James Watt

James Watt

James Watt was born January 19th,1736 at Greenock and at this time no one would

even begin to imagine his effect on the Industrial Revolution. When James was fifteen

years old he had read books about and become accustomed to Philosophy (kind of like

modern physics). He had also completed many of his own chemical experiments and even

started to produce and construct his own products such as a small electronic device that

really surprised his friends.

In 1755 he set out on horseback and arrived in London after about two

weeks. He tried to get a job in the instrumentation field although the shopkeepers could

not give him a job as he did not do an apprenticeship and was too old. Finally though he

found John Morgan of a company called Cornhill who agreed to bend the rules and offer

an apprenticeship for a year. He stuck to it hard and wanted to learn everything he wanted

in one year that would have normally taken three or four years for anyone else to learn.

After about six weeks James learned that much he out done another apprentice who had

been at Cornhill for two years.

The University of Glasgow then arranged for James Watt to set up shop inside one

of their university buildings where he met his future long-life friends Dr. Joseph Black and

Professor John Robison both planning to be chemists. His shop at the university did not

sell many of his inventions mainly due to poor transportation. There was no trade link with

the town of Glasgow and therefore Watt couldn't export his equipment and instruments.

He then turned towards making musical instruments for a period of time, most likely to

keep ahead financially. In 1763 though, he had the greatest influential experience in his

whole life. The University of Glasgow asked James to repair one of Thomas Newcomen's

steam engine models that was not functioning correctly.

It was at this time in James Watt's life that he began learning the principals behind

the workings of a steam engine. He learnt information from his friend Dr. Black about

heat; temperature and the properties of steam itself. After studying steam engines for a

period he became the only person with enough knowledge to improve on the steam engine

at that time. Even though Newcomen had already developed the steam engine before

James Watt, it was about to be improved substantially without even knowing the results it

would have on the industrial revolution. As Watt was fixing the machine he was intrigued

on how much fuel it burned. He then thought about ways to reduce the fuel consumption

and found out it was mostly caused by the pistons and other metal work heating cooling,

always requiring extra heat.

James Watt then constructed a new steam engine with an insulated main cylinder

that allowed the metal work to stay constantly hot reducing the fuel by almost 75%. He

also worked on a condenser which reuses five sixths of the wasted steam by condensing it

back to water. He was also great at adapting a leather washer inside of the piston cylinder

to provide a neat seal and prevent steam with leaking which it was previously. In 1767

Watt proceeded to go into a partnership with Dr. Roebuck, an associate Watt knew at the

time. Dr. Roebuck paid off Watt's Ј1000 debt and allowed James to continue his costly

experiments. In return the patent declared that Roebuck was two-thirds the inventor of the

new