Retro Drafting Days!

Before the days of drafting software, or CAD (computer aided design), the only electric things you had were a light and possibly an electric eraser. The term, "Back to the Drawing Board," actually meant...Back to the Drawing Board! Dad had a huge drawing board, actually it was a door supported by two sawhorses. When we were little, we'd hide under it, it made a great fort. When Deb got tall enough to reach Dad's drafting tools, a whole new world opened up to us! There were templates of all sorts! We thought the floor plan template was the best, because we could trace toilets, sinks, bathtubs!

We would spend hours under that drawing board, creating all sorts of designs...ok, we were maybe 3-4 years old, might be a slight exaggeration! Needless to say, we were entertained!

There are so many memories around that drawing board. Dad worked at Litton Industries in LA County for a while, back in the 60's or 70's. Charles, my husband worked there during the late 80s. When Jack, our younger brother, was a baby, Dad would take the wee hour feedings while he drafted plans. While Deb and I were perfectly satisfied with the templates and mechanical pencils, Jack needed a little more excitement, which always led to trouble! He got hold of that electric eraser one day, when he was two. He turned it on and stuck it on his head! All Mom heard were the screams coming from her two-year-old boy! Not too much harm done, his hair grew back in a few months!

Lesson learned, don't play with the electric eraser! Although now we knew it's power, and yes...we found other uses! We'd time each other, to see who could stand that little rubber tip spinning on their arm the longest! That didn't last long, the burns on our arms were a dead give-away, that we'd been up to no good! It did not stop us from playing with everything else we could get our hands on!

One day, came the most exciting drawing board discovery in the history drafting! At least it was for us littles. The ultimate French Curve! The Timesaver French Curve! And she was, or is, the most beautiful French Curve!

We traced those curves and made the most beautiful pin up girls! She was simply marvelous! I took drafting in High School, both Mechanical and Architectual...way before computer design! This came with the privilege of using all Dad's drafting tools, including the expensive velum paper used for drawing plans. This made all my drafting projects clean and professional looking! This also led to me being accused of cheating...yes cheating! My teacher believed that Dad did my homework! This eventually led to the end of my drafting days, as I could not handle being called a cheater!

We still have all Dad's drafting tools, minus the board, it had to be left behind when we moved from California to Oklahoma. I needed a straight edge a few months back, so I pulled out all the drafting tools...and there she was! That beautiful French Curve, or the green lady, as my granddaughter calls her. Jack had mentioned that I should try doing a pin up girl with texture relief, what a great idea! And then it hit me...I have the perfect pin up girl! She'd been in the family since before Mom and Dad were married! I pulled her out of the box of stencils, grabbed my camera and projector and began my next project!

This was the easiest part of my project, but I was not going to rush this! This was my ode to every draftsman, architect, and engineer! All along, I was hoping that someone might remember her! Jack took drafting in Jr. High. He told me they had one, he tried to convince the teacher to give it to him...didn't work. I did find one on Ebay and another site, claiming she was vintage. So, they're rare, so if you have one, hold onto her!

In the next few weeks, I worked on her, waiting in between for drying times.

I have finally finished my Timesaver French Curve https://www.handsbythewillowtrees.com/product-page/the-french-curve. She is in our online store for purchase...hopefully not for long! May all the old timer draftsmen live long in our memories and hang on to those old stencils...you never know what you can create! God Bless and have a wonderful day!