E. A. Stearns No. 1 Folding Ruler - Help?

[TheJunkyardPrincess]

Hello all!! I've managed to snag my very own E.A. Stearns wooden and brass folder. The look alone tells me it's really, really old, and I believe it's an "engineer's rule". However, I'm having a bit of trouble finding out anything other than that - would anyone happen to have more information about the company, or how the scale on the bottom would be used?

I'll start with what I know - it's a Number 1 (No. 1 is stamped just above the brass hinge on the bottom part). There's a neat set of information on the bottom, the columns are titled "FFF", FII, III, FI, II, F, I, and they correspond with the words "Cubic -In", "Cubic - Ft", "Wine - Gal", "Impl Gal", Ale - Gal", Water, Gold, Silver, Mercury, Brass, Copper, Lead, "Wt Iron", "C. Iron - Zinc", Tin, Steel, Coal, "F. Stone", Marble, "Polygone From 5 to 12 Sides", and finally a column that says "G. Fts Of A Circle" with Area, "C. & A.", "C. & D.", "Sr I", "S. R.", and "S. T.". I have no idea what any of those mean, or what they're measuring, but would this be an example of a Gunter's slide?

If anyone has a clue about how the above works, I'd appreciate it! I've tried to find the book "Boxwood and Ivory" by Mr. Stanley, but it's not the easiest to track down. I did find out that there's not a whole lot of information inside about the Stearns company, only that it was no longer a thing after 1863. That would make my ruler decently old, despite the incredible shape it is in. Also, I have a bunch of photos that I can add, I'm starting with just a few since I'm new here - don't want to wear out the welcome.

Thank you all so much!!

 

[Asquith]

A very nice example.

It's a Routledge's pattern Engineers' and Mechanics' improved slide rule.

See:-
http://tinas-sliderules.me.uk/Slide Rules/Routledge.pdf

Examples were produced by a number of companies. I have a bifold one made by Robert Field & Son of Birmingham. A basic model, with less brass.

More information here:-
https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Joshua_Routledge

Beware if you use it to design a pumping engine! All examples have the same incorrect number 406 instead of 106 in the last column of the tables, according to:-
https://osgalleries.org/journal/pdf_files/3.1/V3.1P35.pdf

 

[TheJunkyardPrincess]

A very nice example.

I think it's a Routledge's Engineers' and mechanics' improved slide rule.

See:-
http://tinas-sliderules.me.uk/Slide Rules/Routledge.pdf

Examples were produced by a number of companies. I have a double folding one made by Robert Field & Son of Birmingham. A basic model, with less brass.

More information here:-
https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Joshua_Routledge

Holy cow, and I thought my "No Child Left Behind" math was hard to figure out!!

Thanks so much for the links, that was quite the read. I take it these elaborate things were made specifically for the engineering folks, but did the Gunters scale change on each type? Also, I can't imagine trying to make sense of all the tiny lines back then in the dim lighting.