Public domain
Model of a Capstan
From the collection of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Model of a capstan in a wooden frame of two levels. It is a capstan for eight windlasses and has no pawls to prevent backsliding. The wooden king extends to the lower level. Each spindle clamp has a slide inside with a pin that protrudes outward at the heel: with wheels these slides run over an inclined plane under the drum, so that the pins slide up one by one when turning. With small pawls at the top in the spindle clamps, the slides are set down again. This mechanism ensures that the line on the drum shifts. Scale 1:10 (estimate).
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam’s own descriptionSubjects
Credit lineModel of a Capstan. c. 1780. 's Lands Werf Amsterdam. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Public domain.
