A plumb bob I made in 1980

[george wilson]

This is the only plumb bob I ever made. It was a free gift for a plumb bob collector. I have a BAD picture of it as NEW,and a current picture of it as being offered in an auction,in unpolished,much handled condition,but a good,clear picture. I guess the recipient has died,and the estate was first auctioned in 2004.

It has a knurled finial on the top which runs on threads,and can be screwed down against the knurled edges of the string reel to lock it in place. My own invention. At least,the steel tip hasn't rusted,a minor miracle. I'd thought about trying to buy it back,but forget that!! I can't afford my work,and have no use for a plumb bob anyway in my work. It is about 7" or so tall.

I guess original condition is important,so they didn't want to polish it.

[Pat Barry]

Thats cool George. WHats the purpose of the hole that runs laterally thru the steel tip? Is that functional in some way?

[george wilson]

The hole is to screw the steel tip in. Should the tip become damaged it could be removed and repaired. It is steel on some good bobs to help prevent damage as it is harder than brass. Most are just solid brass.

[Pat Barry]

Oh, you mean that you stick a tool in the hole and then use that to tighten and loosen the tip? Very clever.

[Bruce Page]

Very nice George. I made one for my dad around that same time frame. Dad was a chief surveyor, I used to chain for him in the summer.

[Matthew N. Masail]

That’s really nice, must feel good to see such an appreciative price on your work. just wish I knew what a blumb bob is.. :o

[george wilson]

It is an a device used in construction work and surveying to determine where vertical is. Brick masons also use them hung from long strings to tell where vertical corners are when they are laying their bricks,so that they might lay the corners of walls straight up and true.

[Matthew N. Masail]

aha.... thank you.

[george wilson]

Ancient workers used them attached to wooden triangles to tell when surfaces were level. The triangles were equilateral triangles with the equal sides on top. The string was attached to the point at the top of the triangle. There was a scribed line directly in line with the point at the top of the triangle. When the string hung down exactly over the scribed line below,the bottom of the triangle was horizontal. It was cumbersome,but worked fine and remarkable things were accomplished with these crude devices.

I hope you can understand my description,which could be better.

[Matthew N. Masail]

I was having a hard time at first but then it all came together, makes perfect sense, kind of a early spirit level right? I think these ancient methods are very cool.

BTW I understood the first explanation too but the second one is a way cooler use, I'm not much into construction work, at least not now.

[george wilson]

They didn't have spirit levels for a long time in earlier days.

[Jared Withers]

As an ex-surveyor I must sat that is a fine looking plumb bob! Is the spool spring loaded to reel in the string when the lock ring is disengaged?

[Jim Koepke]

Nice work as usual George.

Is it listed (auction number) somewhere we can see its auction?

jtk

[Dale Cruea]

George,
There looks to be lettering on the upper portion of the bob.
How did you do that?

[george wilson]

MJD auction is selling it about Sept. 22,IIRC. The lettering has my name and the name of the recipient dome in antique letter stamps with serifs and proper Roman lettering.

I didn't go so far as to make a spring return reel. It was only a few evenings work,IF I recall,and was a free gift,too. Design and proportion were my main aims to do as well as possible.

[David Weaver]

George, we will all be curious to find out how much it goes for. Do they release a box score of auction results shortly after?

[ray hampton]

Ancient workers used them attached to wooden triangles to tell when surfaces were level. The triangles were equilateral triangles with the equal sides on top. The string was attached to the point at the top of the triangle. There was a scribed line directly in line with the point at the top of the triangle. When the string hung down exactly over the scribed line below,the bottom of the triangle was horizontal. It was cumbersome,but worked fine and remarkable things were accomplished with these crude devices.

I hope you can understand my description,which could be better.

George, how can we attain a 60 degree angle without any way to measure it ? can we use a shadow from a torch light to measure the angle

[Zach Dillinger]

Set a divider, draw a circle. Use the divider to pace around the circle. Connect every other point together, inside the circle, using a straightedge. You've drawn an equilateral triangle, each angle being 60 degrees. Set a bevel, and Plumb Bob's your uncle...

[george wilson]

How did they manage to make the Antikithera mechanism in ancient Greece?? Triangle is a simple exercise compared to that.

David,they post some results,I don't know what the criteria for selecting which object to report on is. I guess I could call and find out. When I get older,I might get them to sell some of my other tools that I still might have. Depends on how successful they are,and what they charge(usually 20%?).

[Jacob Reverb]

Very nice George. I still have the bob I bought right about the same time, when I was rod man on a survey crew.

The integral reel is an interesting feature on yours. Mine is still attached to the plastic, spring-loaded string reel that I used with the bob some 30 years ago...

[ray hampton]

[QUOTE=george wilson;1977201]How did they manage to make the Antikithera mechanism in ancient Greece?? Triangle is a simple exercise compared to that.

I totally agree except making a triangle with only a knife and flint saw could take a blue moon if mistakes happen, the Chinese also were good engineers but they never build pyramids that I know of

[george wilson]

I don't see your point,Ray. The Chinese did build a wall so long you can see it from outer space,and were far ahead of Europe in Marco Polo's time-and before it,too. They made bronze castings so thin we still haven't figured out how to do it. They were able to graft animal hair onto children(to make circus freaks) without it being rejected. We WISH we could figure out how to do things like that,too,for medical reasons.

[Pat Barry]

Ancient Chinese secrets you say George?

[george wilson]

I don't get your point either,Pat. Please elaborate. More likely long lost technology.

[ray hampton]

I don't see your point,Ray. The Chinese did build a wall so long you can see it from outer space,and were far ahead of Europe in Marco Polo's time-and before it,too. They made bronze castings so thin we still haven't figured out how to do it. They were able to graft animal hair onto children(to make circus freaks) without it being rejected. We WISH we could figure out how to do things like that,too,for medical reasons.

I did not realize that I need a point , must be my diabetes again

[Jim Ritter]

Norwegian boat builders use a small plumb bob on a board scribed with angles to set the angle of the planks. I think it is called a batlabb but was unable to find any decent photos. I have drilled a small hole in one leg of a framing square and plumb down to a number. I didn't care what the angle was at the time I just needed to reproduce that angle at a later time.
Jim

[David Weaver]

Ancient Chinese secrets you say George?


Does anyone remember the pearl cream commercials? didn't they say "ancient chinese secret" all the time?

[george wilson]

Yes,and Nancy Kwan to prove it!!

[David Weaver]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaD_fvehAaU

It's funny how commercials have changed just in the last 25 years.

(I had no idea who nancy kwan was, I had to look it up).

[george wilson]

She was big in the 60's. "The World of Susie Wong".

[Richard Jones]

Very nice George. I still have the bob I bought right about the same time, when I was rod man on a survey crew.

The integral reel is an interesting feature on yours. Mine is still attached to the plastic, spring-loaded string reel that I used with the bob some 30 years ago...

Ditto on the reel, mine had a target as well for those hard-to-see instances.

I still have mine, a K&E, still have the spare tack in the top compartment for "emergency" use............... good memories mostly, except for the poison oak and yellow jackets................

Great story, thanks for sharing.

[Robert Thomas]

scratching my head "I thought I was uncle Bob"

[ray hampton]

scratching my head "I thought I was uncle Bob"

your name could be bob tom or tom bob

[Lex Boegen]

Does anyone remember the pearl cream commercials? didn't they say "ancient chinese secret" all the time?

I don't remember those commercials, but when I think of the phrase "ancient Chinese secret" I think of the Calgon commercials. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJP5f-fsHrs)

[george wilson]

My plumb bob has only to do with "ancient George Secrets".:)

[Pat Barry]

That's right, Calgon. That's the ancient Chinese secret reference. I forgot which commercial it was. I don't think they could run that one in today's PC world. George, you were probably too busy in the shop to see much prime time TV back in the day. JK

[David Weaver]

Now that it's over a week past the end of the auction, I wonder what the "ancient george secret" plumb bob brought. I can't find the auction listing on the website now that it's in the past.