Re: pennyweights
> Two theorys why the US sticks to the old systems like staying withI think that sheer market power has a lot to do with it. US companies
> feet inches miles rather than switching to metric.
don't see that they have to make the change in order to have access
to enough customers.
PHV
Two theorys why the US sticks to the old systems like staying with
feet inches miles rather than switching to metric
first there is a stubern streak of freedom loving in at least part of
the population and we do not like to change no matter how hard the
goverment pushes. further we tend to train our jobs people on the
job
where I understand the germans for example train most of their
workers
in special high schools
plus while the us is actualt similar in size to Canada we are
rather more spread out notas concentrated as I understand about 90%
of
the canadian population is with in 100 miles of the Us border? finaly
I would psychologicaly think its only 27 miles to our captal city not
42 klicks ;-)
Jeffery
feet inches miles rather than switching to metric
first there is a stubern streak of freedom loving in at least part of
the population and we do not like to change no matter how hard the
goverment pushes. further we tend to train our jobs people on the
job
where I understand the germans for example train most of their
workers
in special high schools
plus while the us is actualt similar in size to Canada we are
rather more spread out notas concentrated as I understand about 90%
of
the canadian population is with in 100 miles of the Us border? finaly
I would psychologicaly think its only 27 miles to our captal city not
42 klicks ;-)
Jeffery
--- Inbolger@egroups.com, "John Ewing" <j.c.ewing@h...> wrote:
> Thank you for the Web links, Derek. I have printed the charts to be
> found there and will keep them handy when reading Payson et al and
> require a translation for nail sizes. I also thank other
contributors
> for their historical backgrounds. But I have to wonder why
Americans
> would continue an archaic English system -- a code, really -- while
> Canadians use straightforward, specific size references for nails.
> We're the ones who are supposed to be more closely linked to
> the 'mother country'. ;-)
>
> jce, Victoria
>
>
> --- Inbolger@egroups.com, "Derek Waters" <dgw@d...> wrote:
> > Hi John
> >
> > Until someone more knowledgeable can fill in the gaps, here are a
> couple of
> > pointers to sizing charts. I can't recall the reference source,
but
> have a
> > vague recollection of a story linking nail weights, an
abbreviated
> form
> > being read as a lowercase 'd', and an erroneous link to the old
> British
> > abbreviation for pennies in coinage (also a lowercase 'd')... Or
> maybe I
> > just dreamt all that :)
> >
> >http://www.bobvila.com/nail.htm
> >http://www.huntfamily.com/nail_sizes.htm
> >
Thank you for the Web links, Derek. I have printed the charts to be
found there and will keep them handy when reading Payson et al and
require a translation for nail sizes. I also thank other contributors
for their historical backgrounds. But I have to wonder why Americans
would continue an archaic English system -- a code, really -- while
Canadians use straightforward, specific size references for nails.
We're the ones who are supposed to be more closely linked to
the 'mother country'. ;-)
jce, Victoria
found there and will keep them handy when reading Payson et al and
require a translation for nail sizes. I also thank other contributors
for their historical backgrounds. But I have to wonder why Americans
would continue an archaic English system -- a code, really -- while
Canadians use straightforward, specific size references for nails.
We're the ones who are supposed to be more closely linked to
the 'mother country'. ;-)
jce, Victoria
--- Inbolger@egroups.com, "Derek Waters" <dgw@d...> wrote:
> Hi John
>
> Until someone more knowledgeable can fill in the gaps, here are a
couple of
> pointers to sizing charts. I can't recall the reference source, but
have a
> vague recollection of a story linking nail weights, an abbreviated
form
> being read as a lowercase 'd', and an erroneous link to the old
British
> abbreviation for pennies in coinage (also a lowercase 'd')... Or
maybe I
> just dreamt all that :)
>
>http://www.bobvila.com/nail.htm
>http://www.huntfamily.com/nail_sizes.htm
>
> Derek
Perhaps this had something to do with
their being invaded by the Romans.?
They brought Latin with them, and for
my crime of being in the so-called "top"
class I was forced to choke it down
in the English Based NZ
Public School System in the "swung" 60's.
Eng. ditty (on topic)
"The English, the English, The English are best,
I wouldn't give Tuppence for all of the Rest!"
Jeff Gilbert
Unwilling Latin & Failed History Student.
their being invaded by the Romans.?
They brought Latin with them, and for
my crime of being in the so-called "top"
class I was forced to choke it down
in the English Based NZ
Public School System in the "swung" 60's.
Eng. ditty (on topic)
"The English, the English, The English are best,
I wouldn't give Tuppence for all of the Rest!"
Jeff Gilbert
Unwilling Latin & Failed History Student.
----- Original Message -----
From: Vince Chew <vachew@...>
<snip> The letter D used in nail sizes probably comes from the
Latin for penny or pence: dinarius, dinarii (pl.). They liked to use
Latin in ye olde England.
All,
According to my old Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, "penny" was the
original price per hundred of nails. In merry olde England the value of
a penny was 1/240th of a pound sterling (now it is 1/100th). So 100
sixteenpenny or 16D nails would have originally cost 16 pennies (the
old kind). The letter D used in nail sizes probably comes from the
Latin for penny or pence: dinarius, dinarii (pl.). They liked to use
Latin in ye olde England.
Vince
According to my old Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, "penny" was the
original price per hundred of nails. In merry olde England the value of
a penny was 1/240th of a pound sterling (now it is 1/100th). So 100
sixteenpenny or 16D nails would have originally cost 16 pennies (the
old kind). The letter D used in nail sizes probably comes from the
Latin for penny or pence: dinarius, dinarii (pl.). They liked to use
Latin in ye olde England.
Vince
In a message dated 10/07/2000 10:<BR18:<BR36 AM
Eastern Daylight,freedem@...writes:> this is total speculation and
vague memories because the other way 4
essentially no value :-(
It makes sense after all, as they were buying steel with the addition of an
equal (and trivial) amount of labor added to each nail regardless of size.
It seems that Highland Hardware's catalog had a screed about this 8 years ago
or so.
Cheers/Step
Eastern Daylight,freedem@...writes:> this is total speculation and
vague memories because the other way 4
> pennys for a pound of small nails makes no cents ( pardon the pun) asWhen this convention started, materials were expensive and human lobor had
> it took about as much work to hand make a 4 penny nail as a 16 penny
> and definitly easyer make fewer nails per pound in the larger sizes.
essentially no value :-(
It makes sense after all, as they were buying steel with the addition of an
equal (and trivial) amount of labor added to each nail regardless of size.
It seems that Highland Hardware's catalog had a screed about this 8 years ago
or so.
Cheers/Step
The two stories I heard was at one time it was standar to buy nails
in
lots of 100 and the cost was set at 16 pennys for 100 3 and 1/2 inch
nails
this is total speculation and vague memories because the other way 4
pennys for a pound of small nails makes no cents ( pardon the pun) as
it took about as much work to hand make a 4 penny nail as a 16 penny
and definitly easyer make fewer nails per pound in the larger sizes.
Or at one time nails were so presious that it cost 16 pennys for one
3 and a half inch nail, nah
Jeffery
in
lots of 100 and the cost was set at 16 pennys for 100 3 and 1/2 inch
nails
this is total speculation and vague memories because the other way 4
pennys for a pound of small nails makes no cents ( pardon the pun) as
it took about as much work to hand make a 4 penny nail as a 16 penny
and definitly easyer make fewer nails per pound in the larger sizes.
Or at one time nails were so presious that it cost 16 pennys for one
3 and a half inch nail, nah
Jeffery
--- Inbolger@egroups.com, "Derek Waters" <dgw@d...> wrote:
> Hi John
>
> Until someone more knowledgeable can fill in the gaps, here are a
couple of
> pointers to sizing charts. I can't recall the reference source, but
have a
> vague recollection of a story linking nail weights, an abbreviated
form
> being read as a lowercase 'd', and an erroneous link to the old
British
> abbreviation for pennies in coinage (also a lowercase 'd')... Or
maybe I
> just dreamt all that :)
>
>http://www.bobvila.com/nail.htm
>http://www.huntfamily.com/nail_sizes.htm
Hi John
Until someone more knowledgeable can fill in the gaps, here are a couple of
pointers to sizing charts. I can't recall the reference source, but have a
vague recollection of a story linking nail weights, an abbreviated form
being read as a lowercase 'd', and an erroneous link to the old British
abbreviation for pennies in coinage (also a lowercase 'd')... Or maybe I
just dreamt all that :)
http://www.bobvila.com/nail.htm
http://www.huntfamily.com/nail_sizes.htm
Derek
Until someone more knowledgeable can fill in the gaps, here are a couple of
pointers to sizing charts. I can't recall the reference source, but have a
vague recollection of a story linking nail weights, an abbreviated form
being read as a lowercase 'd', and an erroneous link to the old British
abbreviation for pennies in coinage (also a lowercase 'd')... Or maybe I
just dreamt all that :)
http://www.bobvila.com/nail.htm
http://www.huntfamily.com/nail_sizes.htm
Derek