Dead Men Tales: The Metal Manometer

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The Metal Manometer

At first, Eugene Bourdon was annoyed when he saw what his worker had done to the metal tube, but then it gave him an idea that would save countless lives. In this episode, Dan Holohan tells us about an invention that’s at the heart of every pressure gauge ever made (even to this day).

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EBEBRATT-Ed

HAHA and all these years I thought it was a "Bourbon Gauge" Quite the invention. Mercoid still uses that style for pressure controls

DanHolohan

I’ll drink to that! 

dopey27177

Another great story!!
I remember an old adage you taught me, Sometimes you do something stupid you get a reward!!

In this tale something stupid like damaging a metal tube changed the industrialized world.

Keep them coming Dan, You are showing us the wonder of the human brain.

Jake

DanHolohan

Thanks, Jake!

TomP

Thanks for another great story. I can see that his watch making skills would have helped greatly developing the little wheels and gears that made it all work. Loved the saxophone too. Reminds me of the early comment about computers, that while they will have their place in business, I can't imagine anyone wanting one in their home.

Alan (California Radiant) Forbes

What a guy! Thanks, Dan!

mattmia2

EBEBRATT-Ed said:

HAHA and all these years I thought it was a "Bourbon Gauge" Quite the invention. Mercoid still uses that style for pressure controls

But I still don't know how Bourdon is pronounced nor do I generally have occasion to say it out loud.

DanHolohan

Thanks, guys. I’m glad you’re enjoying the tales. 

DanHolohan

@EBEBRATT-Ed. Here’s how to pronounce his name. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O8CCihnD1cs

jeant

Dan, I enjoyed your story about the steel manometer (pressure Gage). I had a wonderful opportunity to work at a Sugar Cane Factory on Kauai. The Mill was powered by three piston driven steam engines (1870 ilk). As nearly stand up inside the piston walls while taking measurement with a caliper (built for me by the welders) of stainless steel and about 48" high. I was a draftsman at the time. I marveled at the governor (one of my favorite pieces of engineering ingenuity) watching go up and down with the centrifugal ball weights spinning in and out allowing more or less steam to pass to keep the engines as a consistent speed. The way the steam engines were started, so they would go in the correct directions was with the use of an o-o (long solid metal bar) and a workman would stick it in one of the many holes in the (almost 20 foot diameter flywheel) and pry it to start up in the right direction. Calls made between the factory and the office started with Haard Libing as the Filipino men shouted into the phones above the din of the factory noise.

DanHolohan

@jeant thanks for that beautiful image. I can not only see it, I can hear it and smell it!