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James Nasmyth

A portrait of James Nasmyth, a Scottish engineer dressed in formal attire with a bow tie and a neatly groomed beard, set against a dark background.

Scottish engineer (1808–1890) who served as Maudslay's personal assistant from 1829 until the older man's death. Nasmyth went on to invent the steam hammer in 1839 — a device that allowed forging of components, like ships' paddle shafts, far larger than anything previously possible. His autobiography, edited by Samuel Smiles, is the principal eye-witness source on what Maudslay's workshop was actually like.

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