Nasmyth Steam Hammer
date: label: date made
content: ca. 1851-1856
name: label: maker
content: Nasmyth, James
notes: label: Description
content: James Nasmyth, a British inventor, built this steam hammer sometime between 1851 and 1856 in Manchester, England. Nasmyth created the mechanism at his Bridgewater Foundry out of a need to meet higher demands for processed iron and for the specific purpose of creating a paddle shaft for the steamship <i>Great Britain</i>. Nasmyth patented the steam hammer in the United States in 1846. Though Nasmyth was not the first to create a steam hammer, his creation was original and revolutionized the manner and speed of iron forging, dominating hammer design for nearly a century. In 1962, the Museum of Science and Industry gifted the steam hammer to the Smithsonian Institution.
label: Description
content: James Nasmyth was born in 1808 in Edinburgh, Scotland, to a family of artists. Early in his life, Nasmyth displayed strong mechanical skills, eventually becoming a personal assistant to Henry Maudsley, a renowned London engineer, a role in which he expanded upon his engineering expertise and skill. In 1838, Nasmyth opened the Bridgewater Foundry in Manchester, England, which produced a wide range of heavy machine tools. Nasmyth’s innovation and publicization of his steam hammer propelled him to become one of the most prominent figured in British engineering during the Victorian era. By the end of the nineteenth century, hydraulic presses took the place of steam hammers, but nevertheless, Nasmyth hammers remained popular throughout the world for their ability to forge iron quickly and powerfully.
label: Location
content: Currently on loan
place: label: place made
content: United Kingdom: England, Manchester
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Mechanical and Civil Engineering
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Museum of Science and Industry
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: AG.MHI-I-8205
label: accession number
content: 239078
objectType: label: Object Name
content: apparatus, machine
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: base: 6 ft x 14 ft; 1.8288 m x 4.2672 m
label: Measurements
content: overall: 19 ft x 6 in; 5.7912 m x 15.24 cm
label: Measurements
content: weight: 14 tons
label: Measurements
content: sole plates: 10 ft; 3.048 m