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Gone out of fashion

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Lo
We called it a 'slip stick' at university but I think that was an 'in-group' thing, just as hole punches or staplers got called 'grompers' from the sound that they made!

There was a fine balance to be had with a slide rule, you wanted it to slide easily but also to stay put once you had it set up. I found them useful for working with resistive voltage dividers. I set the ratio that I needed then ran my eye along the rule looking for near matches of a 'preferred value' resistor on each scale, i.e. 10, 12, 15, 18, 22, 27, 33, 39, 47, 56, 68, or 82. You can't do that with a calculator, however precise.
Love the name Grompers For Hole punches that was the actual sound they made when you used them. Now did anyone ever use a thing called a Plastigauge. This we used to measure the tolerance between two moving parts. We only used it if we had a problem and we suspected that a bearing was running tight or too loose. They were one thousandth thick. You would place them under the bearing on a con rod tighten it up to the Crankshaft in an engine then see if it went tight, or also if the tolerance was three thou put four under and see if it still turned then you would know you had too much tolerance.
 
There was a fine balance to be had with a slide rule, you wanted it to slide easily but also to stay put once you had it set up. I found them useful for working with resistive voltage dividers. I set the ratio that I needed then ran my eye along the rule looking for near matches of a 'preferred value' resistor on each scale, i.e. 10, 12, 15, 18, 22, 27, 33, 39, 47, 56, 68, or 82. You can't do that with a calculator, however precise.
I went through an entire career in electronics and never thought of doing that ! In my defence, however, I did in later times construct a spreadsheet to do that job. On the subject of resistors, do you remember the old resistance boxes, basically a switched pot, but quite accurate, and usually in a wooden case. (And for extra points, the Wheatstone bridge, still a cornerstone of measurement today despite hiding behind technology).
Andrew.
 
I went through an entire career in electronics and never thought of doing that ! In my defence, however, I did in later times construct a spreadsheet to do that job. On the subject of resistors, do you remember the old resistance boxes, basically a switched pot, but quite accurate, and usually in a wooden case. (And for extra points, the Wheatstone bridge, still a cornerstone of measurement today despite hiding behind technology).
Andrew.
I think we had some resistance boxes at school that were in dark wooden boxes. our Wheatstone bridge there was in the form of a 'Post Office box' which used brass plugs to switch in the resistors and couple of 'Morse' keys to switch on the power. At work the resistance boxes were in pale green metal cases and the 'bridge' was at first semi-automatic, shortly followed by a fully-automatic one. Which reminds me of the instrument manufacturer with the unfortunate double-barreled name, 'W-K'!
 
I rebuilt a Ford 10hp sidevalve engine for my Ford Popular which had suffered a failure on my way home from work. The scrapyard engine was in fair order, but we fitted new pistons and conrods which were supplied with cast in white metal big end bearings. Dad’s pal, a professional mechanic had measured the bores and crank pins and pronounced them as fit for further use without machining. I fitted the big end bearings using a scraper and engineer’s blue. The engine was quite tight, and the first start involved both the electric starter and the crank handle, but it ran, and got me to and from work for about 6 months until I sold it.

More unfashionable techniques!
 
On our break back in the UK, Julie and I both commented on how little presence the AA seem to have. Quite a few RAC vans about though. I still have an RAC key, and an AA and (illuminated) RAC badge. Did the motorcycle riders salute if they saw your badge ?
Andrew.
yes a badge was saluted. and also if approaching a member they did salute smile and serve.:grinning:
 
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I seem to remember hearing that in the early days if the AA guy did not salute you, then there was a police trap somewhere ahead
The AA salute
This overt interference with the police's execution of their duties came to an end on 1911
From 1911 it became the absence of the salute that would be used to warn of a police speed trap – members were asked to 'stop and ask the reason' whenever a patrol scout failed to salute them.
 
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