https://en.wikipedia.

org/wiki/Technical_drawing_tool#Drawing_tools 9/12/2020

Technical drawing tool

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
Drafting tools may be used for measurement and layout of drawings, or to improve the
consistency and speed of creation of standard drawing elements. Tools such as pens
and pencils mark the drawing medium. Other tools such as straight edges, assist the
operator in drawing straight lines. Various scales and the protractor are used to
measure the lengths of lines and angles, allowing accurate scale drawing to be carried
out! The compass is used to draw arcs and circles. A drawing board was used to hold
the drawing media in place; later boards included drafting machines that sped the layout
of straight lines and angles. Tools such as templates and lettering guides assisted in the
drawing of repetitive elements such as circles, ellipses, schematic symbols and text.
Other auxiliary tools were used for special drawing purposes or for functions related to
the preparation and revision of drawings. The tools used for manual technical
drawing have been displaced by the advent of computer-aided drawing, draughting and
design (CADD).

The ship's steam machinery installation drawing for the iron-clad CSS  Texas, 1865
 Hand drawing for the facade of Ennis House, 1969

Contents

 1History
 2Drawing tools
o 2.1Pencil
o 2.2Drafting board
o 2.3T-square
o 2.4Drafting machine
o 2.5French Curves
o 2.6Rulers
o 2.7Compass
o 2.8Templates
o 2.9Perspective machines
 3Drawing materials
o 3.1Drafting paper
o 3.2Thick draft paper
o 3.3Cloth
o 3.4Tracing paper
o 3.5Tracing tube
o 3.6Inks
o 3.7Dry transfer
 4Reproduction
 5See also
 6References
 7Further reading

History[edit]
The ancient Egyptians are known to have used wooden corner rulers. [1] Ancient Nuragic
people in Sardinia used compasses made of bronze, like the one displayed in showcase
25 in the Nuragic department of the National Archeological Museum G. A. Sanna
in Sassari. In ancient Greece, evidence has been found of the use of styli and metal
chisels, scale rulers and triangle rulers. Excavations in Pompeii have found a bronze
tool kit used by the Romans, which contained triangle rulers, compasses and a ruler to
use with a pen.[2]
Although a variety of styli were developed in ancient times and were still being used in
the 18th century, quills were generally used as the main drawing tool. Styli were also
used in the form of ivory or ebony pencils.[2]
Protractors have been used to measure and draw angles and arcs of a circle accurately
since about the 13th century,[3] although mathematics and science demanded more
detailed drawing instruments. The adjustable corner ruler was developed in the 17th
century, but a feasible screw-tightened version not until the 1920s. [2]

Holding a ruling-pen, 1901

In the 17th century, a stylus that could draw a line with a specific width called a ruling
pen was developed. The stylus had two curved metal pieces which were joined by a
screw. Ink was trickled between the blades, from which it flowed evenly across the
paper. The basic model was maintained for a long time, with minor modifications, until
the 1930s when the German technical drawing pens came to the market. [2]
Artists (including Leonardo da Vinci and Albrecht Dürer, Nicholas Bion and George
Adams) generally made drawing tools for themselves. [1] Industrial production of technical
drawing instruments started in 1853, when Englishman William Stanley (1829–1909)
founded a technical manufacturing company in London. Even then, however, most tools
were still made by hand.[2]
In the 1930s the equipment available expanded: drawing apparatus and Rapidograph-
drawing pens appeared, improving the line quality and, especially, producing consistent
line width.[2] In addition to the Rapidograph stylus, a more traditional Grafos-type stylus
was used for a long time, where different line widths were achieved by changing the pen
nib. For instance in Finland Grafos was commonly used as a primary drawing tool still in
the early 1970s.
Equipment changed radically during the 1990s, when computer-aided design almost
completely ousted drawing by hand. Technical design has changed from drawing by
hand to producing computer-aided design drawings, where drawings are no longer
"drawn", but are built from a virtually-produced model. Drawings are not necessarily
produced in hard copy at all, and if they are needed they are printed automatically by a
computer program. Hand-drawn designs however are still widely used in the draft
design stage.

Drawing tools[edit]
Pencil[edit]
Traditional and typical styli used for technical drawing are pencils and technical pens.

Video of a 1930s dotted-line drawing pen

Pencils in use are usually mechanical pencils with a standard lead thickness. The usual
line widths are 0.18 mm, 0.25 mm, 0.5 mm and 0.7 mm. Hardness varies usually from
HB to 2H. Softer lead gives a better contrast, but harder lead gives a more accurate
line. Bad contrast of the lead line in general is problematic when photocopying, but new
scanning copy techniques have improved the final result. Paper or plastic surfaces
require their own lead types.
"Drawing pens"

A traditional ruling pen, already in use in the 1600s.

 

Grafos stylus.
 

A disassembled Grafos and nibs of different widths.

 

Rapidograph styli of different widths: 0.35, 1.4 and 0.7 mm.

 
 

Rapidograph stylus parts. The head can be further disassembled.

A parallel ruler-equipped drawing board. Drawing from an article published in a Norwegian technical
journal Teknisk Ukeblad in 1893. The article dealt with a new kind of vertical drawing apparatus. The board was
equipped with a lift mechanism, improving the ergonomy when doing large drawings.

In most cases, the final drawings are drawn with ink, on either plastic or tracing paper.
The pen is generally a Rapidograph-type technical pen, a marker pen that draws lines
of consistent width (so-called steel marker pen). The pen has an ink container which
contains a metal tube, inside which is a thin metal needle or wire, the soul. Ink is
absorbed between the needle and the tube wall, preventing an excessive amount of ink
from being released. The needle has a weight and by waving the pen back and forth the
needle is released and the ink can run. Originally, the tank was filled from an ink bottle;
newer pens use ink cartridges.
Each line width has its own stylus. The line width is standardized: In Finland, the most
commonly used set is 0.13 mm, 0.18 mm, 0.25 mm, 0.35 mm, 0.50 mm and 0.70 mm.
Separate styli are used for tracing paper and plastic, because plastic requires a harder
pen tip. To function well they require regular maintenance, the finest marker pens in
particular.
Drafting board[edit]
The drawing board is an essential tool. Paper will be attached and kept straight and still,
so that the drawing can be done with accuracy. Generally, different kind of assistance
rulers are used in drawing. The drawing board is usually mounted to a floor pedestal in
which the board turns to a different position, and also its height can be adjustable.
Smaller drawing boards are produced for table-top use. In the 18th and 19th
centuries,drawing paper was dampened and then its edges glued to the drawing board.
After drying the paper would be flat and smooth. The completed drawing was then cut
free.[4] Paper could also be secured to the drawing board with drawing pins [5] or even C-
clamps. More recent practice is to use self-adhesive tape to secure paper to the board,
including the sophisticated use of individualized adhesive dots from a dispensing roll.
Some drawing boards are magnetized, allowing paper to be held down by long steel
strips. Boards used for overlay drafting or animation may include registration pins or peg
bars to ensure alignment of multiple layers of drawing media.
T-square[edit]
A T-square is a straightedge which uses the edge of the drawing board as a support. It
is used with the drafting board to draw horizontal lines and to align other drawing
instruments. Wooden, metal, or plastic triangles with 30° and 60° angles or with two 45°
angles are used to speed drawing of lines at these commonly used angles. A
continuously adjustable 0–90° protractor is also in use. An alternative to the T-square is
the parallel bar which is permanently attached to the drawing board. It has a set of
cables and pulleys to allow it to be positioned anywhere on the drawing surface while
still remaining parallel to the bottom of the board. The drafting machine replaces the T-
square and triangles.
Drafting machine[edit]

Right-handed parallelogram machine with a ballast.

A drafting machine is a device which is mounted to the drawing board. It has rulers
whose angles can be precisely adjusted with a controlling mechanism. [6] There are two
main types of apparatus: an arm-type parallelogram apparatus based on a hinged arm;
and a track-type apparatus which moves on a rail mounted to the top of the drawing
board. The accuracy of the arm type apparatus is better in the middle of the board,
decreasing towards the edges, whereas a track machine has a constant accuracy over
the whole board. The drawing head of a track-type drafting machine slides on bearings
in a vertical rail, which in turn is moved along a horizontal, top-mounted rail. Both
apparatus types have an adjustable drawing-head with rules attached to a protractor
scale so that the angle of the rules may be adjusted. [7]
A drafting machine allows easy drawing of parallel lines over the paper. The adjustable
angle between the rulers allows the lines to be drawn in varying accurate angles. Rulers
may also be used as a support for separate special rulers and letter templates. The
rules are replaceable and they can be for example scale-rules.
Drawing apparatus has evolved from a drawing board mounted parallel ruler and
a pantograph, which is a device used for copying objects in an adjustable ratio of sizes.
French Curves[edit]
French curves are made of wood, plastic or celluloid. Some set squares also have these
curves cut in the middle. French curves are used for drawing curves which cannot be
drawn with compasses. A faint freehand curve is first drawn through the known points;
the longest possible curve that coincides exactly with the freehand curve is then found
out from the French curves. Finally, a neat continuous curve is drawn with the aid of the
French curves.[8]
Rulers[edit]
Main article: Scale ruler
Rulers used in technical drawing are usually made of polystyrene. It is used for drawing
lines and connecting points. Rulers come in two types according to the design of their
edge. A ruler with a straight edge can be used with lead pencils and felt pens, whereas
when a technical pen is used the edge must be grooved to prevent the spread of the
ink.

An architect's scale

A scale ruler is a scaled, three-edged ruler which has six different scales marked to its
sides. A typical combination for building details is 1:20, 1:50, 1:100, 1:25, 1:75 and
1:125. There are separate rulers for zoning work as well as for inch units. Today scale
rulers are made of plastic, formerly they were made of hardwood. A pocket-sized
version is also available, with scales printed on flexible plastic strips.
View of a drafting table: the old way of producing architectural and engineering drawings. On the top of the
board is a parallel ruler.

Rulers and templates

Various curved rulers, commonly known as French curves. This image comes from the Lexikon der gesamten
Technik (dictionary of technology) from 1904 by Otto Lueger
Compass[edit]
Compasses are used for drawing circles or arc segments of circles. One form has two
straight legs joined by a hinge; one leg has a sharp pivot point and the other has a
holder for a technical pen or pencil. Another form, the beam compass, has the pivot
point and pen holder joined by a trammel bar, useful when drawing very large radius
arcs. Often a circle template is used instead of a compass when predefined circle sizes
are required.
Templates[edit]
Templates contain pre-dimensioned holes in the right scale to accurately draw a symbol
or sign.
Letter templates are used for drawing text, including digits and letter characters.
Diagrams are usually of a standard letter shape and size to conform to standards of
encodings (e.g. DIN or ANSI). For example, in Finland the series used is 1.8 mm,
2.5 mm, 3.5 mm, 5.0 mm and 7.0 mm. Except for the very biggest ones, the templates
are only suitable for technical pen drawing.
For drawing circles and circle-arcs, circle templates which contain a set of suitably-sized
holes are used. Templates are also available for other geometric shapes such as
squares and for drawing ellipses, as well as many specialized varieties for other
purposes..
There are also specific templates to provide user with the most common symbols in use
in different branches of designing. For example, the architect templates can be used to
draw different sized doors with their "opening arcs", building and equipment symbols
and furniture. The templates also provide the symbols for thermal insulation.

Two methods of drawing smooth curves in manual drafting are the use of French
curves and flat splines (flexible curves). A French curve is a drawing aid with many
different smoothly-varying radiused curves on it; the manual drafter can fit the French
curve to some known reference points and draw a smooth curved line between them. A
spline is a flexible ruler, usually rubber or plastic coated with a metal "backbone", which
can be smoothly shaped to follow a desired curve and allows drawing a smooth line
between initial reference points. Sometimes a spline is temporarily held in position with
small weights.
Perspective machines[edit]
Main article: Perspective machine
A perspective machine is an instrument designed to create perspective drawings.[9]

Drawing materials[edit]
Drafting paper[edit]
Silk-paper -like translucent drafting paper that wrinkles when wetted. It is primarily
suitable for pencils and felt tip pens. Pencil marks can be corrected to some extent with
an eraser.
Thick draft paper[edit]
Sandwich paper -like, thin translucent sheet of paper. Manufactured in different
strengths, the surface may be slightly polished. This paper also wrinkles upon wetting.
Suitable for pencil and felt tipped pens, and with limitations for technical pens. An eraser
can be used for pencil lines. Ink is difficult to erase without damage.
Cloth[edit]
Drafting linen was formerly used for technical drawings. It was durable and held up to
handling, but it was difficult to use in modern whiteprints for reproduction, and shrinking
was a concern.
Tracing paper[edit]
See also: Vellum
Polished sandwich paper -like, translucent thick paper, which comes in different
strengths. Wrinkles upon wetting. Suitable for both graphite pencils and technical pens.
An eraser or sharp scraper tool is used for corrections.
Tracing tube[edit]
Translucent plastic film, which is usually of gray or a light khaki shade. Common types
are 0.05, 0.07 and 0.10 mm thick. These films are also used in photocopying. The most
commonly used materials are polyesters, and sometimes also PVC or polycarbonate;
arguably, a proprietary eponym or genericized trademark for this is called Mylar.
In drawing, plastic's specific advantages over translucent paper are higher mechanical
strength and dimensional accuracy; plastic does not, unlike paper, shrink or stretch with
changing air humidity. Plastic is also as a surface completely flat, while the surface of
paper is relatively rough. Plastic is suitable for both pencils and drawing pens. However,
the surface tends to wear the pen tips, which must be made of hard-metal alloy.
Ordinary ink is not absorbed into the plastic at all, so the lines can easily be removed
with an eraser. Photocopier marks can be removed by scraping.
Inks[edit]
Drawing inks can be divided into two groups: India ink and polymer inks. India ink is
used on paper and drafting film plastics. The most commonly used India ink is
a colloidal mixture of water and carbon black.
Dry transfer[edit]
Dry transfer decals can speed the production of repetitive drawing elements such as
borders, title blocks, line types, shading, and symbols. They were frequently used in the
production of schematic drawings, maps, and printed circuit board artwork, for example.
Dry transfer lettering such as Letraset was used especially in lettering larger size
document annotations, or when consistency of lettering was especially required.

Reproduction[edit]
Main article: Reprography
Many copies of technical drawings may be required in the construction of a project.
Reproductions must be accurate as to size and shape, but for many purposes need not
be permanent. The blueprint process was first used for mechanical reproduction of
drawings. Drawing offices may use diazo or whiteprint processes. Where the volume of
drawings reproduced justifies the cost of the machine, a large format photocopier
using xerography can reproduce drawings at lower cost than re-plotting them.

In 2020, World Teachers' Day will celebrate teachers with the theme “Teachers: Leading in

crisis, reimagining the future”.