Test the team

In an old engineering text book I came across some names of things I hadn't seen before and I wondered how many readers know what they refer to:

Half Imperial

Imperial

Double Elephant

Antiquarian

They all relate to the same type of object - What is it?

Paper sizes, old ones. JD

Yep, everyone kno that, even Molesworth!

Andrew

Hello

In my day on the Railway they referred to drawing board sizes

Jim

Yes, you are correct.

This book was published in 1908. I had never heard of them, but I wasn't around in 1908

BTW Who is Molesworth?

Edited By John Fielding on 15/03/2016 14:56:59

Molesworth ah! I have a copy of his pocket book.

To late in the day to catch us on that one

Anyone know why foolscap is called that - without cheating?

Neil

Aaaah Neil,

You will be asking us what a "Sagger Makers Bottom Knocker" is next!

Also found another reference to paper types: Whatman's NHP

.

Yes ... It's proportions are the Golden Section, the same as a Fool's Cap

MichaelG.

I needed to check but as I thought the name probably comes from watermarks that were used.

Things have been A4 etc for as long as I had been in work. Even detail drafting - an A0 sheet a day keeps the doctor away - no space wasted. A GA might take a bit longer. Makes me laugh when I see people using cad but that sort of speed does take a while to acquire. Getting black lines too with a pencil.

John

-

Edited By Ajohnw on 15/03/2016 15:51:13

Hi Ajohnw,

Almost,

NHP stands for "Not Hot Pressed" there was a Whatman's HP paper as well (Hot Pressed) and apparently in those days all paper had a watermark.

The things you learn in book ....Eish

The scourge of St Custard's; see this link:

**LINK**

Andrew

I hope that's a jest

> Things have been A4 etc for as long as I had been in work.

It was defined as a standard in 1975.

Neil

Having worn one a time or two, I think foolscap (13.5x8,5 inches) is just the right size to form a Dunces' cap.

Edited By charadam on 15/03/2016 23:07:21

Edited By charadam on 15/03/2016 23:09:04

Also found in old book. Anyone got an odontograph? An original not a copy. I saw one in a museum but I just can't remember which one.

usual rules - no googling though there is only one dictionary that recognises it and clearly doesn't know what it is.

Edited By Bazyle on 16/03/2016 07:34:23

No, only a reprint in a book on gear design.

Andrew

Some impressive knowledge here. I though these were portions of chips..

2/6d worth

5 Bobs worth

An American portion

A special order for secondhand bookshop owners.

And an odontograph is a tool for calibrating overbite in brace design...

Bazyle, was it Collins English Dictionary? Odontograph: An aid to marking out gear teeth in which a circular curve is substituted for the true involute curve

Yes, that really tells you a lot doesn't it

The dunce's cap is an urban myth, anyone who remembers foolscap will know that it makes a hat suitable only for a toddler!

The real reason is that it used to bear a watermark of a jester's (fool's) cap.

Some excellent examples HERE

Neil