Sixteenth-century metalworking technology used in the manufacture of two German astrolabes

Annals of Science 44 (1):71-84 (1987)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

An examination of tool marks and other evidence of manufacturing techniques on two astrolabes of identical pattern made by Hartman of Nuremberg in 1537 shows that all of the parts have been laid out with scribers and filed to final dimensions. All parts except the rings of the maters, which are castings, are made of sheet brass. The only machine tool employed was a small lathe with longitudinal feed, which was used to turn the diameters of the pins. Corresponding dimensions of the two astrolabes differ by less than 0·2 mm on average, but parts are not interchangeable between the instruments. There is evidence that this pattern of astrolabe was made in batches with division of labour in Harman's shop. This paper is an introductory study intended to show methods of examination that reveal manufacturing techniques

Other Versions

No versions found

Links

PhilArchive

    This entry is not archived by us. If you are the author and have permission from the publisher, we recommend that you archive it. Many publishers automatically grant permission to authors to archive pre-prints. By uploading a copy of your work, you will enable us to better index it, making it easier to find.

    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 104,556

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

The three astrolabes of Gerard Mercator.Gerard L'E. Turner - 1994 - Annals of Science 51 (4):329-353.
‘Chaucer’s own astrolabe’: text, image and object.Catherine Eagleton - 2007 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 38 (2):303-326.

Analytics

Added to PP
2014-01-20

Downloads
41 (#604,368)

6 months
14 (#229,930)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?