Scientific Instrument Society Bulletin March No. 80 2004 Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society ISSN 0956-8271 For Table of Contents, see back cover President Gerard Turner Vice-President Howard Dawes Honorary Committee Gloria Clifton, Chairman Ron Bristow,Vice-Chairman Robert Warren, Secretary Simon Cheifetz,Treasurer Willem Hackmann, Editor Peter de Clercq, Meetings Secretary Alexander Crum Ewing Paul Goodman Neil Handley Stephen Johnston Patrick Mill Tom Newth Sylvia Sumira Trevor Waterman Membership and Administrative matters The Executive Officer (Wg Cdr Geoffrey Bennett) 31 High Street Stanford in the Vale Tel: 01367 710223 Faringdon Fax: 01367 718963 Oxon SN7 8LH e-mail: [email protected] See outside back cover for information on membership Editorial Matters Dr Willem Hackmann Sycamore House The Playing Close Tel: 01608 811110 Charlbury Fax: 01608 811971 Oxon OX7 3QP e-mail: [email protected] Society’s Website www.sis.org.uk Advertising See ‘Summary of Advertising Services’ panel elsewhere in this Bulletin. Further enquiries to the Executive Officer, Design and printing Jane Bigos Graphic Design 99 Newland Mill Tel: 01993 209224 Witney Fax: 0871 433 9007 Oxon OX28 3SZ e-mail: [email protected] Printed by The Flying Press Ltd,Witney The Scientific Instrument Society is Registered Charity No. 326733 © The Scientific Instrument Society 2003 Editorial In With the New As promised in the An Editor of a quarterly journal views the December Bulletin this evolution of the seasons in terms of the March issue has a dis- publication dates of his charge.The March tinctive marine flavour. issue coincides with the coming of Spring Willem Mörzer Bruyns’ in the UK.There is still a ‘nip’in the air but ten-year follow-up of his the days are getting brighter and the book on cross-staffs is colours of the hedgerows are turning from included,as is the paper brown to purple and will soon change into by Isabel Malaquias and green.There is optimism,rebirth,everything Emília Vaz Gomez on the seems possible.There is new energy and instruments used in teaching navigation in enthusiasm.With a little luck (and help from th our members), this will also infect the Portugal in the late 18 Bulletin: new writers to take up the chal- century.Willem’s paper lenge and new instrumental discoveries to contains more than thir- be made. ty newly discovered cross-staffs. This addi- One challenge some of you might like to tional material not only take up is a series suggested by Peter de confirms the conclu- Fig.1 Michael Wright lecturing.On the screen can be seen his Clercq under the rubric, ‘Classics of sions reached in 1994, but reconstruction of the front dial superimposed against the Instrument History’. He is intrigued by the has also produced new largest fragment of the Antikythera Mechanism. historiography of our field,especially where information about their it ties in with the devel- makers and their work- opment of museums. shops. This prolonged observation of a There are quite a few group of instruments has also produced an examples around, such unexpected insight concerning the as Tony Simcock’s book- behaviour of some collectors and the trade let on Gunther, the in historical instruments, in that several of founder of the Oxford the cross-staffs have grown additional limbs Museum of the History and vanes! Both these studies show the of Science, a small gem importance of detailed studies: the cross- in this genre. Then staff paper illustrates what can be learned there are the papers by from an in-depth catalogue-type study of a Mike Cowham on ‘The particular instrument, while the paper on Gatty Family’ (in the Portuguese navigation shows what can be British Sundial Society learned from an in-depth study of particular Bulletins of 2000 and documents.A similar case can be made for 2001), on Marice the short series on early printed ephemera Daumas by Jim Bennett of London instrument makers,of which we and Anthony Turner, have now reached Part 2, dealing with the and Peter de Clercq’s barometer trade literature. Such material discussion on the work can give us insight into how the trade was of Ernst Gerland on the Fig.2 Presenting the Society’s medal by our chairperson Gloria organized, as well as of instruments that Kassel Collection in Clifton to Michael after the lecture. have perhaps no longer survived. I suspect Part 3 of his series on that some of it will have to be treated with the Special Loan roded metal.His strength lay in his scholar- caution as an eighteenth-century trader was Collection Papers (Bulletin No. 75 of ship but his weakness in the fact that he as likely to ‘puff’his ware as any present-day December 2002). We could have short was not a trained and experienced trader. papers putting the classics by Rohde, mechanician. Michael Wright has been Michel, Gunther, Zinner, and others in per- revisiting the Antykithera Mechanism for It is with great sadness that we have to spective.Write in what you think of this several decades now, and those that know report the death of Gerry Martin, a bene- idea,and on any other topic you would like Michael,agree on at least one thing,and that factor of the Society. We are grateful for to see aired in the Bulletin. is that he is no mean hand with a lathe and Howard Dawes’ obituary of a dear friend a dividing engine. He is a mechanician to and colleague. A significant date in the Society’s calendar is his fingertips (meant as a compliment for the Annual Invitation Lecture, usually held we live in an age when most scholars of Bulletin’s Cover in late November.Over the years members technology can turn the pages of a docu- lucky enough to make it to this event have The cover illustrates Michael Wright's ment but not the feedscrews of a lathe). In been entertained by fascinating discourses, intriguing reconstruction of the front dial his Anniversary Lecture (Figs 1 and 2), of and this year’s was no exception. The of the Antikythera Mechanism.According which members will find a detailed extract Antykithera Mechanism discovered off a to his analysis this was probably a plane- in this issue, Michael described his novel small Greek island so named is the most tarium. Seven hands show the places in reconstruction based both on his academic complicated geared mechanism to survive knowledge of ancient geared mechanisms the Zodiac of the Sun, the Moon and the from antiquity.The late Derek de Solla Price and on his experience as an artisan of gear- five planets known in antiquity.The eighth astounded the scholars of ancient mecha- ing.To celebrate a most enjoyable lecture, hand shows the date. Michael has also nisms by his reconstruction which saw the the cover of this issue features his ‘minimal reconstructed the back dial,showing how light of day in 1974. Professor Price dis- reconstruction’ of the front dial. It will be the case containing the mechanism for the played remarkable doggedness in the man- interesting to follow the fortunes of ner in which he attempted to yield an front dial must be stepped out to accom- Michael’s reconstruction over the next answer from unresponsive lumps of cor- modate the back dial. decade. Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society No. 80 (2004) 1 Announcements Letters Three Important Events for your From Gramophone to Calendar Morgan Three-Wheeler Tuesday 6th April, 18.00-20.30: Christie’s, South Kensington Sale Since I first disassembled a Preview and Gallery Talk gramophone as a child, and then played with Meccano This preview of the Exceptional Sale of worm gears, I have been fas- Scientific, Medical and Engineering Works cinated with worms that of Art, which will take place on Thursday can, and cannot, be over- 8th April. Members are invited to attend hauled. The Instrumental this special evening preview reception Note, ‘Can a Worm Go kindly offered by Christie’s South Backwards?’ (Bulletin of the Kensington. Enquiries from scientific SIS, December 2003), pro- vided a fascinating insight instrument expert Tom Newth into the mechanics of driven [email protected] +44 (0)20 7752 worms, and also a very prac- 3147. At 18.30, there will be a Gallery Talk tical analysis of what will Fig.1 Diagram of the Morgan gearbox showing the posi- by Christie’s former scientific instrument overhaul, what will not, and tion of the worm drive (courtesy of Clarrie Coombes, expert, Jeremy Collins, Honorary Member why.It’s good to see this sort Morgan Three-Wheeler Club). of our Society.In an illustrated talk,‘Those of article on a regular basis in the Bulletin. That Seek Shall Find’, Mr Collins I have recently begun the restoration of a The Word ‘Microtome’ will discuss Renaissance instruments he Morgan three-wheeler, a cyclecar from the In his report on the visit to the Sir John has sold and how he went about finding late 1920s.Although not a scientific instru- Thorn Medical Museum in the Bulletin,No. them.All members, with partners and ment by any stretch of the imagination, 78 p. 13, Arthur Middleton says that the friends, are welcome to attend. Just show there are interesting parallels.To turn the word ‘microtome’ was coined in 1839 up, no need to book.This event and the transmission through a right angle from the though the instrument itself was only intro- sale is described in more detail in this propellor shaft to the drive chains, a bevel duced in 1858. Bulletin in ‘Market Place’.