Scientific Instruments > Drawing Instruments

Brass Folding Napier Compass

Item#: SDI970

Price: $100.00

 

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This is probably the most compact of all drawing instruments, 7 cm long when folded, a mechanical work of art. Produced in England and made from brass with its legs folding up into the upper part. Here, the swivel joint is made at a right angle to the head joint. This arrangement provides a combination of two needle pointed heads for use as dividers for marking off distances, or one pointed head and an ink or pencil head for use as a compass. David Napier (1790 – 1876) is thought to have invented the folding compass in 1848.