Bell gauge
Chambers bell gauge
Name/Title
Bell gaugeDescription
Brass gauge shaped like a bell. The bell is marked with numbers from 1 - 28. (1 being the largest hole and 28 being the smallest slot).Context
The gauge is marked with G. Chambers & Co., Bell Gauge, patented 1847. George Chambers was the first to make needle gauges in a bell shape, which became the standard for needle gauges for over 100 years. The main difference between the Chambers gauge and later bell gauges is that it measured much finer needles - the smallest size is a 28. (The British scale, measures the larger the number, the finer the needle). it is hard to find a needle size conversion chart that goes below a 14 (2 mm), but the needle sizes were the same as the old British Standard Wire Gauge, and conversion tables for wire give size 28 as 0.3759mm. The largest size on the Chambers gauge is size 1, roughly equivalent to 7.5mm.Category
Domestic, Tools