RICTUS

The RICTUS of Ph. J. Maul is described in the Deutsches Reich Patentschrift with DRP number 384478, with the German title Neigungswaage. The patentees are Deutsche Werke Aktien-Gesellschaft in Berlin, Ernst Prüfer in Berlin-Steglitz and Dipl.-Ing. Ernst Wulf in Berlin-Friedenau. It is patented from August 17, 1921. The patent was published November 19, 1923. The patent has one schematic drawing. The weighing mechanism is placed rather odd: The indicator and chart are orientated from right to left. The realized movement of reading at the actual letter scale is more logical, that is just the other way round. The housing realized is more elegant than the one in the drawing. Different coloured designs of the RICTUS are known.

drawing of the patent

round plate with lowered curved middle strip rectangular plate black rictus

rictus front

rictus rear

slightly curved rectangular plate purple rictus rectangular plate black on white

The weighing plateau is a round plate with a curved lowered middle strip, or is a rectangular plate, or is a bowl-shape. The range of the letter scale shown is 500 grams. Others range up to 1000 grams. In the area of the chart up to 100 grams, there is a division mark for every gram. Above 100 grams, a division mark per 5 grams is given. One sees graphical different designs of the rictus charts. Specimens with simple division stripes of equal lengths; or more complicated, division stripes with proportionally growing lengths, plus an arrow-head towards the value indicated. The rictus has an ugly, detonating zero leveling adjustment: the housing containing the complete weighing mechanism, is mounted on a small ground plate. This plate is fixated at one side on a second larger ground plate by means of three rivets. At the other side the zero leveling adjusting screw is situated. In this way, the housing always has a detonating oblique position on the larger ground plate. Below some more detailed photos of this letter scale.

stripes per gram	beautiful elevated grooves	stripes per 5 grams
ugly zero leveling	name of model	division stripes + arrow-heads