Joseph Hardtmuth
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This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the German Wikipedia. (December 2009) Click [show] on the right for instructions.
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Joseph Hardtmuth (February 13, 1758, Asparn an der Zaya - May 23, 1816, Vienna) was a successful Austrian architect, inventor and entrepreneur.
[edit] Inventions
In 1789, he invented a new kind of earthenware with a lead-free glaze for the harness production, the so-called Vienna porcelain. In 1810, he invented an artificial pumice and years later, a version of stoneware which was used to make mortars, funnels and other utensils. A flexible, unbreakable blackboard was also produced from the newly invented stoneware.
In 1792, Hardtmuth established a pencil factory in Vienna after he succeeded in creating an artificial graphite pencil by mixing powdered graphite with clay. Until that time, whole pieces, cut from graphite, were glued in between wood and were imported from England. With the new method, graphite of inferior quality could be used in pencil manufacturing, lowering the price and making the product more accessible for the masses. His company Koh-i-Noor Hardtmuth still exists today.
[edit] References
- Petroski, Henry (1990). The Pencil: a history of design and circumstance. Random House. pp. 385–407. ISBN 0394574222.
[edit] External links
- the Koh-i-noor website - current website for the company.
- THE KOH-I-NOOR HARDTMUTH story, a tradition of innovation - ChartPak's write up.
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