[Milsurplus] Defense Department Drawings found on Computer cards - ?

[ma.locksmith at juno.com]

As John (the other one) has said, these are called aperture cards. 
However, these were not archive items.  They were used for day to day
drawings.  The next step was to put them in a Xerox printer (1824, IIRC)
and produce a working copy on drawing standard size C paper (22 by 34)
when needed.  These were produced from the original vellum drawings by a
photo process....  big camera.  No such thing as a scanner "back then".

They came into use around the late 60s and early 70s.  They replaced the
"blue line" (ozalid) copies which were made with ammonia developed paper.

The government contracts required full disclosure of and delivery of all
drawings from the design contract.  Rather than send the government 
sepia drawings, the government required delivery on these aperture cards.
 One benefit was the reduction in paper needed to maintain the drawing
set and the ease of update/change...  which was just remove and replace a
card or two.

By the time came where there was another method of archival, most of
these drawings were obsolete.

I can't answer #3 for sure, but I doubt it.

Ed
An "old" government contractor employee


On Mon, 17 Dec 2012 19:37:56 -0600 John Hutchins <jphutch60bj at gmail.com>
writes:
> All -
> The better half and I were scouring an,  Antique Mall in the Austin 
> 
> area.  I came across stacks of Defense Department Drawings, IBM 
> style 
> computer cards with 35MM negatives embedded in the body, some 
> mechanical 
> and some electrical, some site type in nature.  ?Never the less, 
> Questions abound?
> 
> 1.  When did the defense department implement this sort of archival 
> 
> practice using IBM style punchcards?
> 2.  Were these archives, on punch cards, ever digitize and stored on 
> 
> electronic media such as disk drives or tape, at a later date?
> 3.  I wonder, question, if the WWII TM manuals were ever archived in 
> 
> this manner using IBM style punchcards?
> 
> Again best description a Computer type IBM punch card, with a cut 
> out 
> for a 35mm negative  and a base drawing description typed and 
> punched 
> into the card.
> 
> I assume declassified and auctioned off for scrap.
> Funny things do appear at the antique mall-
> Later
> Hutch
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