Intertech Bow Compass Sold by Hearlihy & Co.

This blue zinc alloy instrument has a black plastic handle. Black plastic adjusting bolts set the width of the instrument and the length of the needle and pencil points. The front of the handle is marked with the letter H. The bolt on the silver metal bow screw is marked: MADE IN W. GERMANY – PATENT. A fitted clear and black plastic box has a black and white plastic tube with two replacement pencil leads. The top of the box is marked in gold: H (/) Hearlihy & Co (/) 504.

Intertech Drawing Instruments (Zeichengeräte) of Brunn, West Germany, made this compass in 1987, according to the donor. The head of the firm, Günther Partes, received U.S. patents in 1979 for a compass with a toothed mechanism for making adjustments and in 1982 for the leg design of this compass. The second concept received West German patent number 2,922,999 in 1979. Hearlihy & Co., a Springfield, Ohio, supplier of drafting instruments and developer of technology education curriculum modules, distributed this compass as model number 504. In 2012, Hearlihy offered a similar compass, possibly made by Intertech, for $7.10. Compare to 1987.0589.02.

References: Günther Partes, "Compass with Fine Adjustment" (U.S. Patent 4,163,322 issued August 7, 1979), and "Holder for Lead Insert and Needle for a Compass" (U.S. Patent 4,327,491 issued May 4, 1982); Hearlihy & Co. online catalog, http://www.hearlihy.com; accession file.

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