Collection of pages from K&E catalogs for the 4041 family
Description:
The 4041 family of slide rules is of the Mannheim type. Its roots go back to the 497 shown in the 1881 catalog. The evolution path is seen in the catalogs from 1883 to 1889. It is not clear when K&E began producing the 4041 family themselves. The early rules were simple boxwood frames without laminates. The final 4041 design was constructed on an adjustable mahogany frame with celluloid laminated to the surface. The markings are engine divided.
Pages from the 1901 catalog where the 4041 group is first shown
Some where in this story there is a slide rule called the "American". The American was a boxwood solid frame rule with the same scale set. It is rumored but not substantiated that the American was the first slide rule that K&E actually produced themselves in America. The American is undocumented in any available K&E literature and little is known about it but it also fits somewhere in the 4041 story. Samples do exists and there is a good article in the OS Journal Vol. 10, No. 2, Fall, 2001, page 59 titled "The Keuffel and Esser "American Slide Rule" by Conrad Schure.
The scale set is: 10 inch/ A = B C = D ] 25 cm ----- = S L T =
The early issues of the slide rule had an extension of the centi-meter scale inside on the frame under the slide. It was not until 1936 that A, B, C, & D scale markings appeared on the front of the rule. The rear of the rule has conversion tables on it.
The following models are part of the 4041 family and mainly vary in length:
- 479-2 ---- (4041) Pre 1887 model number
- 1746 ------ (4040) Pre 1901 model number
- 1746 1/2 -- (4041) Pre 1901 model number
- 1747 ------ (4030) Pre 1901 model number
- 1748 ------ (4050) Pre 1901 model number
- 1748 1/2 -- (4051) Pre 1901 model number
- 4030 ------ 5" with brass indicator
- 4031 ------ 5" with glass cursor
- 4032 ------ 5" with magnifier
- 4035 ------ 8"
- N4035 ---- 8"
- 4040 ----- 10" with brass indicator
- 4041 ----- 10" with glass cursor
- N4041 --- 10"
- 4041F ----10" with fine scale divisions the same as the 16" and 20" rules
- N4041F - 10" with fine scale divisions the same as the 16" and 20" rules
- 4045 ----- 16"
- 4050 ----- 20" with brass indictor
- 4051 ----- 20" with glass cursor
History:
The following is a brief history of the 4041 family of slide rules as is told in the K&E catalogs that are available at this time. Exact timing is not possible because of the time between catalogs.
- 1883 -- The 479-2 was offered as a variation on the 479-1 with a brass indicator.
- 1887 -- The 479-2 was converted to 1746N model number.
- 1890 -- The 1746N model number was changed to 1746 and the 20" 1748 was introduced.
- 1895 -- The Mannheim designation was first used for the 1746 and 1748
- 1897 -- The glass indicator was introduced with the 1746 1/2 and 1748 1/2.
- 1899 -- The 5" 1747 was introduced
- 1901 -- The 40xx designations were first used.
- 1906 -- The 4030, 4040, and 4050 were dropped from the line.
- 1909 -- The 4032 was dropped from the line.
- 1913a - Centi-meter extension scale under the slide is removed.
- 1915 -- The "frameless" all glass cursor was introduced.
- 1922 -- The 4031 scale graduations changed from fine to coarse.
- 1925 -- The 4041 and 4041F designations were changed to N4041 and N4041F.
- 1927b - The 4035 designation was changed to N4035.
- 1936 -- The improved metal framed cursor was introduced. The scale designations were shown on the front of the rule. The N4041F does not appear in the catalog.
- 1939 -- Only the 4031, N4035, and N4041 appears in the catalog.
- 1941 -- Only the N4041 is shown in the catalog.
- 1943 -- The N4041 was last shown in the 1943 catalog.
Links to catalog pages for the 4041 family of slide rules:
Scans: Link to scans of 4041 Family of Slide Rules