This was in a box of stuff Dad said I could have if I was interested
when I was a kid. There were also some James Bond novels and a little
pocket tool set.
I thought the design of the scales was interesting, with the neat
numbers and ticks, and the index indicators on C and D. It seemed clean
and purposeful.
The reference card with all of its conversion factors and tables, the
table of elements, and rulers were powerful tools to my little Star
Trek addled mind.
I played with it like a toy and left it exposed to sunlight in a
window sill. If I remember correctly, the sunlight is what hurt it
worst.
When Dad visited in December 2021, I showed him my collection and
told him I got this Concise from him. He said he didn't remember it. In
fact, he said the slide rule he used was a yellow pocket-size Pickett!
He said he liked Picketts because they were “built like tanks” and did
anyone else even make slide rules? He forgot which model he had,
though.
From Dad, 1976?
Scales: 4in || D ( C, CI, L, A, K) || 10cm
Table of the Elements and Temperature Conversion Chart on back
My Concise 552 made me curious about slide rules, so I searched for
more information about them. I found ISRM and some other info about
slide rules. I mentioned all of this to Lys, and she looked on Ebay and
found a lot of two slide rules for $20: this Pickett 902, and the Roos SR-109 below.
Old enough to have the "circle and angle" symbol at the right end of
the scale, Figure 16 in the above article, which supposedly ended in
1952, with "Nr. 867U" catalog number.
Mike Konshak at ISRM told me he thinks the “hooked” posts were an
experiment between the square posts and later curved posts. That would
mean this rule was manufactured in the middle 1960’s.
I was browsing Ebay and found this rule at a good price, so I ordered
it. I like Aristo rules’ design and layout, so this rule is a fun
“compare and contrast” to my Pickett Model 600
and Aristo 867U Darmstadt.
Purchased July 7, 2023
Ebay
$29.78 Shipped
Arrived July 14, 2023
Scales:
Front: LL01, LL02, LL03, A [ B, L, K, C ] D, LL3, LL2, LL1
Back: T, ST, DF [ CF, CIF, CI, C ] D, P, S
Cursor
Multiple hairlines: PS, KW, “36”, π/4
The cursor is installed upside-down: The “Aristo” logotype on the
cursor bar is upside-down. The “kW” and “HP” marks are over C and D
scales instead of A and B scales
Cursor screws covered in some sort of “gunge”. That cleaned up with
a spudger.
I need to figure out how to remove the cursor so I can clean it and
turn it over.
Update: I disassembled the cursor and washed it,
and the rest of the rule, with mild dish soap and water. The “36” cursor
mark washed away partially and is faint now. The mark is visible, and
the cursor is oriented correctly now.
I had been meaning to order one of these “New In Box” Pickett Model
N700-T rules from Sphere Research Slide Rule Universe for some time.
I probably didn't need another Model 700, but the 700 was the
lowest-price “New In Box” Pickett at the Slide Rule Universe, and
I really like the 700. It came to my attention that Sphere Research was
planning to close down by the end of the year, so I placed my order.
When it arrived, I was pleased at the excellent condition of the box
and its contents. The rule was in a plastic sleeve inside its leather
case, and there was something sticky sticking the sleeve to the rule. I
peeled the sleeve off the rule, which left sticky residue on the “Front”
of the rule, but not on the back. I washed the rule with Dawn dish soap
and water, and that removed the residue from the face of the rule and
the sliding surfaces. Now it is good as new!
I was surprised to see the slide tension springs. I have a good
assortment of Pickett pocket rules, and none of my others have the
tension springs. I was beginning to believe that none of Pickett’s
pocket rules came with the tension springs, but here they are. I have
seen pictures on ISRM of Pickett pocket rules with cutouts on the rails
that would seem to accommodate tension springs, but I wasn't sure that’s
what the cutouts were for. Now I know.
I was also glad to see this rule has a “Style 5” logo, since I didn't
have any examples of that.
So, I have another Pickett Model 700, and I paid more for it than I
usually like to pay for a rule. However, with its features and its
condition, I’m glad I got it.
Alyssa got this for me! This is a very nice little circular rule that
has suffered some sort of catastrophe in its life. It is missing its
metal outer ring and handle, and one of its two glass pieces. The scales
look like they may be tarnished. The rivets seem to be showing through
the faces of the outer scales. However, the inner and outer scales move
easily, as does the glass.
I think I could make a replacement glass with a hairline out of
Plexiglas if I can find the correct thickness. The outer ring and handle
would be more of a challenge.
Maybe the best part of this is the tiny leather-bound instruction
manual. The manual is well-written, with lots of operation examples and
reference tables. They packed a lot of information on its 94 tiny pages.
The last page, originally blank, has handwritten notes for “Time
allowed”, apparently for the number of hours to complete X operations at
Y minutes each. The note appears to have been written with a fountain
pen with green ink. The manual has no copyright date.
Lys got me this!
Rough condition
Missing outer ring and handle
Missing Front glass
Intact Rear glass
Glass and Inner and Outer move easily, with occasional
roughness
Mike Konshak included this with the Dietzgen 1776 I adopted from
ISRM. The 601 is a nice Reitz rule that I would compare to a Pickett
200. I had been considering getting one of these, so I was glad to see
it!
One day, I joined the ISRM Google Meet video call. I met Mike
Konshak, George, and Mike (I don’t recall his last name), and we had a
fun chat about slide rules, home ownership, motorcycles, and other
topics. We started to talk about replacement parts for Pickett rules,
and Mike K showed a Pickett 903 he had that needed a cursor. He showed
us replacing its cursor with the cursor from a different, later Pickett,
and called it a “Frankenrule”. He also demonstrated adding a hairline to
a Plexiglas reproduction cursor glass he had cut and drilled earlier to
match early Pickett pocket rules. Since he had just sent me the Dietzgen
and UTO recently, he had my address, so he sent me the “Frankenrule” and
the reproduction cursor glass he had just marked.
This was a nice, unexpected gift! The 903 was not on my radar, but
it's a nice compare-and-contrast to my 902, and to the “rear” of the
700/520.
Alyssa got me this and the 0903 below for my birthday!
I have been wanting a full-size Studio. This one is very nice. It has
a substantial feel to it, and the slide and cursor move SO smoothly!
This is a very pleasant slide rule to use.
This 0968 is a great companion to my 868 Studio, and the pair
complement my Pickett Model 800 and Model 600 pair well.
Received on March 15, 2025
Scales:
Front: LL01, LL02, LL03, A [ B, L, K, C ] D, LL3, LL2, LL1
Alyssa got me this and the 0968 above for my birthday!
This is a nice student rule with interesting branding applied.
FEINMESSINSTITUT KLAWUN sold precision measuring and calculating
devices, including watches and slide rules. They made their own slide
rules, but also resold other German slide rules: Aristo, Faber-Castell,
Nestler.
The Pickett Model 500, Model 800, Model 803, Model 2, Model 3, and Model 4 seem to make up a “spectrum” of Log-Log
rules. I probably don’t need ALL of them in my collection. Yet, I am
strangely compelled…
Also, an N3P or an N4P would be great, but are harder to come by.
Aristo Studio 968
I enjoy the nice graphic design of Aristo slide rules. I also like
Aristo’s scale layout, with the trig scales on the body, and the
addition of a P scale.
I have lumped the K&E rules together because there are a lot of
K&E Log-Log rules, and I am not well-versed in the differences
between all of them. The 4081-3s seem to be the “classic” K&E
Log-Log rules. I like the 4181-1 pocket-size Log-Log rules. The 68-1100
“Deci-Lon” seems to be the flagship, like the Pickett N4.
I would need to study them a bit more before I started shopping for
K&Es.
Misc
Pickett Model 1010SL
The Pickett Model 1010 is a nice trig rule. It appears to be an
evolution of the Model 1000. The 1010SL looks
like the model 1010, but with Square Root scales in addition to the A
and B scales. I don’t think I need a 1000 and a 1010, but the 1010SL is
an interesting enough variation that I’d like one.
Circular Slide Rules
Concise Model 300
Concise 300 on International Slide
Rule Museum
A nice circular Log-Log rule, in Concise’s nice style.
Scales
Front Scale: K, A, D ( C, CI, B, L )
Back Scale: LL3, LL2, D ( C, S Cos, T1 Cot1, T2 Cot2, ST )
Concise 300 on International Slide
Rule Museum
Concise 270 on International Slide Rule
Museum
Concise 271 on International Slide Rule
Museum
