Drum component for volute compass

Made:
1760
Silver drum from a volute compass, designed by David Lyle

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

Buy

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Silver drum from a volute compass, designed by David Lyle
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Silver drum from a volute compass, designed by David Lyle, Europe, 1760. Disc shaped with string attached

Volute compass with shagreen case, 1760. The instrument was presented to King George III in 1760 by David Lyle, who designed it. The volute compass is similar in principle to a beam compass except that the pencil in the slider is not fixed but moves with respect to the stationary point as the compass is turned. The compass operates by turning the beam round the fixed point in such a manner that the large screw head remains in one orientation. If this is the case the slider will be moved down the beam at a rate in proportion to the beam's rotation, causing a spiral to be drawn. The various drums give various spirals. The apparatus was designed in 1760 by David Lyle.

Details

Category:
King George III
Object Number:
1927-1924/3
Materials:
silver (alloy)
type:
curve drawing instruments and volute compasses
credit:
King's College, London