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NIST Museum & Archives

Brass Line Scale

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Brass line scale sitting on top of wooden box

Brass line scale sitting in wooden box with lid open, calibration writing visible on side of lid.

Close-up of calibration notations on the brass line scale box

This brass scale, 1 foot subdivided to 12 in, 10-1/10 in, 4-1/4 in, is marked “Brass foot scale of C.& G.S. [Coast and Geodetic Survey] March 1880.” A calibration is attached to the inside of the lid. The scale was probably transferred to the National Bureau of Standards in 1901.

Created March 30, 2017, Updated January 11, 2018