| Description | Soho Foundry. (34 items).
1448. Soho Foundry, Boring Mill. May, Jun. 1795, Jun./Jul. 1796, Jan., Mar. 1797, Oct. Dec., 1798, Apr., Aug. 1799, Jun. 1800, not dated. 34 items.
Designs for the cylinder boring mill, parts of boring mill and machinery etc.
Proposed Designs, 1795:
"Boring Machines" - partially coloured original and reverse elevations and plan of boring machinery by John Southern, May 1795.
Drawing of the Bersham Boring Mill by John Gilpin - coloured plan, not dated [circa 1795 - this drawing was kept with the drawing of Ewart's boring mill below].
"Boring Mill" - coloured elevations and plans of a vertical boring mill by Peter Erwart, 8 Jun. 1795.
Boring Mill and Parts, 1796-1797:
Plan and elevation of the boring mill, not titled or dated [1796 - the drawing below is a copy of this].
"Soho Foundry Boring Mill - design by Mr. Ewart" - plan and elevation of the boring mill designed by Peter Ewart, not dated [1796 - copy of the drawing above].
Drawing of a wheel with 56 teeth, 5 Jun./Jul. 1796 [this drawing is attached to a plan of a boring mill which appears to be William Murdock's design of 1798].
Support for 3 plummer blocks - partially shaded original and reverse drawings, 4 Jan. 1797.
Shafts etc. - reverse drawing, 5 Jan. 1797.
Cast iron frame - reverse drawing, 9 Jan. 1797.
Plummer block for drilling and boring apparatus - partially coloured reverse drawing, 13 Mar. 1797.
Diagonal and horizontal shafts and wheels etc. - original and reverse drawings, 24 Mar. 1797 [the original drawing is attached to an unmarked plan of the boring mill which appears to date from 1798, and a side view of wheels and straps etc.]
Cart and winch for moving cylinders - reverse drawing, not dated.
[A note of 1952 on the back suggests that this drawing was from Soho Foundry, but it has not been positively identified.]
New Boring Mill by William Murdock, 1798:
Trolley for moving cylinders - partially shaded original, reverse and draft drawings, Oct. 1798.
Plan of part of the boring mill, not dated [circa 1798?].
[This plan shows a new lathe similar to that shown on Murdock's plan of 31 Dec., but the old arrangment of wheels, shafts etc. by Peter Ewart is also shown.]
Plan and elevation of horizontal boring mill designed by William Murdock - coloured original and reverse drawings, 31 Dec. 1798.
Elevation of the boring mill - rough drawing with several pencil alterations, not dated [1798].
Elevation of the boring mill (larger scale than the above drawings), not dated [1798].
"Boring rod No. 3", not dated [1798?].
Boring Mill Beamless Engines, 1799-1800:
Section of a beamless engine marked "A scheme by Mr. Murdock" in pencil.
Steam and eduction pipes for the 2 boring engines - reverse drawing, 10 Apr. 1799.
Cock or valve for boring mill engines [?] - drawing by John Southern, 20 Aug. 1799.
Drawing of the double cock for the little engines, 23 Jun. 1800.
Undated Plans and Elevations of Boring Mills:
6 rough drawings showing various designs for the boring machinery, lathes etc.
[None of these drawings are titled or dated, but they appear to be from circa 1796-1797, prior to Murdock's reconstruction of the boring mill.]
Drawings for the boring mill, Soho Foundry. The boring mill was actually the first part of Soho Foundry to be considered. The building of a new foundry and boring mill was first suggested in 1795, as the expiration of James Watt's patent approached. John Southern's drawings from May of that year show a boring machine intended for a temporary establishment at Soho Manufactory. It was decided to establish a separate site, and in Jun. 1795 the boring mill was considered a priority over the foundry. Boulton & Watt had to decide whether to adopt horizontal boring apparatus, as used at John Wilkinson's Bersham works and depicted in Gilpin's drawing, or vertical boring as advocated by Peter Ewart. The decision to add foundry and other builings was taken circa Jul. or Aug. 1795. Ewart designed a horizontal boring mill in 1796, which was set to work in Dec. of that year. However despite various alterations it was not a success, and in 1798 it was replaced by new machinery designed by William Murdock. This new machinery was powered by two small beamless engines designed by Murdock. |