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Flying Fish
The China National Light Industrial Products
Import and Export Corporation,
Shanghai Stationary
and Educational Supplies Branch



or, as we know them,
the Shanghai Slide Rule Company's
Flying Fish Slide Rules


flying fish
Made in China



go right to the catalog! Skip the INTRO, Go RIGHT to the Archive!

* The China National Light Industrial Products Import and Export Corporation, Shanghai Stationary and Educational Supplies Branch manufactured slide rules in mainland China under its brand name, Flying Fish. The main factory and head office was at 128 Huchiu Road, Shanghai.

* These rules sometimes appear to have borrowed style and scale features from western makers, especially K+E, and all known examples so far have plastic bodies. The slanted scale digits for some scales are especially reminiscent of K+E. Interestingly, rule bodies were oversize, and almost always had over-length log log scales, often a full inch longer than the rest of the rule scales, to provide more readable dynamic range. Both 2 part plastic cases (later style), and 2 part fabric covered hardboard cases (earlier style) were used. No leather cases or circular rules have been found so far, but pocket rules had interesting padded plastic cases (no clips) to protect the rules.

* All rules have engraved scales which are filled in black or red, and the pigments are not especially waterfast, especially the red, so care must be used in cleaning. General quality of assembly and finish can vary considerably from rule to rule, and new rules came bagged with a very impressive inspection slip sealed inside, but often with the model number hand marked in grease pencil on the box's exterior. Multi-line cursors were common, and all body styles seem to have used a glued plastic end brace design, and are non-adjustable (although the large duplex rules have adjustable cursors). Model numbers generally appear at the end of the slide on large rules, and in various other places on pocket rules. Flying Fish manuals are quite unique, and are long, skinny booklets (some early ones in Chinese only, later in both Chinese and English) that fit along with the rules inside the cases.
Flying Fish Manual, CLICK for bigger PIC!
Typical Manual, CLICK for bigger PIC!


* The exact dates of operation are not known, but from the plastic construction, production appears to have started post WW2, and the factory is known to still exist, although all attempts to find out about current stock or production capability have been unsuccessful so far. Rules were quite complex and specialized, and purpose specific rules for virtually every major discipline existed, from air conditioning and aerospace to chemical engineering. Rules were mainly for domestic Chinese consumption, but were exported to other Asian countries, including at least Singapore and the surrounding countries.

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flying fish
Flying Fish Model Number
Slide Rule Type Size,
Core Material
Scales
Features
IMAGE
LINKS
(Browser Back to Return)
No. 1002
Vectoral Natural Log Rule

Made in China
Vector Type
Log Log Duplex

Hyperbolic scales

13"/10"

Plastic

28 Scales

Ln1I, Ln2I, Ln3I, DF,
[ CF, CIF, H2, H3,
CI, C, ]
D, Ln3, Ln2, Ln1

Sh2, Sh3, K, A,
[ B, Sin2/Cos2, H'2,
Tg2/Ctg2, Tg3/Ctg3,
C, ]
D, DI, Lg, Th2

1/3 line duplex indicator

2-part plastic case

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No. 1004
Log Log Duplex Rule

Made in China
Log Log Duplex

Hyperbolic scales

13"/10"

Plastic

26 Scales

LL01, LL02, LL03, DF,
[ CF, CIF, L, CI, C, ]
D, LL3, Ll2, LL1

Th, Ch, K, A,
[ B, T, ST, S, C, ]
D, DI, Sh2, Sh1

1/3 duplex indicator, over-range scale extensions

2-part plastic case

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No. 1005
Stadia Rule

Made in China
Stadia Type
Log Log


Civil engineering rule
13"/10"

Plastic

20 scales

K, AI, A,
[ Tg/Ctg, Sin/Tg, Sin/Cos, C, ]
D, DI, P

Ln-1, Ln0, Ln1, A,
[ B, 1-cos,
1/2sin2theta, ]
D, Lg, 1/60

1/3 line duplex indicator

2-part box case

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No. 1009
Engineering Rule

Made in China
Vector Type
Log Log


Hyperbolic scales
13"/10"

Plastic

26 Scales

LL01, LL02, LL03, DF,
[ CF, CIF, L, CI, C, ]
D, LL3, LL2, LL1

Sh1, Sh2, K, A,
[ B, T, ST, S, C, ]
D, DI, P, Th

1/3 line duplex indicator

2-part box case

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No. 1013
Aerospace Rule

Made in China
Aerospace
Log Log
13"/10"

Plastic

22 Scales

LnI-1, LnI0, LnI1, DF,
[ CF, CIF, CI, C, ]
D, Ln1, Ln0, Ln-1

LnI-2, K, A,
[ sin0/cos0, Tg0/Ctg0, Srt-1/Cosctg-1, C, ]
D, Lg, Ln-2

1/3 line duplex indicator

2-part box case

FF 1013, CLICK for bigger PIC!

FF 1013, Click for bigger PIC!

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No. 1016
Ventilation Duct Rule

Made in China
Ventilation
Duct
Log Log


Specialized flow and pressure scales
13"/10"

Plastic

28 Scales

LL01, LL02, LL03, A,
[ B, T, L, CI, S, C, ]
D, LL3, Ll2, LL1

(Kv)0.25, KvEs, Da, b,
[ a, Z, v, Hm/Hvk, F,
D, ]
Q, F, F(degrees),
C(degrees)

1/2 line indicator

2-part box case

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No. 1017
Chemical Engineering Rule

Made in China
Chemical
Log Log


Atomic weight, temp. and pressure scales, similar to Hemmi 257
13"/10"

Plastic

25 Scales

LnI3, LnI2, LnI1, A1,
[ Lg, T, S, CI, C, ]
D, Ln1, Ln0, Ln-1

LnI-2, ChA-M, ChN-Z, M2
[ M, TempF,
TempC, F(t), ]
Press-Kg/cm2, Press-mmHg, Tw, Ln-2

3/1 line duplex indicator

2-part box case

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No. 1200
Pocket Vector Rule

Made in China
Pocket
Vector Type
Log Log


Hyperbolic and expanded trig scales
6"/8"

Plastic

28 Scales

LnI-1, LnI0, LnI1, DF,
[ CF, CIF, sin/cos, H0, CI, C, ]
D, Ln1, Ln0, Ln-1

Sh0, Sh1, K, A,
[ B, srt-1/cos-cot-1, tg0/ctg0, tg1/ctg1, tg2/ctg2, C ]
D, Lg-1, Th0, Ch1

1/3 line duplex indicator

padded slip case

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No. 1203
Pocket Trig Rule

Made in China
Pocket
Trig
6"/4.5"

Plastic

10 Scales

K, A,
[ B, CI, L, C, ]
D, ST

cursor line
[ S, T, ]
cursor line

1 line simplex indicator

padded slip case

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No. 1205
Pocket Trig Rule

Made in China
Pocket
Trig
6"/4.5"

Plastic

10 Scales, 2 Rulers

T, K, A, [ B, L, CI, C, ]
D, S, SRT

Inch Ruler
[ formulas ]
cm Ruler

3 line simplex indicator

padded slip case

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Many thanks, EMAILWalter Shawlee 2.

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