# What are these parts of an old drawing compass?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-parts-of-an-old-drawing-compass/430968
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [December 22, 2007, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-parts-of-an-old-drawing-compass/430968 "2007-12-22T21:16:39Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2007, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-parts-of-an-old-drawing-compass/430968/1 "2007-12-22T21:16:39Z")
I have an old Tacro drawing tool kit that is comprised of a compass and two accessories. One is a stylus to be used with dipped ink. The appears to be a handle of some sort. It’s smooth, probably enameled black, with a silver tip with threads inside. It’s about 1/2 the length of the compass. How would it be used?
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### Author:  [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2007, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-parts-of-an-old-drawing-compass/430968/2 "2007-12-22T21:22:41Z")
My old compass had the stylus tip you mention along with a handle that could hold the stylus, letting it be used as a ruling pen. Will the stylus tip fit in the handle?
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2007, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-parts-of-an-old-drawing-compass/430968/3 "2007-12-22T22:37:34Z")
Yes, the stylus should fit into the black handle, if you want to create things other than circles, with the same line thickness.
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### Author:  [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2007, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-parts-of-an-old-drawing-compass/430968/4 "2007-12-23T01:53:23Z")
And, if that ruling nib is the kind that looks like a kind of tweezer with an adjustment knob, then do not dunk it.
[like this one](http://www.lionpic.co.uk/index.php?mode=product_info&productid=1375)
I remember my drafting teacher in high school explaining that one should never dip those ruling pens. You should carefully place a drop of ink between the pinchers with an eyedropper.
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### Author:  [@633squadron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/633squadron)
#### Post date: [December 24, 2007, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-parts-of-an-old-drawing-compass/430968/5 "2007-12-24T01:31:02Z")
[QUOTE=minor7flat5]
And, if that ruling nib is the kind that looks like a kind of tweezer with an adjustment knob, then do not dunk it.
[like this one](http://www.lionpic.co.uk/index.php?mode=product_info&productid=1375)
I remember my drafting teacher in high school explaining that one should never dip those ruling pens. You should carefully place a drop of ink between the pinchers with an eyedropper.
[/QUOTE]
The tweezer is a pen nib for the compass. The handle is an attachment to “draw” with the pen nib. I have a set of drafting tools lying around here somewhere (dives through years of accumulated kruft) with exactly the same features.
Old ink bottles had a cap with a built-in dropper for filling pens like this.
I’m not that sorry that drafting like this has disappeared. It was tedious and mistake-prone.
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [December 24, 2007, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-parts-of-an-old-drawing-compass/430968/6 "2007-12-24T02:50:58Z")
[QUOTE=633squadron]
I’m not that sorry that drafting like this has disappeared. It was tedious and mistake-prone.
[/QUOTE]
Now you’ve got me remembering my old Rapidograph set, something I’d rather forget.
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### Author:  [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)
#### Post date: [December 24, 2007, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-parts-of-an-old-drawing-compass/430968/7 "2007-12-24T05:21:27Z")
And when you want really nice lettering, time to get out the good old [Leroy lettering set](http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/K&ELeroy/3245-15L/3245-15L.htm).