Tap wrench by Joseph Whitworth and Company, Manchester Tap wrench by Joseph Whitworth and Company, Manchester

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Tap wrench by Joseph Whitworth and Company, Manchester
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Tap wrench by Joseph Whitworth and Company, Manchester
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Whitworth Screw stock taps, dies, wrenches, die wrench and spanner: 5 sets of taps (4 in each set), 5 sets of dies (3 in each), 3 wrenches for taps, a die wrench and 1 spanner.

One of Whitworth’s important legacies was an agreed national specification of screw-thread shape and pitch, related to the diameter of the bolt; before his work, each machine shop used a special thread of its own. Starting in 1841, his standard became generally accepted and by 1860 it had become a British Standards Institute specification remaining in general use until well into the 1960s.

Details

Category:
Hand and Machine Tools
Object Number:
1857-8
Materials:
steel
type:
tap wrench and screwing tackle
credit:
Joseph Whitworth and Co.