Part 11 (1/2)

I s taken for me by my father before he left London It was necessary that they should be near Maudslay's works for the convenience of going and cohbourhood of Waterloo Road

One of the houses we visited was situated immediately behind the Surrey theatre It seemed a very nice tidy house, andfor it But ere introduced into the roo on the bed, with flashy bright ribbons hanging froht sees; but took another where there was no such bonnet

I have no doubt about what passed through his hbourhood of the theatre There was evidently soht the position erous for his son I afterwards asked hi ”Well,” he said, ”did not you see that ultra-gay bonnet lying on the bed? I think that looks rather suspicious!”

Afterwards he added, ”At all events, Jah there are !” And so the goodhe returned to Edinburgh, and I remained in London to work out the plan of my life

CHAPTER 8 Maudslay's Private assistant

On the ular attendance at Mr Maudslay's workshop My first job was to assist hi some modifications in the details of a enerating original screws I use the word ”generating” as being most appropriate to express the objects and results of one of Mr Maudslay's inal inventions

It consisted in the eed hardened steel instrule, and its edge caused to penetrate the surface of a cylindrical bar of soft steel or brass This bar being revolved under the incisive action of the angularly placed knife-edged instruroove cut into its surface It was then in the condition of a rudimentary screw; the pitch, or interval between the threads, being deterle of obliquity at which the knife-edged instrument was set with respect to the axis of the cylindrical bars revolving under its incisive action

The spiral groove, thus generated, was deepened to the required extent by a suitable and pointed hard steel tool firmly held in the jaws of an adjustable slide made for the purpose, as part and parcel of the bed of therequired, a square-pointed tool was ele-threaded tool And in order to generate or produce right hand or left hand screws, all that was necessary was to set the knife-edged instruht or left hand inclination in respect to the axis of the cylindrical bar at the outset of the operation

This beautiful and truly original contrivance becaeny of perfect screhose descendants, whether legitihout the world, wherever first-class machinery is constructed The production of perfect screas one of Maudslay's highest ambitions and his principal technical achieve the most difficult problems by the most direct and simple methods

It was by the same method that he produced the Guide screw

His screw-cutting lathe was moved by combination wheels, and by its means he could, by the one Guide screw, obtain screws of every variety of pitch and diameter As an illustration of its complete accuracy I th and two inches in diameter was cut with fifty threads to the inch; the Nut to fit on to it being twelve inches long, and containing six hundred threads! This screas principally used for dividing scales for astronohest class

By its means divisions were produced with such minuteness that they could only be made visual by a microscope

This screas sent for exhibition to the Society of Arts It is still preserved with the utst the enius and delicate handiwork Every skilled ht of it, especially when he knows that it was not produced by an exceptional tool, but by the machine that was daily employed in the ordinary work of the factory

I must not, however, o Brougham's letter of introduction to Faraday at the Royal Institution I was received most cordially by that noble-oodness and kindness After some pleasant conversation he said he would call uponafter Faraday called, and foundbeside Maudslay in his beautiful little workshop A vice had been fitted up for me at the bench where he hihted to find ratulatedthe inesti associated as assistant workineers of the day

Mr Maudslay offered to conduct Faraday through his workshops, and I was permitted to accoent conversation of Faraday, as well as with the quickness he exhibited in appreciating not only the general excellence of the design and execution of the works in progress, but his capacity for entering into the technical details of the coress through the place This reat philosopher initiated a friendshi+p which I had the good fortune to continue until the close of his life

It was, of course, an ie for me to be so inti on his experimental work

I was not, however, his apprentice, but his assistant workman

It was necessary, therefore, in his opinion, that I should receive soly, at the conclusion of o to his chief cashi+er and arrange with hiht consider satisfactory I went to the counting-house and had an intervieith Mr Young the cashi+er, a most worthy man

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I , the celebrated natural philosopher

Knowing as I did the great advantages ofa very modest notion of 's question as to the aes I desired, that ”if he did not think ten shi+llings a week too h with that” ”Very well” said he,”let it be so” And he handed n!

I had determined, after I obtained a situation, not to costI kne many calls he had upon him, at a time when he had his own numerous household to un life on my own resources, to maintain er Thus the first half-sovereign I received froes, as such, that I had ever received

I well reh satisfaction I felt as I carried it hos; and all the more so as I was quite certain that I could, by strict econoes meet all my current expenses

I had already saved the sum of 20, which I placed in the bank as a deposit account It was the residue of the sale of soh My readers will reine to show to Mr Maudslay as a speciained forto dispose of it I found a purchaser in Mr Watkins, optician at Charing Cross, who supplied such apparatus to lecturers at Mechanics' Institutions He gave me 35 for the model, and I added the sum to my deposit account This little fund was quite sufficient to meet any expenses beyond those of a current weekly nature

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