Hydrostatic press

This item formed part of the University of Edinburgh' s teaching apparatus, and was ordered from the inventor, Joseph Bramah (1748-1814) in 1807. Bramah worked as a cabinetmaker in London, but was also an inventor. He invented the 'Bramah lock', and patented his hydraulic press in 1795. This model would have been used in demonstration lectures during the first part of the 19th century.

In its simplest form, the hydrostatic press consists of a cylinder and piston of large diameter, connected by a pipe to a force pump of much smaller diameter. A valve is there to release the pressure and allow the oil to return to the tank after the press has done its work.

When a fluid completely fills a vessel, and pressure is applied to any part of its surface, that pressure is transmitted equally throughout the whole of the enclosed fluid. The hydrostatic press can be used for the compression of malleable materials, such as the metal of coins, or of car bodies, or of waste paper into card.

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