From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Design and sourcing of oil gauges for the Goshawk instrument board, comparing a Foxborough instrument to a poor quality English-made example.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\I\July1922\ Scan31 | |
| Date | 18th July 1922 | |
| To Hy.{Tom Haldenby - Plant Engineer} & Roy.{Sir Henry Royce} from R.{Sir Henry Royce} c. to Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} Ms. JBJ ORIGINAL GOSHAWK INSTRUMENT BOARD. V4067 With reference to the 2 oil gauges mounted on a dummy board, we like the bridge piece as on the Foxborough instrument, and much prefer it to the attachment by 3 screws as on the other example. We should like other instruments attached in the same way, for instance the clock, speedometer, ammeter, etc, and specimens sent down here for inspection. The gauge made by the makers of the 40/50 is a very bad example. The lettering is extremely crude, and the finish on the gauge generally is bad. This seems to be a specimen of careless work on the part of the English makers, and we think that no more gauges of this kind or from such a careless firm should be purchased. A gauge exactly like the Foxborough sample should be used instead, and if these cannot be obtained in England, then we should get the Foxborough instrument itself. The broad black flange on the English instrument detracts much from the appearance of refinement; also the bevelled glass of the Foxborough gauge is a distinct improvement. We have often pointed out that the best way to get a robust oil gauge is to take an instrument capable of reading up to say 60 lbs, since we do not need very accurate readings, and use half the scale in the manner shewn in the sketch. This instrument should be much less liable to damage than one made suitable for 30 lbs only. [Diagram of an oil gauge with a scale marked from 0 to 30. The gauge is labelled 'OIL'.] [Handwritten note next to diagram] R.{Sir Henry Royce} THIS PART OF THE SCALE GOING UP TO 60 LBS IS UNUSED AND UNMARKED [Stamp] RECEIVED C 1922 | ||