Just saw a blueprint from 1955 with hand-drawn details we'd never do today

Found it in the archives at the county building, and the line weights were all done with different pens. Has anyone else come across old drawings that make you appreciate modern CAD?

3 comments

3 Comments

keithbennett1mo ago

Honestly, it's just a different way of working! Those old methods got the job done for their time, same as our tools do now. Not everything has to be a deep appreciation moment.

cole_patel411mo ago

But Keith, do you think the hand-drawn process itself changed how those engineers thought about a problem? Like, having to commit ink to paper feels so final compared to just hitting undo.

hill.david1mo ago

Man that's the part people miss. Sitting there with a Rapidograph knowing one slip up meant starting the whole sheet over. It forced a different kind of focus for sure. Modern tools let you explore bad ideas without consequences which can be good or bad depending on the day. Your mileage may vary but I think those constraints sometimes led to cleaner solutions. Not better or worse just a different headspace.