This gives the plumb bob the necessary weight, but at the same time keeps its surface hard. However, lead is a relatively soft metal, so antique plumb bobs are often bronze or brass with a lead core. ( Gaius Cornelius, Wikimedia(CC BY-SA 4.0) A heavy lead plumb bob stops swinging quicker, although in some cases plumb bobs were filled with a liquid – mercury, water or even molasses – to dampen the movement.Īn ancient Roman plumb bob. Plumb bobs had to be made from a heavy metal so that wind would move the plumb line too much. The name “plumb bob” refers to the material that this tool was made of in the past – the Latin plumbum means lead. Plumb bobs are used not only by builders, interior decorators, electricians, construction engineers and carpenters, but also by well diggers, foresters, astronomers, shipbuilders, artillerymen, mining engineers, scale makers and calibrators, pipeline layers, road builders, etc. The plumb bob is one of the few tools that is (or was) used by people from so many different professions. As a result, plumb bobs were often ornamented, characterised by a beautiful curved shape, and were depicted in art and heraldry. For example, the book of Isaiah says, “I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line.” Whether you are a believer or not, this shows the symbolism of the never-failing plumb line in Western culture.
( Andreas Praefcke, Wikimedia(CC BY 3.0)īecause of this objective and eternal accuracy, the plumb bob is mentioned several times in the Bible. Send us feedback about these examples.Old construction tools in art. These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plumb bob.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. 2018 Cake pans, coffee pots, cash registers, and a white ElectroChef stove appeared amid scientific instruments such as steel calipers and a brass plumb bob. David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, 17 Jan. Rhett Allain, WIRED, Accurate to within 1/4 of an inch per 100 feet of range, the kit comes with a tripod with quick-adjust legs, a heavy-duty 8-foot aluminum grade rod (feet-inches-eighths), a plumb bob, and a kit box to safeguard the laser during transport. 2019 The plumb bob will hang at the angle reading for your latitude. Andrew Tallon, National Geographic, 16 Apr. 2020 For a long time, the tools used to measure medieval buildings were nearly as old as the buildings themselves: plumb bobs, string, rulers, and pencils. Ryan D'agostino, Popular Mechanics, 24 Oct. 2022 For holes deeper than three feet, drop a plumb bob (a conical weight attached to a string) into it to give you some sense whether the hole itself is plumb and uniformly shaped. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, Where many competitors use surveying equipment that’s accurate to within a thousandth of a degree to orient their robots on startup, Coordinated often relies on a plumb bob (cost: a few bucks). Recent Examples on the Web Possible uses included: a plumb bob or a loom weight, a liquid sprinkler, a fire starter, a lamp, a smoking pipe, or parts of an apparatus for distillation.
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