Opisometer

[elton]

This device has come into my hands from my dad's estate, and I'm trying to figure it out. After much Googling I learned it's known as an Opisometer. I guess it's for measuring distance along arbitrary paths on a map, but that's about all I know.

Apologies for the picture quality; the phone camera is out of focus at short distances.

The outer scale is labelled "Inches to Miles or Verstes" from 0 to 39 in steps of 3.
The inner scale is labelled "Centimeters to Kilometers" from 0 to 90 in steps of 10.

I've learned that the "Verste" is an obsolete Russian unit of length equivalent to about 1.067 kilometers http://www.memidex.com/verstes

I would think it's more than fifty years old, but the "glass" appears to be plastic, so possibly not.

Can anyone tell me any more, or direct me to a source of info?

Thanks.

 

[sarabande]

It's a sort of circular ruler. They were frequently found in Scouts about 65 years ago, to my certain knowledge.


EDIT

Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td9z5vhMUmA

 

[Andibs]

Still available to buy. Used a lot for calculating distances for walking routes

 

[WoodyP]

I used to use it for my travel expenses.

 

[LittleSister]

I've always known what they are (and very useful they are, too), but didn't know that was their proper name.

 

[elton]

It's a sort of circular ruler. They were frequently found in Scouts about 65 years ago, to my certain knowledge.


EDIT

Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td9z5vhMUmA

Thanks for that. Mine looks identical that that one in fact!

 

[prv]

I've always known what they are (and very useful they are, too), but didn't know that was their proper name.

+1

There's been one in my parents' stationery drawer forever, but I had no idea what it was called.

Pete

 

[alexlago]

ha ha... I used to use one in the eighties, very useful to calculate on a paper map distances of trips along mountain trails, though one had to pay attention to firmly press the thing on the map so it would keep on "recording" the distance....but then, google maps and gps were invented, and they were much more convenient and easy to use.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

I would think it's more than fifty years old, but the "glass" appears to be plastic, so possibly not.

We certainly had transparent plastic fifty years ago, even in the windows of Airfix models and Corgi cars!

 

[elton]

We certainly had transparent plastic fifty years ago, even in the windows of Airfix models and Corgi cars!

Yes, of course we did

 

[Leighb]

I didn't know it was called that but I was given one as part of a 21st birthday present in 1962 and it certainly had a plastic transparent face. It was that which caused it's demise many years later as it eventually distorted and fell out which meant the needle got damaged. I found it quite useful for measuring distances on OS maps.

 

[chriss999]

My grandparents had one & we used to use it in the 1970's to measure hill walks, in preference to thumbnails. That one vanished years ago so I'm back to using my thumbs again.

On the subject of names:
apparently also called a curvimeter, meilograph, or map measurer

 

[ghostlymoron]

Unfortunately I can't see your photo. But I had one of these a while ago. A dial on a stick with a small wheel at the bottom. I think I got it from when I worked in Oxfordshire county council highways department. Very useful - we called it a map measurer.

 

[Lucy52]

Had a black plastic one in the sixties - a "Map Measure" no more no less.