Vintage tape measures

[Mintgrun]

There have been a few folding rules posted in this thread, but I did not see one with this cool extension feature. This one is brass, but I have another that has an aluminum extension. (I regret not buying another brass one I saw a while back). They work great for taking inside measurements. The one beside it is an eight footer.



Tom

 

[RTM]

I haven’t gone back to fish my folders out. Most of my real vintage ones don’t have the extension, but some of my newer ones do. I love them for trimming windows and doors, and checking for square.

 

[Rod N]

I had no idea this was a thing, but I should have!

 

[Lesserstore]

Closest thread I could find. I found this very old Stanley No. 32 folding caliper rule from the 1890s-1900s. It's not marked Stanley, but it matches their catalog description. Also I figured the rough time frame from the 1892 and 1907 catalogs which show the "No. 32" marking in between the 4 and 5, and later catalogs show it moved to another spot.

 

[RTM]

Nice. Clean gently, you don't want to obscure the markings.

 

[Lesserstore]

I think Murphys oil soap would be pretty mild.

 

[four.cycle]

Stanley No. 32 and 32-1/2 boxwood rule 1927 Belknap Hardware Co. catalog pp 108

 

[Rosco 62]

I have one of the (likely) 50s era Craftsman tape measures as shown in the original post, but probably not quite as good condition. This one was my father's from before I was born.


And here's a little guy I've had at least since the early 1970s, and it wasn't new when I got it. The company (in my hometown in southeastern Ohio) is still in business.

 

[Rosco 62]

My hometown as well. Zanesville Ohio

 

[MisterEd]

Glad there are non-tape measuring devices so I’m not too far off topic.

There might be no measuring device I use more than the K-D 2527, especially when the Private wants to know an inside dimension I failed to include in a discussion.


Seventy-five year old eyes appreciate “The Eyesaver”, especially its reverse side markings. The 1/4, 1/10, 1/8, & 1/12 inch are unique to me.

 

[MisterEd]

And then there's this one:

The folding wood and brass ruler is . . . fascinating. Well, I thought it was and, yes, Sig O found it. Twenty-four inches. Badly soiled on “outside” and “inside” numbering runs right to left. Hinges are secure and move smoothly.

 

[Username already in use]

Glad there are non-tape measuring devices so I’m not too far off topic.

All measuring devices are welcome and you’ve got some nice additions.

 

[davethorik]

Found this today. I'm guessing it's not that old, maybe 70s/80s

 

[Macduf]

A Lufkin metric, first I've found. A German imperial, and a tuf boy. The divides are sarrett.

 

[Real1]

That is a cool loggers tape. These are some pics of some of my Spencer (whom I thought originated them until now).

I bought these new from the early 70's up to the 90's. In around the 80's Spencer quit embedding the cool logo of the logger measuring a log in favor of a simple decal. They were available in 50' or 75'.




Funny you should say they resemble a fishing reel because I came across an old fishing reel that looks very close to these tapes and I wonder if that isn't where the original design came from. I'll post a photo of it for interest's sake.

Here are some pics of the fishing reel. It's a Martin Aut' and it looks so much like the loggers tapes I can't help but thing it was copied. I think these reels originated in the early 1900's.



Thanks for the input Provincial and RTM, that catalog is a great find.

Nice collection! I still have the first Spencer tape that I bought loggin' in the 70's. And I bought another to replace it, but never used it. The parts were always available and plentiful, so I just kept rebuilding the original. Can't say the same about chainsaws.....lol.

Kevin

 

[Real1]

When I became a plumber(after loggin'), I always bought the metal Ridgid tapes sold at the wholesaler. They were almost indestructible tapes. But....I used the last one as prop to sweat some copper and melted the metal case. When I went back to get another one, Ridgid had changed and had plastic case etc.

I "think" Lufkin may have made the metal body original Ridgid tapes? I still have a NOS 20ft off-white Ridgid blade(actually doesn't say 'Ridgid'). I'd sure like to find a Ridgid body with an intact spring.

Kevin

 

[piehammer]

I need to get a better photo of this. Nice older Craftsman 3953 Black & White 6ft tape with matching holster.

 

[StillTooManyHobbies]

Here's a couple of my Roes, a Zippo and a Lufkin. The little yellow Roe was my first tape as a kid.

 

[Username already in use]

@StillTooManyHobbies Those are nice. I like the zippo rule, that's unique.

 

[Dozerhand]

Here's an odd duck. Lufkin 431ME. Metric on one side, inches on the other. The strange thing is about 5 inches of standoff before it starts measuring. I bought it from a store that sold specialty tools to caterpillar. Anyone know its purpose? I've had it 30 years and haven't needed it yet. Google shows nothing.

 

[RTM]

Well, if it helps you search, apparently they call it an add on leader.

Lufkin : The Cooper Group Catalog No. 55171 : Cooper Industries, Inc. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

50 p., illus., 27.3 cm, trade catalog

archive.org

I would assume it is used in surveying, so you can drive a stake into the ground, and not have to drive it in right where you want to start measuring from. But I'm sure someone on here has been a surveyor, and can correct that guess.

 

[d42jeep]

Here are a couple of similar Lufkin tapes I’ve found. The Mack Truck I found some time back needs the label glued back on. It came with the box. The other Lufkin I found at a recent estate sale.
-Don

 

[ooba tooba]

Unless someone posted photos only without using the terms "Craftsman" and "3919" in their text, evading the search engine, this may be the first of these mid-50's Craftsman jobbies we're seeing on the thread. No OEM on the tape, just the COO and "PAT PEND" marking (see Pic 3). That could be used to discover the OEM and narrow down the date, but I am not that motivated.

What I don't understand is the four stars at the top of the front side (see Pic 1). We know they were fond of adorning things with four stars in 1936, the 'Golden Jubilee' (50th anniversary) year (you guys may remember my Crescent-made Golden Jubilee hacksaw find a few years ago...), but this thing has a plastic case and a (R) Registered TM symbol, which can't be older than 1946. And I'm pretty sure it is no older than 1955. It appears in the 1957 catalog (see Pic 4), and does not appear in the 1954 catalog.

I assumed this one is from 1936 and picked it up to put in my (work in progress) Machinist box. This has no spring or mechanism to retract the tape back into the housing. You just manually feed it back in. Not sure if those 50s style ones are like that?…

 

[Tostal]

Here's a few >>


If any more resurface, I'll post pics.
(P.S. I realise the Stanley 8m/26' one is not vintage, I just included it as it was to hand)

~T.

 

[MisterEd]

To say this Bell System Lufkin is in bad shape would be . . . questionable, but it has survived.

 

[Macduf]

An old unmarked cloth tape, oldest tape I've seen in metric.

 

[Username already in use]

I added this 10ft. Carlson & Sullivan 'WHITE CHIEF' tape to the collection.

 

[DWise]

A few from Sears

 

[Username already in use]

Found this one yesterday. I’ll be sending it to retirement life on the Left Coast.

 

[d42jeep]

That one looks better than the one I have! Thanks. Mine was posted back in post 22
-Don

 

[mvcorse]

Facom No.800

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I picked up this Master Rule Company "TUFBOY" No. 306 at the flea this morning purely for the cool name, although the patent (Frederick Carlson, 1937) claimed both the riveted or eyeletted hook on the end and the inside measurement capability as novel.

 

[Username already in use]

Yesterday I brought home a pair of Starrett tape measures and a trio of Langley Fisherman’s De-Liars which, in addition to the scale, have a tape measure component to them as well.

 

[Tostal]

Here's a few wood and brass folding rules:-



The top 2 are both 36 inch Rabone, made in England No. 1380 (they're identical except one in marked 'Boxwood', the other is marked 'Warranted Boxwood').
The 3rd down seems identical (36 inch) but is stamped Sybren, made in Holland, No. 80-03-54.
The 4th down is by Rabone Chesterman, made in England, No. 1302, purchased possibly late 1970's?, one side is graduated in inches, the reverse is in metric and is chamfered along it's length, like a regular wood rule, this places the 1mm scale closer to the surface being measured.
The 4" spirit level (at bottom left), is also by Rabone, Birmingham, England, No. 1393.
The other little pocket spirit level appears to be a 'Speetol 1953'.

~Tostal.

 

[d42jeep]

Yesterday I brought home a pair of Starrett tape measures and a trio of Langley Fisherman’s De-Liars which, in addition to the scale, have a tape measure component to them as well.

Mine are branded Zebco. Probably newer.
-Don

 

[Tostal]

I wasn't going to bother showing this brass and wood folding rule because I thought it was broken....
but then realised someone had, for some unfathomable (to me) reason, deliberately cut a 36" rule down to 24"


~Tostal.

 

[RTM]

Couple of finds from an estate sale yesterday. Don’t really need either, but who can turn down tape measures cheap? The small one was a first for me, never noticed one that small before.

Both are Lufkin, the smaller is marked RELIABLE JUNIOR, and Patented, maxes out at 25 feet, and at <2-1/2" is smaller than many modern 12’, tho the stand out distance stinks. Shown in the 1931 & 1935 catalogs as the 100D at 5 oz. Marked in 1/16"

The larger is a LEADER. , showing up in 1955 catalog as the C213, marked in 1/8", and no hook , with the Instantaneous Read, where every foot is marked between the inches

They are both steel tapes, the larger claiming chrome clad.

Face side


Back side

 

[Macduf]

Almost missed it at goodwill, had to lookup ohaus

 

[Mintgrun]

^ that's a fun one. Looks nice and lightweight and easy to grip.

These had been thrown away. I rescued them.



The Keuffel & Esser tape is marked 7400-6ft. on the business end and Whiteface 90 on the other side. The whole L-shaped chrome piece moves up and down to lock the tape.



These pocket magnifiers were in the same box. Off topic, but I'm not aware of a thread for those and I figured I'd share them as part of the story. (An absurd amount of nice stuff got thrown away during a hasty downsizing effort).





Tom

 

[Macduf]

Have 2 k&e tapes both in iffy shape, that one looks great.