Body Style and Size
Body Style
We arbitrarily classify linear slide rules as having three styles of construction: Duplex, Open Body, and Closed Body.
Open
Body: Similar to duplex in that there are two stators
held by end brackets and one slide which is visible for most of its full
length on both sides but the cursor covers only the front of the slide
rule. There are no calculating scales on the backs of the stators
of an open body slide rule. If there are calculating scales on the
back of the slide it must be taken out, turned over, and re-inserted to
be used. Many of Hemmi’s cheaper all-plastic rules used open-body
construction with integral plastic end brackets. There are no measuring
scales on the edges of open body slide rules.
Closed
Body: (Sometimes referred to as “Mannheim” but we use “Mannheim”
to designate the set of scales A [B, C] D with or without trig and log
scales.) Closed body rules have a full-length metal or plastic plate
joining the stators. This plate obscures all but the very ends of
the back of the slide. If there are scales on the back of the slide
they can be used by setting them to an index near the end of the rule or
by turning the slide over in the rule. Many closed body rules have
measuring scales on the edges. “//Closed||” indicates a closed body
rule with its top edge slanted and bottom edge vertical—both suitable for
measuring scales. "||Closed||" indicates that both edges are square
to the front of the rule and just “Closed” indicates a closed body slide
rule whose edges are not suitable for measuring scales.
Body Dimensions
Dimensions are actual scale length x face width x thickness.Scale length: Scale length given in this Catalogue Raisonne does not include over-range extensions; it is the distance between the scale indices only. For the usual C and D scales it is the distance between the "1" mark on the left and the "1" mark on the right. Over-range extensions to the left of the left index and right of the right index, if present, make the overall scale length 20 to 50 mm longer than the scale length given here. The overall length of the rule is from 30 to 70 mm longer than the scale length and varied depending upon when the rule was made--sometimes even from batch to batch.
Scale length of Hemmi rules is always a convenient exact number of millimeters. (Ten inches is 254 mm but the scale length of a "ten-inch" slide rule is actually 250 mm.)
Simple folded scales are usually folded at an irrational number (often p or the square root of two) and this automatically makes their apparent scale lengths slightly greater than their nominal lengths. Consider, for example, a typical CF scale folded at p without over-range extensions: The leftmost tick mark usually represents 3.14 (slightly less than p) and the rightmost tick represents 31.6 (slightly greater than 10p). If the true scale length from 3.14159 to 31.4159 is 250 mm, the apparent scale length from 3.14 to 31.6 (leftmost tick to rightmost tick) will be about 250.5 mm. The effect is very noticeable on rules like Hemmi model 200 where the scales are broken into six parts and the break points are the sixth roots of ten.
Face Width: Face width is the same as overall width in most cases but is 3 to 8 mm less than overall width on those closed body rules which have a slanted edge carrying a measuring scale. Face width is important because closed- and open-body rules with the same face width use the same cursors, regardless of rule thickness. (Except "thin" cursors will not fit on regular rules.) Face width is usually give in millimeters except where it is more accurately described in inches. (It is clear that some rules were designed to specific inch widths. For example models P23, P24, and P36 are 25.4 mm = 1 inch wide and clearly narrower than models 34P, 34R, 34RK etc., which are 26.0 mm wide.)
Thickness: The body thickness of Hemmi closed- and open-body slide rules is not a critical dimension; it varies from batch to batch. The dimensions give in the Catalogue are indicative of typical specimens. However, thickness is critical for duplex slide rules. For example: One cannot interchange cursors between duplex model P270 (46 mm wide x 5 mm thick) and model P280 (46 mm wide x 4 mm thick).
Where all three dimensions
are given they were measured on at least one actual specimen. Where
only length and face width are given, the face width was usually scaled
from a photograph or illustration. Where only the scale length is
given, no specimen or good illustration was available.
Measuring Scales
Although there is wide variety in the measuring scales on Hemmi rules, the measuring scales on Frederick Post and Hughes-Owens rebranded rules are quite consistent. It is possible that measuring scales were engraved to the distributor’s order.
Hemmi duplex, open body and all-plastic slide rules do not have measuring scales.