Since this is a "folk" site, I suppose a comment on "ancient and archaic customs" shouldn't be inappropriate?

In the olden days, until as recently as 15 or 20 years ago, people who drew machinery parts and such often used an archaic tool called a "pencil." Inserting text for dimensions and notes was done by hand, and was referred to commonly as "lettering." As neat and legible "lettering" was - in the far distant past - highly valued, numerous mechanical aids were devised for guiding the alignment, height, and spacing of the "lettered" characters.

One such tool, called a "lettering guide," consisted of a small flat piece of plastic with numerous holes in it. By sliding the plastic piece along the edge of a straight sided adjacent tool, with the "pencil" inserted through successive holes of a particular row of holes, precisely and evenly spaced lines could be drawn. While the usual usage was to make faint "guide lines" to assist "lettering" in straight and evenly spaced lines of text, using a softer pencil or even one of those "new-fangled Rapidograph" type ink pens could produce permanent and easily visible lines, such as might be used as a staff for notating music.

Although I was quite sure that such implements had disappeared from use many years ago, I was astonished to find completely adquate examples hanging on a rack at a local office supply store quite recently, among a bunch of other quite obsolete tools we once called "compasses," "dividers," "protracters," and "templates." While the tools on display looked quite serviceable, they most certainly must have been from "left over stock" that has been hanging there for many years; as it's quite reasonable to assume that no persons young enough to have funds for their purchase would have any comprehension of how to use any of them.

A second ancient technique, possibly still somewhat in use in remote corners of the world, permits drawing reasonable accurate evenly spaced straight lines and requires only a straight edged tool for a guide, a pencil, and a flat "washer" from your garage floor. (There's always a couple that have fallen off of something.) If the washer is placed against a straight edge, the pencil is placed in the hole of the washer so as to press the washer against the straight edged tool, and then pushed so as to "roll" the washer along the straight tool, a line parallel to the tool will be drawn, but will be spaced from the edge by the thickness of the "wall" of the washer. Move the straight edge to the line just drawn and repeat for a nicely spaced line parallel to the first. Repeat as needed for additional lines.

I'm told (and wouldn't admit I've told it) that a selection of washers of appropriate dimensions was once rather a prized possession of those who "drafted" ancient machines.

This second method does not work too well for drawing lines directly in ink since the washer may smear the wet ink; but one may place pencil guide lines for later "inking" if needed. The washer method also permits following a reasonable curved object, making an outline a little larger (or smaller if done from an inside edge) than an object. (Quite useful for marking for the removal of waste parts so that the final cut with your jigsaw doesn't have to fight with thick tare material.) It is perhaps the "shop use" last mentioned which accounts for this technique being still known in some (few) circles.

"Drafting" directly in ink with tools of this kind called for frequent pauses to "let the ink dry." Such pauses were commonly used by the adept for "thinking" about the next line to be drawn. It was quite possibly the disrepute attached to "thinking" by drafters (draughtsmen), designers, and engineers (probably taught in business schools now) that led to the demise of their use.

They do remain somewhat available for those interested in the study and application of ancient methods.

John