posted on March 23, 2006 04:26:51 PM
I'm trying to ID the item pictured below. Kalart is a camera company, so I'm assuming this has something to do with photography.
It's in a brown leather case.
It's flat when removed from the case.
The two ends fold out and up. One end has numbers and the base appears to have a small level on top.
Can someone tell me what this is and when it was made.
Thanks so much.
[ edited by greatlakes on Mar 23, 2006 04:27 PM ]
posted on March 23, 2006 04:52:03 PM
The reason I wanted to know was to try to date it. It's obviously a military item. If it's from the 40's, my guess would be a sighting or rangefinding device of some sort, possibly for artillery. Many camera manufacturers were into heavy production for sights and other optical devices during WW2.
If Murphy's law is correct, everything East of the San Andreas Fault will slide into the Atlantic
posted on March 23, 2006 05:11:37 PM
My guess TOO...
Especially with the "US" imprint...
I know that they made ARTILLARY COMPASSES -- this looks like a HEIGHT sighter???
(Hey! Ralphie is the TRIG expert -- not ME...)
"As you can possibly see, I have an injury myself—not here at the hospital, but in combat with a cedar. I eventually won. The cedar gave me a little scratch."
—After visiting with wounded veterans from the Amputee Care Center of Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, Jan. 1, 2006
posted on March 23, 2006 07:12:57 PM
I don't think it is photographic. Does not look like any photographic equipment I have seen. Seems more likely it is a measuring device of some kind.
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“The illiterate of the future will be the person ignorant of the use of the camera as well as of the pen.”
Maholy-Nagy, Vision in Motion, 1947
posted on March 23, 2006 07:44:59 PM
tOMWiii is correct, Kalart did make military compasses. The model they made was the popular M2 Artillery compass. From the looks of this device I would guess it is a artillary or motor range finder. I have seen similar range finders before, just not Kalart. If you list it, be sure to include the words "Range Finder" and "Artillery" in your title. It is also most likely WW2 vintage.
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. - Albert Einstein
)
"As you can possibly see, I have an injury myself—not here at the hospital, but in combat with a cedar. I eventually won. The cedar gave me a little scratch."
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. - Albert Einstein