Franz Kolb (pharmacist)
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Franz Kolb was a Munich pharmacist who invented plasticine in 1890 .
Invention of plasticine
At the end of the 19th century, Munich was a city of the arts and artists, and Schwabing a popular meeting place for artistic bohemians . Franz Kolb, at that time the owner of a pharmacy on Kapuzinerplatz in Munich, mixed and composed special products in addition to ointments and tinctures: secret and copier inks, watchmaker oil, essences or a new type of molding compound for dental technicians. Well-known sculptors like Ferdinand Freiherr von Miller belonged to his circle of friends .
In conversations with his sculptor friends, Kolb found out about their big and small worries: What do you do when the wet modeling clay in the ice-cold, large roof studios constantly freezes hopelessly and then cannot be processed? Franz Kolb took up his friends' problem, analyzed, experimented and presented the solution: A new "artificial clay" that was not only insensitive to the cold, but also ideal to work with. A material that had not existed before. As a pharmacist, he chose a medical-sounding name and called the product plasticine . To manufacture it, he founded the Franz Kolb company in 1890.
Academy professors, art school directors and above all the sculptors were enthusiastic about the new artist clay plasticine. They finally had the modeling material they had been looking for for so long. Exuberant letters of thanks attested to the acceptance of Kolb's plasticine. The name of the Kolb product “plasticine” eventually became a generic term.
Famous works
The sculptures that were completed with the help of plasticine models include z. B. the Angel of Peace by Heinrich Düll , Georg Pezold and Max Heilmaier , Wilhelm von Rümann's lion in front of the Feldherrnhalle or Stuck's Amazon.
Company history
Franz Kolb founded a company in his name in 1890 to manufacture his invention plasticine. In 1915 the company was sold and was then called "Franz Kolb Successor". The company "Franz Kolb GmbH" still produces the original Munich artist plasticine in addition to modeling compounds for handicrafts and clay for design studios.
However, the main focus of production has been industrial plasticine for design model making, especially for the automotive industry, for 20 years. "Kolb Technology GmbH", founded in 2001, supports and develops this industrial area with CAD-supported solution processes in order to accelerate the design cycle between digital and physical form finding.
Similar materials
In English-speaking countries, a material that is comparable to plasticine, but with a different recipe, is known under the name "Plasticine". The Englishman William Harbutt, who applied for a patent in 1897, is considered to be the inventor.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ see Kolb Technology web link
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kolb, Franz |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Munich pharmacist and inventor of plasticine (1890) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 19th century |
| DATE OF DEATH | 20th century |