Building the James Watt micrometer (free plans)

[David FrithParticipant @davidfrith72923]

Apologies in advance if this is not the correct category to post this, but it seemed the most appropriate. Neil suggested the forum was the best place to bring this to members attention.

Building the James Watt micrometer

Why we made the plans for this mystery of the Industrial Revolution

Watt Micrometer – Plans and Photos available for free
https://www.patreon.com/posts/watt-micrometer-101111695

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

intertesting but why are the screw slots not central?

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Thanks for the link, David

Fascinating, and very impressive.

… The all-too-brief description of the Photography to CAD process is particularly pertinent in light of some recent discussions here.

 

As the Curator mentions … provenance is questionable, and the build quality of the “original” is suspect … but that doesn’t stop it being of great interest.

MichaelG.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Thanks David.

 

Neil

[Harry WilkesParticipant @harrywilkes58467]

Been watching Rustinox doing his version on youtube

H

[Harry Wilkes]

On Harry Wilkes Said:

Been watching Rustinox doing his version on youtube

H

+1

Steve.

[S KParticipant @sk20060]

Despite some you-tuber’s gushing over it, this is not “the James Watt micrometer,” or “the first micrometer.” Either of those claims requires evidence, with both doubly so. It’s not even that “the provenance is questionable,” it’s that there is no provenance at all.

People treating it like some holy grail first artifact touched by the hands of genius are misrepresenting reality, which is that it’s an admittedly poorly built thing with no documented history beyond “the janitor found it on a shelf he was dusting and thought it looked funny.” (I made that last bit up, but it’s probably true anyway.)

Want to build a replica of a real historical artifact that wasn’t just an odd thing found on a dusty shelf? The Antikythera mechanism awaits. 😉

 

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