Joel's Blog

Advertising Rules!! (no - not that kind)

02/16/2010

In my day if you want to impress a client you give them a pen, or a mug, or if they are really special a hat or t-shirt. In 1900 the t-shirt hadn't been invented so freebie gifts I guess were a little harder to come by. Now I don't know much about promotional tools but a few years ago I acquired a 12" 4 fold ivory rule. The rule was made by Rabone (the great English rule making company) - it's a no. 2435 and pretty expensive at 26/0 per dozen (wholesale) but it also has "C. W. S. Cabinet Works" "Pelaw" on it which was the shop that gave them out.
Advertising Rules!! (no - not that kind) 5

Advertising Rules!! (no - not that kind) 5

What I don't get is what kind of customer merited a rule this nice. It's cute, it's ivory, it folds down to 3". And the markings are all hand scribed on the ivory.

Advertising Rules!! (no - not that kind) 6

Advertising Rules!! (no - not that kind) 6

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest it was given to some decorator or architect. It's too good to be used regularly in a shop but perfect for an architect to carry in their pocket all the time for occasional use like checking if the molding was the same width as specified in a plan.

Advertising Rules!! (no - not that kind) 7

Advertising Rules!! (no - not that kind) 7

The other two advertising rules in the picture were much less expensive, a lot more common and also pretty useful. I don't know the actual maker but the elegant wooden one was a rope maker's giveaway and reads in Inches only on the front and metric on the reverse. On the back of the smaller brass caliper (which reads in both inches and metric) is the name "Small & Parkes Ltd" of Manchester. This latter one is real handy even today.

Advertising Rules!! (no - not that kind) 8

Advertising Rules!! (no - not that kind) 8

Join the conversation

02/16/2010 David Gendron

So Joel, What are your good clients gona get from you? Other than the great service we get from you;)
I remember, in my grand father garage, he was a mechanic, to find all kind of promotional stuff, from the fuel company to the tools etc... It is interesting that we lost that kind of useful swags, it was better than a cheep pen or stickers...
Cheers
David

02/16/2010 Larry Williams http://My favorite

I've got a steel folding rule/protractor with a vernier scale that I use often. I don't have it here at home with me so I can't give the name of the company that gave these out. I sometimes also refer to the decimal equivalents chart on the back. I picked up at a tool collectors meet for a couple dollars a number of years ago and I've about worn out the leather case it came in.

02/16/2010 Andrew Davis

That sure is a smart looking rule. I have a lumber guy that hands out a better pencil than I can buy anywhere. They are hoarded away...
Well to Ya
Andrew

Comments are closed.

Last

The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the blog's author and guests and in no way reflect the views of Tools for Working Wood.

Newer Entries...
	The Story Behind the Rule - 04/06/2010
	Why Tapered Irons? - 03/25/2010
	Festool in its Infinite Wisdom.... - 03/23/2010
	A Setback - Plane and Simple - 03/18/2010
	Some Product Updates - 03/16/2010
	How To Select The Correct Color Dye Stain For Your Project Part 2 - 03/10/2010
	Festool C12 Drills on Sale!!!! along with 150mm Sanding Discs - 03/02/2010
	The History of Mitre Planes - The Marquetry Plane - Part 1 - 02/24/2010
	It should not be this hard - We Discontinue Nicholson Patternmaker's Rasps Because of Quality Issues. - 02/19/2010
	Advertising Rules!! (no - not that kind) - 02/16/2010
	Work Vs. School - Tom Brown's Schooldays - 02/09/2010
	Coming Round the Mountain - 02/04/2010
	Tools as Art - 02/02/2010
	Idle Hands Do The Devil's Work - 01/26/2010
	The Joiner and Cabinet Maker - Limited Edition Bound in Leather. - 01/21/2010
	How To Select The Correct Color Dye Stain For Your Project Part 1 - 01/18/2010
	Roy Arnold a Short Tribute. - 01/05/2010
	Layout - Move The Square To The Marking Tool - Not The Reverse - 12/31/2009
	Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy and Healthy New Year to Everyone - 12/24/2009
	Getting Shellaced - part 2 - 12/21/2009
Older Entries...

Hours: M-F 9:00-5:00, closed Sat,Sun
Our Guarantee & Return Policy
Shipping and Sales Tax Info
Privacy Policy
Holiday Calendar

Contact Us: Email: support@toolsforworkingwood.com
Phone: 800-426-4613 or 718-499-5877
Visit Us in Brooklyn: Directions to Our Showroom
© 1999-2019 toolsforworkingwood.com
Powered by 01 Inc. Coded entirely in NYC