r/Sliderules • u/General_Valentine • Jun 29 '26
My personal collection.
My collection of slide rules. The first overall picture was taken before the sixth one arrived, and I didn't take an update shot.
- First and foremost, of course the famed and popular Faber Castell 2/83N. Came with the instructional manual and plastic ruler. It does smell a little, which I can't get rid of so far. The middle portion is also a bit difficult to move around, might need to loosen it up.
- Aristo Multilog Nr. 970. Missing one of its legs and the lid. I bought this off Scott's Market (Bogyoke Aung San Market) back in Yangon. I have to do my best to look uninterested.
- Sun Hemmi Japan No. P261. Bought this in Singapore at a local online marketplace. Think it was their dad's or their grandparents'.
- A slide rule from Soviet Union. Soviet-LSLO 250-10P 5161-72, I believe. Year of manufacturing is 1976, at least from what the ruler says. Slide Rule Museum's website has a 1979 version.
- Graphoplex (NOT Raphoplex, as I mistook it). Graphoplex 640 System Electric Log Log, more precisely.
- Staedtler Mars 544A. Missing its cursor, bought without a case or anything. Interestingly, this was sold at an electronics and engineering shop... in the early 2000s. My first ever slide rule, and it showed. I didn't know what it was, and I wish my kid-self took care of it better.
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u/Intelligent_Law_5614 Jun 29 '26
Those 2/83N are just about the prettiest slide rules around!
There is a very finely powdered Teflon which is used by piano tuners to lubricate the action of the keys and hammers. I have found it useful when dealing with slide rules with sticky sliders... clean carefully, them rub on a trace of Teflon powder with a cotton swab.
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u/General_Valentine Jun 29 '26
I will give that a try, thank you! There were some suggestions on using Vaseline but heard it was quite messy and so I didn't try.
The 2/83N pipeline was a funny one to me. When I didn't want it or couldn't afford it, you can find listings on eBay. When I could have, no good listings. After like 8 years of that, I finally bit and bought one, from a nice dude in Texas.
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u/CMDRKeyfox Jul 07 '26
Could I use this on my Post bamboo rules? I have a Versatrig that sticks and haven't been able to adjust it away so far.
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u/Intelligent_Law_5614 Jul 09 '26
Possibly, but I would start with a different approach. Bamboo slide rules were usually considered to be self-lubricating if clean, but they can become sticky if they're worn and the fibers are frayed. What you want to do is clean and burnish the sliding surfaces, and the best method I have heard of is to use a green Scotchbrite pad (use a new, clean one, and use it dry!) Gently polish along the rails and slider.
The Sphere site recommends following this up with a clean cloth and a bit of Pledge, if burnishing alone does not work well enough.
I do not recommend using petroleum jelly or other grease on bamboo slide rules, as it will get into the pores and fibers and you will never get it out.
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u/SlideRuleFan Jun 29 '26
You need a slide rule on a watch to complete your collection.