| Description | Mints and Mint Engines (41 items).
8 horse power double-acting sun & planet engine, with 16 inch cylinder, 4 foot stroke, parallel motion.
Also plans of the mint, draft patent specification for coining press, etc.
Plan of the mint, showing existing garden buildings etc., with considerable pencil amendments and note by Matthew Boulton about the machinery the engine is to work (not dated, circa Jan. 1788).
Drawings 16 Jun. 1788: reverse general view of the engine house and framing and plan of part of the mint (drawings marked "This is wrong see Engine Drawings" and "This is wrong" respectively), back framing and main framing - original and reverse drawings, shaft and plummer block [?]; cross-section and plan of the mint showing air pump and sliding rod connected by a pivoting beam arrangement, and coining presses in 2 staggered parallel rows of 4 presses (undated, circa Jun 1788?).
Drawings 17 Jul. 1788: general view of the engine - reverse drawing, edge view of the fly wheel and main framing - original and reverse drawings (the original drawing also includes an outside view of the boiler), plan of the engine and boiler - reverse copy marked "the boiler is not right - see another drawing"; first floor [?] plan of the engine house and framing (not dated, circa Jul. 1788?).
Drawings 22 Jul. 1788: cross-section of the mint showing air pump and sliding rod connected by a chain and pulley arrangement, plan of the mint and engine and boiler showing coining presses in 2 staggered parallel rows of 4 presses.
Drawings Aug. 1788: cross-section of the engine and engine house - original and reverse drawings.
Drawings 18 Oct. 1788: "Plan of the Mint Engine" (plan of engine and boiler houses showing nearby fossil room, tea room and laboratory) - original and reverse drawings; "View of the North side, next Mr. Boulton's", "South Elevation next the Tea room", 2 further sections of the engine and boiler houses - reverse drawings; general view of the framing; front views of the back and main framing looking towards the mint.
Drawings 28 Oct. 1788: section looking towards Hockley Pool from inside; plan of the engine and boiler houses showing laboratory, tea room and fossil room - reverse plan and direct plan with pencil amendments marked "Soho Mint 1789".
Undated partially coloured plan of the mint showing circular arrangement of coining presses (circa Nov. 1788?).
Drawings Nov. 1788: reverse cross-section and plan of coining room showing circular arrangement of presses etc., plan and section of pin wheel, drawings of pin socket, fly for coining presses, method of disengaging the presses - reverse drawings; rotative and connecting shafts - original and reverse drawings.
Drawings Dec. 1788, Jan., Mar. 1789: engine framing - reverse drawing; injection gear - partially coloured reverse side view and plan; plans and sections of the boiler and seating - original and reverse drawings; injection throttle valve, curve of fly - reverse drawings. All the drawings from Nov. 1788 onwards bear letter codes.
Also draft of Matthew Boulton's patent specification for the coining press, circa 1790, in James Watt's hand (9 sheets).
Original Portfolio or 'Book' No. 107. Catalogue of Old Engines p. 2, 164.
For Matthew Boulton, Soho Mint. This engine was replaced by a 12 horse engine [see Portfolio 5/714d] when the mint machinery was replaced in 1798-1799. James Monach of Glasgow bought this engine in 1801, and a new Drawing Office book, No. 418 was opened for drawings made for him.
See also: Portfolio 5/216.
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