Collection of pages from K&E catalogs for the 4056 family

Description:

The 4056 family of slide rules is of the Mannheim type. The 4056s were constructed on a boxwood frame with markings directly on the boxwood. This first rule had a brass indicator

The 4056 had two distinctly issues. The rule as seen from 1901 to 1922 was a version of the 4054 with a metal framed cursor.

The scale set:

inches | A = B C = D | cm

= S L T =

The rule as seen from 1936 to 1952 was a version of the subset of the 4055 with a cheaper cursor.

The scale set:

A = B C = D

= S L T =

History:

With the information available it is not known how far back the 4056 family goes. It first appeared in the 1901 catalog . The last mention of the 4056 is in the 1952 price list. The following is a brief history of the 4056 family of slide rules as is told in the K&E catalogs that are available at this time. Exact timing is not possible because of the time between catalogs.

The first edition had the scales of a 4041 with the inch and centimeter scales on the side. The frame of the rule was made of polished boxwood and not adjustable.

The second edition had the scales of a 4041 also but without the inch and centimeter scales on the side. The frame of the rule was made of boxwood with a paper coating on the surface and not adjustable. The rule was indentical to the 4054 of that time frame except that the 4056 had the paper coated surface and a less expensive formed metal framed cursor.

Links to catalog pages for the 4056 family of slide rules:

Link to scans of 4056 Family of Slide Rules