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  1. #1
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    Default London & Oxford Science Museums

    Hey,

    Highlight of a recent holiday was spending a few hours at London Science Museum.

    Some photos coming - but was kicked out due to a security scare and camera decided to be temperamental.

    Best Bits

    1. Energy Gallery in the entrance hall has a history of steam engines from before Newcomen to after Watt - fascinating to see the originals - huge things and also the working models.

    When you see the size of these things you realise that these guys had some serious resources behind them - the beams on those old pumps are enormous and would have required considerable effort to lift and shape and put in place.

    2. Developing the Modern World

    After seeing the history of steam engines walk straight through the spacecraft & rocketsand you get to the developing the modern world display.

    Babbages calculator

    Maudslays screw cutting lathe - yeeha ! All Hail !
    Maudslays Micrometer
    Some Naismith trivia

    Lotsa working models of various machines at various scales

    Whitworths 0.000001" measuring machine - yes thats right he claimed he could measure differences of 1 millionth of an inch.

    A very elegant 200 year old big solid lathe - to give you an idea of scale the leadscrew was approx the size of my clenched fist 3-4" and it was approx 12' long

    and finally the very very best bit -

    Troughtons Dividing Engine - built in late 1700's - imagine a horizontal turntable made of a brass disc approx 30" diameter with approx 4000 tiny teeth cut into the circumference, moved by a wormscrew engaging the teeth on the circumference - this was used to accurately mark the scales on protractors and other insruments


    Oxford Science Museum
    Well worth a couple of hours wandering aroundLots and lots of old brass microscopes and telescopes and orrerys - some very ornate and decorative - camera was well and truly stuffed so no photos. In their databases they have a few watchmakers lathes and other tools but none were on display.

    Next time - London Water and Steam Museum and Manchester Science Museum
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  3. #2
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    Default Elegant 200 year old lathe

    This 200 year old lathe caught my eye - seemed to be an elegant stylish simple artistic thing as well as a useful tool.

    To give an idea of scale approx 12 feet long & leadscrew approx 3-4" diameter - similar size to my clenched fist
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  4. #3
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    Default Lotsa working models

    Lots of models like these in the steam engine area and in the developing modern world area.

    Typically 2 feet long 1-2 foot high 1 foot wide - various models at various scales
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  5. #4
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    Default Lets put the mine here .......................

    and they did. See first photo. One of those buildings is the head of the mine shaft.

    The veins of ore were initially discovered in the cliff faces and they sank the shaft of this particular mine right on the cliff face and the working galleries extended under the sea.

    This is why there was a need for all those "Cornish Pumps" and Mr Watt made a lot of money selling steam engines to drive the pumps.

    This particular area of Cornwall has lots of old smelter chimneys and mine workings and various old machinery.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botallack_Mine
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  6. #5
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    Default Official Museum Notes and Photos

    Here are the official museum links and better photos of the things I mentioned above

    Maudslay and his screw cutting lathe :
    http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/onli...dex/smxg-46284

    http://www.makingthemodernworld.org.uk/people/BG.0002/

    Roberts Big Lathe:

    http://www.makingthemodernworld.org....0-1820/IC.029/

    Troughtons Dividing Engine : (I was fascinated by this - was kept in a big glass case so couldn't take good photos but these are good. The chap operating it back in the day reported having a very sore back at the end of his shift)

    http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/onli...dex/smxg-60571
    http://www.makingthemodernworld.org....0-1820/IC.045/


    Whitworth and his 0.000001" machine

    http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/File:JWh04.jpg
    http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Joseph_Whitworth_and_Co
    http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/imag.../10319191.aspx (planing machine)





    So ...................... London Science Museum well worth a visit to see some icons in the flesh.

    Bill

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