Boulsover, Thomas

Boulsover, Thomas
born 1706, Elkington, Derbyshire, Eng.
died September 1788, Sheffield

British inventor of fused plating ("old Sheffield plate").

As a craftsman of the Cutlers Co. in 1743, while repairing a copper-and-silver knife handle, he discovered that the two metals could be fused and that when the fused metals were rolled in a rolling mill they behaved like a single metal. His invention opened the way to economical production of a great variety of plated objects, from buttons and snuffboxes, which he himself made, to hollowware (e.g., tea sets) and utensils, which were soon manufactured in large quantity by other Sheffield workers.

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▪ English inventor
Boulsover also spelled  Bolsover  
born 1706, Elkington, Derbyshire, Eng.
died September 1788, Sheffield

      English inventor of fused plating, or “old Sheffield plate.”

      After an apprenticeship in Sheffield, Boulsover became a member of the Cutlers Company, i.e., a full-fledged craftsman, in 1727. In 1743, while repairing a copper (copper work) and silver knife handle, he discovered that the two metals could be fused and, equally important, the fact that when the fused metals were rolled in a rolling mill, they expanded in unison, behaving as if they were a single metal. Previously, coating or plating one metal with another had involved fabricating the article into a finished shape and then soldering a thin sheet of the plating to it. Boulsover's invention opened the way to economical production of a great variety of plated objects, from buttons and snuffboxes, which Boulsover himself made, to hollow ware and utensils, which were soon manufactured in large quantity by other Sheffield workers. Boulsover later invented a method of rolling saw-blade steel, previously made only by hand hammering.

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  • Thomas Boulsover — (1705 mdash;September 9, 1788), Sheffield cutler and the inventor of Sheffield Plate, was born in what is now the Ecclesfield district of the city and died at his home at Whiteley Wood Hall, on the River Porter.Boulsover completed his… …   Wikipedia

  • Sheffield plate — sheet copper with a cladding of silver. [1855 60; named after SHEFFIELD, England] * * * Articles made of copper coated with silver by fusion. The technique was discovered с 1742 by the Sheffield (Yorkshire, Eng.) cutler Thomas Boulsover, who… …   Universalium

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  • metalwork — metalworker, n. /met l werrk /, n. objects made of metal. [1840 50; METAL + WORK] * * * Useful and decorative objects fashioned of various metals. The oldest technique is hammering. After с 2500 BC, casting was also used, molten metal being… …   Universalium

  • Whiteley Wood Hall — is a stately home, built by Alexander Ashton, in 1757 the Hall was bought by Thomas Boulsover from his friend Strelley Pegge of Beauchief [http://www.tilthammer.com/bio/boul.html] . In 1760 Boulsover bought the adjacent woodland on the River… …   Wikipedia

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  • Bolsover — This interesting name is of locational origin from the village Bolsoner approximately six miles due east of Chesterfield in the county of Derby. This place derives its name from the old English bulan laes , bullock pasture, and ofer , meaning… …   Surnames reference

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