1849 Original Machine Tool Drawing Nasmyth Gaskell & Co. Manchester Superb!

US $250

Jerome, Arizona, United States
May 27th

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For your consideration... A beautiful ORIGINAL pen and ink wash drawing of a "paring machine" manufactured by one of the premier British machine tool manufacturers of the industrial revolution, Nasmyth Gaskell & Co. of Manchester. The drawing is signed by the draftsman, E. Barlow, and is dated February 7, 1849. The machine is identified as a paring machine of 12 inch stroke. Later these machines would be known as vertical shapers or "slotters." A photograph of what is probably a slightly smaller version of this Nasmyth machine can be seen on page 104 of J. A. Cantrell's book, James Nasmyth and the Bridgewater Foundry (Manchester: Chetham Society, 1984). The drawing measures 26 1/4 inches by 19 3/8 inches on paper which has been lined with a linen (?) backing. There are a few inconsequential pencil marks on the back, of relatively recent date. The result is very stiff, and the drawing could not be rolled even if so desired. The drawing is in excellent condition, but with some wrinkling that can be seen in the primary image above. [My image was assembled from four scans, so there are a few minor discontinuities present] Originally, near the center of the drawing there were bold numbers which indicated the number of the roll in which the drawing was kept, and the number of the drawing in that roll: in this instance Roll number 52, #33. Those numbers were carefully scraped away, but can still be discerned in proper light. On page 111 of Cantrell's book there is a photograph of a machine drawing which shows these numbers. In fact, that drawing (roll 52, #32) was next to the one offered here!) This drawing came from the Chambersburg Engineering Company of Chambersburg PA (acquired at the bankruptcy auction). It was one of two original Nasmyth Co. drawings which were probably given to the company at the same time as another drawing featuring Nasmyth's steam hammer (and dated 1843). That drawing was presented to the prominent American hammer builder by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, London, in 1941, during the war. The steam hammer drawing is shown on page 24 of the 50-year history of the Chambersburg Engineering Company (1948). [FYI: the other Nasmyth drawing dated from the 1860s and featured a punch and shear]. This drawing is both a superb example of 19th century technical drawing and a beautiful artifact in the history of technology. It is a museum piece, and I part with it reluctantly. If you reside outside the US, please contact me prior to purchase regarding crating & shipping options. The seller will not ship internationally without such preliminary contact.