Patent Model For Wire Rope-making Machine, Patent No. 2,720 (USA)

This object is not part of the Cooper Hewitt's permanent collection. It was able to spend time at the museum on loan from National Museum of American History as part of Tools: Extending Our Reach.

This patent model was included with John A. Roebling’s, "Method of and Machine for Manufacturing Wire Ropes" (US Patent 2,720, granted July 16, 1842). Roebling’s patent detailed how to manufacture wire rope using greased insulating wire "for the formation of a perfect and continuous wrapping." The strength and durability of Roebling’s invention made it superior to hemp rope in many industrial applications. John A. Roebling & Sons Company was the preeminent manufacturer of wire rope during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Roebling, an engineer and inventor, engineered the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge; Ohio’s Roebling Suspension Bridge; and, most famously, the Brooklyn Bridge. His company also supplied the wire rope for the George Washington and Golden Gate bridges. Wire rope had a starring role in the mechanization and electrification of modern America, due to its use in cable cars, elevators, telephones, telegraphs, and electrical systems.

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Tools: Extending Our Reach.