Welcome

New to slide rule collecting

So, you've found your grandfather's old slide rule and wonder how it works, or you're already a grandfather and wonder if you could still use a slide rule like you once did. Whatever, this site should be able to help you.

First of all have a look at the Instructions section. This has got an A-to-Z to get you started. It covers all the basic scales and a few more. It also has a guide to how to identify scales - if the ones on your rule are not labelled in the standard way. There are also some on-line manuals and a complete book, "Teach Yourself the Slide Rule".

You might also be interested in the section on sources of rules. This includes links to dealers and other places where you can get rules.

You've been collecting for a while

You're probably like I was a few years ago. I'd been collecting in a half-hearted way for several years and had about 20 rules but I didn't know one from another. I could still do basic calculations but some of the more exotic scales, even ones on my own rule from University, were beyond me. It was largely through the internet that I discovered there were other collectors, sources of information and places to get rules. I've now got over 200 rules.

You might be interested in the collection. To start with, if it had a slide and numbers  - I bought it, so I built up a fairly varied collection. Recently I have concentrated on geographic coverage and special purpose rules so my collection might give you a few ideas as to where you can go from here.

You're an experienced collector

If you're an experienced collector and haven't found this site before, the chances are you're new to the internet. That is why I've tried to keep the navigation as straightforward as possible. You will probably find some of the information on the site useful but you might also be interested in the other resources section which includes links to other web sites and suggestions for books.

Many experienced collectors also find my section on prices to be useful. In this part of the site I analyse the price of rules sold on ebay, the internet auction site. This part of the site has been going since 1999 and is based on an average of 20,000 rules a year offered for sale.

About me

I'm a Civil Engineer / Hydrologist. I'm based in the UK but a lot of my work has been overseas. My main areas of interests are mathematical modelling and "hydropolitics".

I hope you enjoy this site and find it useful. Questions, comments and offers of help are always welcomed.