My Slide Rule Writings

Listed here are various slide rule related prose I have either authored or been involved with and the author has given permission for its inclusion here. These range from technical papers and instructions for my own creations or slide rule interests, to light-hearted 'magazine' type items.

Where items have been published by a third party, this is indicated as follows, in other cases the documents have only been available from this website (except slide rule instructions which are also supplied as a hard copy with the slide rule):

  - Proceedings of International Meetings of Collectors of Slide Rules and Historical Calculating Instruments
    (published annually following a meeting, 'IM' followed by year)

  - Skid Stick (tri-annual newsletters of the the United Kingdom Slide Rule Circle, 'SS' folowed by edition
    month year)

  - Slide Rule Gazette (annual publication of the United Kingdom Slide Rule Circle, 'GAZ' followed by
    edition year)

  - Gaz PLUS (website page for supplements to United Kingdom Slide Rule Circle publications, 'GazP'
    followed by publication edition and reference)

Where I am not the author, the author is stated, as are cases of joint authorship. There is a brief description of the content of each piece. Some items have been superseded and this is indicated where appropriate. Clicking on a title will download a full pdf.

Additional slide rule material can be accessed using the links in the left bar under "Slide Rule Content Pages".
The various writings are organised into the following sections, click to jump down to the section.

AW Faber / Faber-Castell Articles (latest addition July 2021)

My Designs (latest addition January 2023)

Other Pieces (latest addition February 2016)

Nov 2023	Early AW Faber Slide Rule “Quirks” - Odd Scale Lengths, Ghost Gauge Marks and More (GAZ23 2023)
	The eighth in a series of articles based on my research collaboration with Trevor Catlow into pre-1920 A.W. Faber Castell slide rules. An analysis of slide rule oddities in Faber's early model range.
Oct 2021 updated	A.W. FABER-CASTELL SLIDE RULE FEATURES 1892-1920 (GazP, Gazette 2021 Vol 21, Supplemental Material V2)
Jul 2021 updated Aug 2017 original	Based on my research collaboration with Trevor Catlow into pre-1920 A.W. Faber Castell slide rules. The featured Chronology Chart from the updated second article in this series below, formatted for single page viewing and A2/A3 printing.
Oct 2021 updated	A.W. FABER-CASTELL SLIDE RULE FEATURES 1892-1920 (GazP, Gazette 2021 Vol 21, Supplemental Material)
Jul 2021 updated Aug 2017 original	Based on my research collaboration with Trevor Catlow into pre-1920 A.W. Faber Castell slide rules. The featured Chronology Chart from the updated second article in this series below, formatted for legible A4 printing.
Oct 2021 updated	Overview of A.W. Faber-Castell Slide Rule Dating Chronology 1892-1920 - Updated (GAZ21 2021)
Jul 2021 updated Aug 2017 original	An updated version of the second in a series of articles based on my research collaboration with Trevor Catlow into pre-1920 A.W. Faber Castell slide rules. Detailed chronology chart of slide rule model features across the entire period of interest.
Apr 2021	The Evolution of Early AW Faber Slide Rule Models (GAZ21 2021)
	The seventh in a series of articles based on my research collaboration with Trevor Catlow into pre-1920 A.W. Faber Castell slide rules. An analysis of the evolution of Faber's early model range.
May 2020	Early Faber Log-Log Scales (co-written with Trevor Catlow, GAZ20 2020)
	The sixth in a series of articles based on my research collaboration with Trevor Catlow into pre-1920 A.W. Faber Castell slide rules. An analysis of Faber's first impelmentations of log-log scales and the model 368.
Sep 2018	Friedrich Wömpner at Faber Castell (by Trevor Catlow, GAZ18 2018)
	The fifth in a series of articles based on my research collaboration with Trevor Catlow into pre-1920 A.W. Faber Castell slide rules. A discusssion of the innovations introduced by technical director Friedrich Wömpner.
May 2019	A Slide Rule and a Half (GAZ17 2017)
	Investigation into the curious "½" model numbers found in the catalogue pages of some of the Faber Slide Rule Manuals by CN Pickworth.
Aug 2017	How did A.W. Faber-Castell Mark their Scales? (by Trevor Catlow, GAZ17 2017)
	The fourth in a series of articles based on my research collaboration with Trevor Catlow into pre-1920 A.W. Faber Castell slide rules. An investigation into scale marking differences and methods over the period of interest.
Aug 2017	The Earliest Faber Slide Rules (by Trevor Catlow, GAZ17 2017)
	The third in a series of articles based on my research collaboration with Trevor Catlow into pre-1920 A.W. Faber Castell slide rules. A detailed analysis of the evolution of the slide rules from the start of production until 1899.
Jul 2017	Every Slide Rule Tells a Story - Establishing an early A.W. Faber-Castell Chronology (GAZ17 2017)
	The first in a series of articles based on my research collaboration with Trevor Catlow into pre-1920 A.W. Faber Castell slide rules. Discusses the background, scope and methodology behind our research.
Jul 2017	A Very Rare Cursor (SS57 October 2017)
	A digit registering version of the AW Faber Electro model 368 cursor with a hook index for referencing the log-log scales on the top edge.
Feb 2015	Thornton Ads on a Faber Box! (SS50 June 2015)
	Discussion of an unsual find of an AW Faber slide rule box from c1896 with advertising on the back for instrument and then slide rule maker AG Thornton.

Jan 2023	A Load of Balls? Juggler's Slide Rules - System Tombeur (GAZ22 2022)
	Technical paper describing the background, development, theory and use of my novel slide rules for calculations relating to toss juggling. This paper supersedes the Juggling Slide Rules pieces below with full descriptions and instructions for the redeveloped models. For more information and pictures see my Juggler's slide rule page here
Sep 2014	Radix 2/10 - System Leibniz - 10-BIT Binary/Decimal Desktop Slide Rule - Instructions For Use (this website September 2014)
	Instructions including brief binary number theory, to accompany my creation. For more information and pictures see my Radix Series slide rule page here.
July 2014	Extreme Sliding Base Jumping with the Radix 2/10 Binary/Decimal Slide Rule (IM2014 & GAZ15 2014)
	Technical paper with background, design and operation of my creation, presented at IM2014 in Delft, NL. For more information and pictures see my Radix Series slide rule page here.
Oct 2013	RADIX 2/10 - SYSTEM LEIBNIZ (this website January 2014)
	Four page model overview and summary instructions of my binary/decimal slide rule, obsolete and superceded by instructions and paper listed above). For more information and pictures see my Radix Series slide rule page here.
Apr 2013	Juggler's Slide Rule - SYSTEM TOMBEUR - Instructions For Use - Advanced Rules - A2 (this website April 2013)
	Instructions including basic theory and more advance juggling concepts, to accompany my creation. For more information and pictures see my Juggler's slide rule page here.
Jan 2013	Juggler's Slide Rule - SYSTEM TOMBEUR - Instructions For Use - Simple Rules - S2 & S3 (this website April 2013)
	Instructions including some basic juggling theory, to accompany my creation. For more information and pictures see my Juggler's slide rule page here.
Jul 2012	Juggling Slide Rules (IM2012)
	Brief overview largely taken from the introduction to the "Juggling Slide Rules" paper below, to accompany a presentation of my original two jugglers rules at IM2012 in Bletchley Park, UK. For more information and pictures see my Juggler's slide rule page here.
Dec 2011	Juggling Slide Rules (this website December 2011)
	Guide for my two original juggling slide rules, 'Simple' and 'Complex', with background, some theory, full instructions with examples and scales for printing. Due to subsequent development of the rules, this is now largely obsolete and the later instructions should be referred to instead. For more information and pictures see my Juggler's slide rule page here.

Feb 2016	Why do you like slide rules? (SS52 February 2016)
	Asking the right question and giving my answer at the time of writing.
Feb 2015	What's in a Box? (SS50 June 2015)
	Short piece on tantalising nuggets of personal history that may turn up on slide rule boxes, and one such example.
Feb 2015	Box Clever? (SS50 June 2015)
	An idea for the safe storage and transport of some of our more precious and delicate slide rules and their boxes.