Last week I ran across this nice looking old plumb bob in a leather holder. It was at an auction and has a price tag on it of $100.00. I didn't pay the 100.00 and I love the auction!

 

 

This is a "Globe 14" made in the USA by Eugene Dietzgen Company of Chicago. It has a steel tip that can be changed. It is brass and has a very nice patina.

 

The Case is made by Keuffel & Esser Company. I like the leather case but I don't believe it is the case that originally went with this plumb bob. The case probably dates to around the 1950's or 1960's. Still a nice case and protects the plumb bob. 

 

 

This is considered a rare version because of the shape or so I have read..

 

 

Well It is still ready to be used, but will likely retire to the display cabinet.

 

 

More Patriot Picking coming soon!

 

 

Edited November 21, 20178 yr by Ron Dudelston
tags added

I thought mine might be from the same company but it was not. Besides, mine would only be about 50 years old.

Just 50 years old Lew?

 

Hey I am starting to realize how some of this stuff is cool and younger than me.

That's a cool find John, and actually right up my Alley of expertise as a plumb bob is in my tools arsenal for the day job, wouldn't get caught without one.

Dietzgen is and was a big name in the Land Surveying industry. As a matter of fact we have a few Dietzgen instruments still occupying our rafters in our Land Surveying office. When I learned the basics of surveying when I went to surveyors school, we had Dietzgen transits and levels. We were taught on those old instruments because we needed to really think about what we were doing, and how geodetic positions were related to earth mapping, and those old instruments were the tool for students to do just that. Just to do a simple traverse required extensive calculations on those old Dietzgen's, so we learned detailed record and note keeping as we recorded everything we did on those old instruments. I love the old surveyors instruments, and the old hand tools like you have there in that plumb bob. We have a couple older surveyors in our office who still have their Dietzgen plum bobs just like the one you found there John.

Here are a couple instruments that take me back to my surveyors school days.

The Dietzgen four screw level, four screw because of the adjusting mechanisms at the base of the level, they were a major pain to level because of the 4 screw axis that had to be adjusted, nowadays we use three screw levels, faster and easier to adjust, but as a student these were the level to use, it taught us to be diligent and mindful of our instruments.

The Dietzgen Engineers Transit, this was very intimidating for a new survey student. Many adjustment had to be made before the first sight observation was performed. But like the level, it was necessary to know how the angles and vertical readings are derived before we could understand how the modern day instruments derive their data.

I have very fond memories of using the antiquated means of measuring the earths surface as a student, and I look back and I can truly appreciate the instrumentation we use today for geodetic measurements.

I would not doubt it one bit that we may have been even using those old Dietzgen plum bobs as well during our schooling.

Here are a few interesting Dietzgen links:

Surveying Antiques

Dietzgen surveying images

 

And Dietzgen even produced a pine drafting table for the survey industry.

 

Thanks for provoking my trip down memory lane John, hope I did not bore you guys!

Oh yes, by the way, the information you received about the shape of your plumb bob is dead on accurate, they are not made like that anymore, it was very stylish, and that plumb bob you possess is highly sought after by surveyors today with the curved top. These days the standard plumb bob looks like this.

The bob above has our typical Gammon Reel attached to it.

There is one company that comes close to duplicating the graceful design of the bob you have John, and that would be Sokkia, they have one with the negative curved portion at the top of their bob, but not as graceful as yours.

 

 

That's really cool John. I almost bought one of those transits. I saw it at a flea market. I did but a wooden tripod for one of them the other day for 10.00. I have a customer that wants a lecture made from the tripod.

The tripod I got is wooden and the mounting hardware on top is all brass.

I also have my first set of drafting tools that I got in 1969 and they are Dietzgen.

Thanks for the info on the plum bob John.

That's really cool John. I almost bought one of those transits. I saw it at a flea market. I did but a wooden tripod for one of them the other day for 10.00. I have a customer that wants a lecture made from the tripod.

The tripod I got is wooden and the mounting hardware on top is all brass.

I also have my first set of drafting tools that I got in 1969 and they are Dietzgen.

Thanks for the info on the plum bob John.

Next time you come across an old instrument, and you got a hankering to pick it up, do it, they are so cool looking on the fireplace mantel!