A Short History of Maglite Flashlights

Where did the term “Maglite®” come from?

  1. magnetic?
  2. magnificent?
  3. Maglica?

If you guessed number 3, you are right.

Maglite Flashlights were invented in 1979 by Anthony Maglica in California, USA. Here is a brief timeline of Anthony and Maglite®.

Mr. Maglica was born in NYC during the depression, but raised in Croatia, his mother’s country of origin.

Anthony Maglica

1955 Machine Shop. In 1950 Anthony returned to the United States to find his American dream. He started a small machine shop. He made precision parts for the government and industry.

1979 Police Flashlights. The first Maglite® was made. It soon became famous among policemen across the country. It was known for its dependability and durability.

Mini Maglite® in 1984. The smaller version of the original flashlight was released just 5 years later. It uses two AA batteries, and is still extremely popular today.

AAA Mini Maglite® in 1987. A still smaller version, using two AAA batteries came out 3 years later.

Solitaire® single AAA in 1988. The only one year later, the purse-sized Solitaire® was introduced. It holds only one AAA battery.

1996 Cadillac of Flashlights. The Wall Street Journal referred to Maglites® as the Cadillac of Flashlight, an appropriate designation.

Several Hundred Employees. Today Maglite® is going strong, and has 700,000 square feet of manufacturing, storage, and offices.

2018. They are still Designed and Manufactured in the USA, with no intention of ever changing that.

 

How to Use an Architect Scale Ruler

An architect scale ruler can come in many sizes and gradations. For now, let’s keep it simple, just to get started. Here is how these handy rulers can make reading a blueprint very easy.

  • First, look in the title block of the blueprint, which is usually located in the bottom right hand corner. It will tell you which scale to use. If it says: 1/4″=1′, then you will be using the 1/4 scale on the architect ruler. That means, 1/4″ on the blueprint represents 1 foot in the actual size of the object. If it says: 1/8″=1′, then you will be using the 1/8 scale on the architect ruler. Many other scales are used, because of the size limits of the paper the drawing is put on, and the actual size of the object or building or landscape.
  • Now, simply use the correct scale to measure the actual size of each part of the drawing.
  • Fine-tuning: You will notice that the zero mark is not the first mark on the scale. It is preceded by some very small gradations. These gradations could have been printed on the entire scale, but that would be very hard on the eyes. Let’s say you are measuring a line that is between 5 and 6 units. Now put the 5 mark on one end of the line. Look now to the other end of the line where it lines up with the very small gradations. Here you can read how much more than 5 units the line is.
  • If this sounds a little confusing, just give it a try, and you will see how easily you will catch on.

3030 Hollow Triangular Architect 12″ Scale 3030

 

Who Needs Tally Books, and What Are They?

Tally Books are similar to jotters, or pocket notebooks. All are useful for writing notes and small enough to keep in your shirt pocket or jacket pocket. What is different about “tally books”?

  • They are protected by a heavy duty vinyl cover, to help keep the pages dry when
    tallybook-in-the-field
    Tally Book In The Field

    you are working outside.

  • They have an optional “stone pad”. That is not paper, but it looks like paper. Stone pads are water resistant and you cannot tear them. If more people knew about them, they would prefer them over paper pads.
  • They have an optional clear vinyl 3 page insert. You can insert your own tables and data sheets for easy reference in the field.
  • For oil and gas industry users, the tally books have optional oilfield stock art which complements your company logo.
  • All-in-all, tally books are very rugged pocket notebooks for use in all kinds of weather. They are preferred by oil, gas, and wind energy companies. They use them for keeping track of repetitive data entries.

Let a Diameter Tape Measure Do the Work For You

Do you need to know the outside diameter of a pipe, pipeline, or hose?

Here are your options:

  1. Wrap a flexible measuring tape around it and divide by pi (3.14159).
  2. Use a caliper and transfer its results to a ruler.
  3. Use a micrometer of the correct size range, and read the scale.
  4. Let a Diameter tape measure do all the work for you.

I prefer using method number 4. It is quick and accurate. Click here for the easy instructions:

Diameter Tapes
Diameter Tapes

 

6 Ways To Use A Pipe diameter tape measure

To find the diameter of a pipe or hose, without cutting it or removing it, you need a pipe diameter tape measure. Many times when you are replacing pipes and hoses, you need to know the size before you remove the old one. You may want to purchase the new one and have it ready so you can make a quick replacement. Here are 6 ways you can benefit from using a a pipe diameter tape measure….You can measure:

  1. Household water pipes and drain pipes.
  2. Automotive heater hoses
  3. Trees
  4. Car exhaust pipes
  5. Boat water intake hoses
  6. Globes for light fixtures

 

And here is how you let a diameter tape do the work for you: