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Drafting Machine Components 1

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RPMG

RPMG

Structural
Nov 7, 2014
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Hey all, this should be a fun one. I have a drafting machine that I intend to repair. Some components work, and some don't:

image_nxugxk.png


[ol 1]
[li]Probably a horizontal slide stop. Does not work[/li]
[li]Embedded metal plate that slides. I believe that 2 locking screws are missing.[/li]
[li]Working vertical slide stop.[/li]
[li]Dial lettered V at current location, lettered H at 270 degrees.[/li]
[li]Working rotation lock.[/li]
[li]Some sort of lock.[/li]
[li]Some sort of lock.[/li]
[li]Toggle switch on the handle.[/li]
[li]Dial 5'-5 degrees. I assume this is a memory device.[/li]
[li]I can't count. Call this a placeholder.[/li]
[li]At the top, there is a working switch to calibrate the vertical angle.[/li]
[li]There are strings below, which are probably related to 1 and 2, but are too loose to be effective.[/li]
[/ol]

This is an open ended topic. The goal is for better definition and to repair it, but I don't think that should limit the discussion.

I also have acquired an electric eraser, which is awesome.
 
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1 - I think is the horizontal brake. It should be connected to a rod that goes all the way to the top and operates a toggle to bring a rubber pad into contact with the main track. I'd guess the rubber is either gone, worn out, or most likely as hard as a rock and was left engaged so it has a track-shaped dent where the elasticity used to be. It is spring applied. As you mention for #11 if this design used some "string" and that failed then that could also be a problem. The ones I used that lever was in a fixed location; maybe this design travels with the drafting head.
2 - not sure
3 - Similar to the horizontal brake, for the vertical direction. Probably was not left in the locked position and, because it is not spring applied, one can lean on it to make it work even if the rubber has hardened.
4 - not sure
5 - this is to lock the rotation in any orientation. It is a direct acting clamp. There should be no rubber involved. There usually was a vernier to get to tenths of a degree.
6, 7 - not sure
8 - I recall that if it is pressed and pushed up or down it would either a) allow free rotation, b) latch into detents at useful angles.
9 - not sure, but I doubt it's a memory device. At least I don't recall ever thinking such a thing was required.
10 - me neither
11 - On the ones I used there was an eccentric axle for one of the wheels opposed by a spring loaded wheel that was adjusted to set the vertical travel to be perpendicular to the horizontal travel.

It's been 30 years since one of these was a daily driver for me.
 
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Thanks for the reply Dave.

Piece 1 contains a bushing on a sliding rod, screwed to a sliding plate. A second sliding plate can also be seen. The holes in the plates are tapped/threaded. I don't see how this could be useful, so I think there is a missing piece.

Here is piece 1:

image_ddh2en.png
 
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I've still got an old drafting machine from when I was working in Michigan. Just before we got our first CAD/CAM system in 1977, they decided to replace/upgrade all the drafting machines in the design office. They let us buy the old ones from the company for something like $10. They replaced our drafting stools as well and I bought my old one for $5, which I still use at my workbench in my garage.

s-l400_zk5ygr.jpg


I've also got a set of scales (12 inch and 18 inch) but haven't used it years (my drafting table is now being used to hold any old shortwave radio:

HQ-180A_setup_pdv0qc.jpg




John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without
 
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wow, this brings back memories of my early first career. "on the board"

those early days of visualizing in 3-D, and doing lots and lots of trig, really paid off later in my engineering career.

I actually used one of those Mutoh track machines. After using the Vemco arm machines.
 
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I drafted for a structural in the summers during university, it was the late 70's.
Started with square and triangles.
He bought some used arm machines, I rebuilt a few of them and used those for a couple of summers.
I drafted on track machines in some classes.
I prefer the arm machines but don't own either. I didn't grab any when they were being phased out.

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P.E. Metallurgy
 
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Tom,

On the right of the Mutoh grip, there is a toggle switch to hit with your thumb (8). What's that intended to do?
 
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RPMG - I seem to recall a red plastic toggle control on the Mutoh, sort of with two short arms at 120°, almost like a bell crank? I seem to remember operating that a number of times a day. But this was around 1972 and further details escape me. sorry.
 
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RPMG, You could post a thread like this to the Eng with hobbies forum.
Maybe when you get to your next steps.

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P.E. Metallurgy
 
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Ah yes, the Leroy Lettering set. Thank you John for the link...

In addition to my old drafting machine and the couple of scales that I still have, I also still have my original drafting set from high school and of course, my Slide Rule. Even my drawing table brush, that I use on my workbench in the garage. I've got a couple of eraser shields and several circle and ellipse templates. When I was working as a draftsman and later as an machine designer on the board (before CAD), at least once a year, the chief draftsman would arrange for someone to come in from our local drafting supply company and he would give each of us a modest amount of credit toward buying supplies, maybe $20 or so, but this was back in the 60's and 70's, so for $20, you could stock up on a lot of stuff. Now the company provided all of our consumables like ink, drawing pencils and lead for our mechanical pencils, erasers and such, but anything that was a tool, we were responsible for supplying ourselves. Now the company provided the design office with a couple of Friden calculators but we all had our own slide rules. When handheld calculators came out, at first they bought a couple for people to share, but that didn't last long as most of us eventually got our own as the prices started to drop (I waited until I was able to get a Texas Instrument for under $100).

For those of us who can remember living through the transition from the drawing board to the CAD station (it's like the old adage that if you remember the 60's, you weren't actually there) you might enjoy this marketing film which shows you what CAD was like back in 1977 when the company I worked for bought their first system, and yes, the system you see in the film was the one we bought. Please note the hair styles and the less than PC nature of the portrayal of the 'draftsperson' (sorry about the quality of the video as it was converted from a 36 year old 16mm marketing film that was found when they were cleaning out a storage closet at work and I managed to snag it before it was tossed).


I hope you enjoyed it.

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without
 
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When I moved to Maryland from Florida ~11 years ago, I frowned deeply and tossed my drafting table, swivel chair, and T-square in the dumpster. I really hated to get rid of it, but moving (and living) space was becoming a premium. I did manage to hang onto all of the other equipment, though... triangles & french curves (both for inking), Ko-I-Noor technical pen sets (can't remember exact sizes, but it was two complete sets, 14 pens, that ranged from ~000-7?), my father's original Dietzgen toolset (various pencil/inking compasses, dividers, etc.) in a wooden box, Leroy inking character sets, three different tri-scales (mechanical, architectural, and standard) in a felt pouch (made by my loving mother as I transitioned into high school), and so on. I continued to use my Koh-I-Noor pens for artistic drawing until around the same time, but I have no doubt they're in need of a serious sonic cleaning and a new bottle of ink.

I definitely miss the days of hand-based drafting, and even now I may do some basic floor planning of my PCB designs using a ruler, pencil, and paper before it ever touches the computer.

Dan - Owner
Footwell%20Animation%20Tiny.gif
 
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My Dad was an elementary school principal. He wanted things to look professional but hated paying people to do stuff. He managed to buy a Leroy set (actually 4 sets) and guides for lettering from 1/4" up through 3" or 4". He an I would go in on Sat and make signs for things. He actually had other schools in the system hire him to make signs in exchange for hard to get supplies.
Sigh, I wish that I had that set today.

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P.E. Metallurgy
 
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I, actually, do a lot of hand drafting and issuing of sketches as a structural engineer, but on 11x17 sheets with 1/8" grids. Scanners don't pick up light grids or 3mm pencils, so I'm not accustomed to using triangles or other tools other than a straight edge and scale. And no one wants this "lettering" you speak of.

I'm really loving this Unigraphics video. It's going to take me a week to get through it though.
 
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working abroad, sometime far away from the city or with facilities not available, I was used to bring with me a portable drafting device for drawing review (and still I have in very good conditions)
tecnigrafo_001_iddrgb.jpg


tecnigrafo_002_nnuqfe.jpg
 
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In its day, this would be to the draftsman, what a laptop would be to a CAD user today.

And I forgot to mention earlier that I've still got my T-Square and triangles from when I was in school and before I got a job that had a drafting machine.

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
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