Accession No

6001

Brief Description

portable drafting machine in plastic case by Tecnostyl; mid/late 20th century

Origin

Italy, Milan

Maker

Tecnostyl

Class

drawing

Earliest Date

1948

Latest Date

1970

Inscription Date

Material

metal (at least five types); plastic (five types); paper

Dimensions

box width 337mm breadth 232mm height 45mm

Special Collection

Provenance

Transferred by Estate Management and Building Services, University of Cambridge, on or before 08/04/2004. Found with 11 other objects in a lecture theatre, probably belonged to 'Applied Biology', University of Cambridge.

Inscription

'Tecnostyl
602' (on lid of case)

Description Notes

Portable drafting machine in plastic case by Tecnostyl.

Brown plastic case with two fittings on the inside of the lid for the rulers. The case holds: two rulers, one in a polythene bag (other bag missing); the drafting machine; four small screws in a polythene bag; a screw and washer; a base that can be screwed onto the clamp of the drafting machine; a sheet of A4 paper with ‘Instructions for the use of the portable drafting machine’ and a scrap of paper advising on methods of storing and cleaning the rulers.

The rulers are clear plastic and divided and marked 1-15 and 1-20 subdivided to 0.1. They can be screwed and clipped onto the arms of the drafting head. A black plastic knob can rotate the drafting head. It is divided 90°-0°-45° numbered every 10° subdivided to 5° and clicks into position every 15° but can be locked into any angle of inclination by tightening a small steel lever.
The drafting head has two parallel steel shafts that attach it to a joint. A spring runs from the joint to one of the shafts. A similar system of shafts and a spring attaches the joint to a metal clamp that would be used to fix the entire drafting machine onto a table.
The drafting head has a stamp inked on the reverse side.
'... dogana....Milano - ...'

Condition: good; complete

References

Events