This is a metal stand on a circular base holding a scale printed on translucent glass. The stand consists of a rod fitted into a tube which ends in a circular base with three screw holes for attaching it to a flat surface. At the base of the tube there is a knurled knob. The rod can raised and lowered by the use of a screw nut that can be tightened against the rod to hold it in place. Two clips at the top hold two pieces of similarly sized glass taped together at the top and bottom. Onto one, an image of a ruler has been printed, perhaps photographically. The other is clear.
The ruler is graduated in tenths. It is labelled in integers: on one scale from 0-24, and on another, going in the other direction, from 1-25.
The assemblage is home made.
Accession Number: 2019.ast.123 (DAA-0031)
Alternative Name: Galvanometer Scale
Primary Materials: Metal: Iron Alloy, Glass, Tape
Markings: None.
Dimensions (cm): Length = 15, Width = 9.5, Height = 40.6
Unknown. Possibly, this is a small scale which can be used to read changes in orientation of a point of light such as that is created by a mirror galvanometer.
Good: The stand is in excellent condition, with only a few scratches. The whole surface is dulled. The tape holding the two pieces of glass together is yellowed, peeling and brittle in places.
Associated Instruments:
Manufacturer: Locally made
Date of Manufacture: Mid 20th Century
This object may be associated with teaching at the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, either on the U of T Campus, or at the Dunlap Observatory. If the latter, it was moved from the David Dunlap Observatory in Richmond Hill in 2009, upon the sale of the observatory. They were stored at the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics until 2017, when it was moved to a new storage location in McLennan Physical Laboratories.
Additional Information and References:
Historical Notes: