaper-like material inside this sharpener did a great job of sharpening the lead and contained the lead dust to boot! Mine is now relegated to the garage workbench...
John in ID

Still have mine in my personal museum of historic drafting tools common to the industry pre-1980's or so.

Messy as all get out to clean and required a replacement sand paper element that was somewhat conical in shape with the sanding surface on the inside of the cone.

Still use a measuring device called a planimeter that was manufactrured by K & E in the early 1940's.

Also have several ink draughting sets that are solid silver with ivory handles made in the 1850's...each is encased in a tiger maple box with silver splines and ivory escushions...several layers with removeable trays.

 

[geo4472]

Re: Keuffel & Esser

its a lead pointer

< Lead Pointer
Thumbnail Index direct link
http://www.leadholder.com/point-trupoint.html

 

[SimonLakeSub]

Re: Keuffel & Esser

The building Keuffel & Esser, is still standing and is located at 127 Fulton Street, in Manhatten, and would date back to about 1875.

Simon