Waterproof Paper

Shane Paterson cuda at arches.uga.edu
Tue Apr 8 14:29:50 EDT 1997


On Mon, 7 Apr 1997, Bob Steneck wrote:

>         I'd like to support Shane Peterson's comments regarding the
> underwater writing cylinder (also called 'cuff').  It keeps both hands free
> for holding things, you can tape a template gridded with your data columns
> on it (clear acetate overhead sheet with clear contact paper over the
> carbon).  Use black electrical tape to secure the template and to affix one
> or several sheets of mylar drafting paper over it.  The cylinder (white PVC
> 4" dia, 18 CM long) should have three holes near one end through which
> surgical tubing is strung. this holds it on your wrist.  Any pencil works
> (tether it to the cylinder) but plastic pencils with about 15 pointed nibs
> work best.  You renew your point by plucking the last nib and shoving it to
> the bottom of the pencil.

On a nother note, does anyone know of a reliable source for these
excellent pencils?  I have a couple, decorated with Smurfs or some similar
icon, but they seem to be hard to come by these days.  My wife got me a
new one for Christmas, topped with a cute little plastic figure of a bear
(she found it for sale at the local library), but I would like to buy a
larger quantity of them and not worry about plastic bears being on the
loose at my study sites.

>         In the no big deal department:  I invented the writing cylinder in
> St. Croix in 1973... or at least I think I did - I never met anyone using
> them earlier.  I brought it to the GBR in 1978.  In 1982 Jim Porter and I
> collaborated on a project at which time that technology was transferred.
> What matters is that it works well and we need more folks taking data
> underwater.

Oops...sorry about the misattribution...and thanks for the wonderful
technology!  So far I've been using my prof's old cuffs but I'm about to
bring another 18 cuffs/cylinders into the world for a project I've got
coming up, contributing to the quest for world domination of the exclusive
underwater scientific writing market by these handy devices. 

Shane Paterson

(Writing Cylinder Evangelist)



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