The Ray Adding Machine (aka Figurator, Aka Subtracto - Adder)
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:15584021 | Maker: The Ray Company |
The Ray adding machine was made by either The Ray Company, or The Ray Adding Machine Co., but always in New York City. It was first made and sold in 1905. Although this one is not marked with a name, the same adder was also sold as the “Subtracto-Adder”, and the “Figurator”. The Ray is a 7-dial adder with subtraction capability, but clearing only by turning the wheels backwards to zero. Construction of the Ray is quite robust, which is to say, dense.&nbs...p; The base appears to be machined cast aluminum, and the top cover is black painted pressed steel. The inner mechanism materials are unknown, but most likely brass. By 1925, Ernst Martin reports, “…the present address of this firm is unknown.” That isn’t really surprising, considering how fast the calculator market was evolving in the teens and 20’s. It may also have had something to do with the price. The Ray adding machine sold for $25 when the Calculator Corp. adding machine and the Lightning were $10-$15, although those two did not have subtraction capability at that time. Little else is known about the Ray. It was available as the adder only, or on a desk stand. I’ve seen pictures of one on a wooden stand.
The condition of this Ray is good, as in better than “fair” and worse than “excellent”. It works! All the dials turn, stiffly, and carry and borrow work on all the dials that have some place to carry to or borrow from. If you look closely at the pictures you’ll see that the stop for the stylus when turning the dials is a small detent at the bottom of the circular cutouts the dials are housed in. It helps if you are pulling the stylus downward rather than directing your force tangentially when you get the stylus to the bottom of the dial, otherwise the stylus can shoot past the detent. The paint on the top cover is quite worn on the corners, and there is a small dent at the right end that you can see if the light is just right. The instructions on the back say to use the “white” numbers for subtraction. If there was ever white paint in the subtraction digits, it is all gone. The digits for addition are larger and easier to see, especially as they are raised above the surface, rather than stamped into it. I do not know what the black material staining the back of the calculator is. Soap and water, Goo Gone, and lighter fluid all failed to remove it, even when vigorously scrubbed with an old toothbrush. I will leave stronger chemicals to the more adventurous. To make the back a bit easier to read, I stacked up the four sections of text in the fifth picture, so that each segment was the full width of the picture.
This adding machine is from the collection of Robert K. (“Bob”) Otnes, PhD, one of the founding members of the Oughtred Society and the original editor of the Journal of the Oughtred Society. It is being sold by the Oughtred Society on his behalf.
The Oughtred Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other calculating instruments. Membership is open to anyone. Further information about the Oughtred Society can be found at: http://www.oughtred.org/.
PayPal is the only accepted form of payment. Starting 01 Oct 2019, Ebay is collecting sales tax for the 34 states that are charging sales tax on Internet purchases.
Shipping will be by USPS Priority Mail. Shipping charges will be somewhat higher for destinations outside the USA.
The condition of this Ray is good, as in better than “fair” and worse than “excellent”. It works! All the dials turn, stiffly, and carry and borrow work on all the dials that have some place to carry to or borrow from. If you look closely at the pictures you’ll see that the stop for the stylus when turning the dials is a small detent at the bottom of the circular cutouts the dials are housed in. It helps if you are pulling the stylus downward rather than directing your force tangentially when you get the stylus to the bottom of the dial, otherwise the stylus can shoot past the detent. The paint on the top cover is quite worn on the corners, and there is a small dent at the right end that you can see if the light is just right. The instructions on the back say to use the “white” numbers for subtraction. If there was ever white paint in the subtraction digits, it is all gone. The digits for addition are larger and easier to see, especially as they are raised above the surface, rather than stamped into it. I do not know what the black material staining the back of the calculator is. Soap and water, Goo Gone, and lighter fluid all failed to remove it, even when vigorously scrubbed with an old toothbrush. I will leave stronger chemicals to the more adventurous. To make the back a bit easier to read, I stacked up the four sections of text in the fifth picture, so that each segment was the full width of the picture.
This adding machine is from the collection of Robert K. (“Bob”) Otnes, PhD, one of the founding members of the Oughtred Society and the original editor of the Journal of the Oughtred Society. It is being sold by the Oughtred Society on his behalf.
The Oughtred Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other calculating instruments. Membership is open to anyone. Further information about the Oughtred Society can be found at: http://www.oughtred.org/.
PayPal is the only accepted form of payment. Starting 01 Oct 2019, Ebay is collecting sales tax for the 34 states that are charging sales tax on Internet purchases.
Shipping will be by USPS Priority Mail. Shipping charges will be somewhat higher for destinations outside the USA.
