Andrei Nartov is a famous domestic inventor and engineer who lived in the 18th century. He was a sculptor and mechanic, a member of the Academy of Sciences, the first on the planet to invent a screw-cutting lathe, which had a mechanized caliper and a set of interchangeable gears.
Inventor Biography
Andrei Nartov was born in 1693. He was born in Moscow. The exact date of his birth is not known reliably. Presumably, he came from posad people.
In 1709, Andrei Nartov began working as a turner at the Moscow school of navigation and mathematical sciences. He showed his talent already at that time, he was noticed by the first persons of the state. In 1712, Andrei Konstantinovich Nartov was even summoned to Emperor Peter I. In St. Petersburg, after meeting with the head of state, he was identified as a highly qualified specialist, turner, in a palace turner.
First developments
During this period, Andrei Nartov begins his first development, builds several mechanized machines at once, which are used to manufacture works of applied art and obtain bas-reliefs by copying.
In 1718, Emperor Peter I sent him to raise his education abroad. Andrey Konstantinovich Nartov visits France, Holland, England, improves his turning skills, and also acquires various knowledge in the field of mathematics and mechanics from foreign experts, which contributes to the development of his engineering.
When the hero of our article returns to St. Petersburg, Tsar Peter instructs him to lead his own turner, which Nartov expands, installs new machines that are specially brought from Western Europe for this. Surprisingly, there was a close relationship between the turner and the emperor. Right in the turner, which was located next to the emperor’s chambers, Peter often arranged his office.
In 1724, Andrei Nartov, whose biography is considered in this article, presented the emperor with his own project of the Academy of Arts, which the head of state really liked, but did not manage to implement it.
After the death of Peter
Peter I died in 1725. After that, Nartov was immediately removed from the yard, his talents became useless to anyone.
In 1726 he was sent to the Mint, back to Moscow. The institution at that time was in disrepair, there was not even the most basic and necessary equipment. Nartov managed to arrange the release of new coins as soon as possible, and in 1733 a mechanism was created here for raising the Tsar Bell.
Triumphal Pillar
After the death of Peter I, it was Nartov who was instructed to make a triumphal pillar on which all the military successes of the emperor would be depicted. But he did not have time to finish this work.
When all the turning accessories, as well as the unfinished triumphal pillar, were handed over to the Academy of Sciences, the head of the Academy, Baron Korf, called Nartov from Moscow back to St. Petersburg, because he believed that only he could complete the implementation of this project. In 1735, Nartov arrived in the city on the Neva, began to lead locksmiths, as well as students of mechanical and turning business.
Inventions of an Engineer
Among the inventions of Andrei Konstantinovich Nartov, a special place is occupied by a screw-cutting machine, the design of which was still unknown to anyone on the planet. Nartov developed this project during the life of Peter in 1717. However, initially insufficient attention was paid to him, and over time, this invention was completely forgotten. As a result, the British scientist Henry Maudsley practically re-invented such a machine in 1800.
At the same time, the hero of our article did not despair, always presented new developments, knocked out money for the implementation of his projects, although this was not easy. In 1742, he even complained to Empress Elizabeth about the adviser to the academy, Ivan Schumacher, with whom he had financial disagreements. As a result, Nartov got the start of the investigation, and took the place of the adviser himself.
Advisor to the Academy of Sciences
It is worth noting that the results of the work of Nartov in this post were very mixed. He sought to improve the financial condition of the academy and put things in order, but at the same time failed to find a common language with the academics. Because of this, he remained in this position for only a year and a half.
As many members of the academy of that time noted, Nartov knew nothing but turning, he did not speak foreign languages, manifesting himself as an autocratic administrator. For example, he ordered the archive to be sealed in the office, which kept all the correspondence of the academics, and he talked roughly with the academics. It all ended with the fact that all academics, led by Lomonosov, began to demand the return of Schumacher. This happened in 1744, and Nartov concentrated on cannon-artillery.
Artillery department
The inventions of Andrei Konstantinovich Nartov in the Artillery Department were primarily associated with the creation of new machines and original fuses. He also developed a new method of casting guns, a distinctive optical sight.
The significance of his work was so great that in 1746 a decree was even issued to award him 5,000 rubles for the latest artillery inventions. In 1754, he was promoted to the rank of state councilor, having written off several villages located in the Novgorod district.
Nartov died in St. Petersburg in 1756, he was 63 years old. After his death, it turned out that the inventor had huge debts, since he invested a lot of personal savings in his scientific and technical experiments, and often got into debt because of this. He was buried on the eighth line of Vasilyevsky Island.
Nartov's works
Nartov is also known as a writer. In particular, the anecdotes and tales printed in 1885 about Peter I were mainly borrowed from his notes. However, many researchers note that in these notes he often exaggerated his role and importance, but they are valuable in that they almost literally convey the emperor’s speeches.
According to the assumption of the Russian literature history researcher Leonid Maikov, who published Nartov's Tales of Peter the Great in 1895, in reality they were not written by Andrei Konstantinovich, but his son Andrei Andreevich Nartov, who was born in 1796, knew about everything only from his father’s stories . Maikov accompanied this publication with his own criticisms, assessed the degree of reliability of each message.
It is also known that in 1755 the hero of our article finished working on a manuscript called "The Teatrum Machinarium, or The Clear Spectacle of the Machin". This is a real encyclopedia of machine tool industry, which collected almost everything that was known about this industry at that time. This book played a huge role in the development of domestic technology and science. Nartov sought to print this book in a large print run so that it was available to everyone. First of all, novice mechanics, turners and designers. It contained thorough and scrupulous descriptions of 34 original lathes and other machines. Nartov gave the most detailed drawings and accompanying explanations, made kinematic diagrams, made explanations, described in great detail all the tools and devices that might be needed when assembling such a machine.
Also, the hero of our article developed a detailed theoretical introduction that dealt with many fundamental issues of practice and combination theory. In it, he formulated the necessity and importance of building machine models, which must be done in advance before launching full-fledged machines in production.
Nartov finished his work shortly before his death. His manuscripts were already collected by his son, who prepared a collection to present to Catherine II. The manuscript was transferred to the library at the court, but received no further progress. Nartov's priceless theoretical work lay in ignorance for two hundred years, his efforts were in vain. An important industrial breakthrough that Russia could implement based on his labors was never completed.
Nartov’s son became a writer and translator, one of the founders of the Free Economic Society.