Motivated by the rise of steamers and the railway, he started working at a locksmith's shop.

[1] Until December 1851 he sailed around the world and realized that practical work was not his main professional skill.

In 1854 Franz Grashof concluded his studies and became a teacher in mathematics and mechanics at the royal vocational institute in Berlin.

In the following year he was involved in the establishment of the Association of German Engineers and became its managing director until 1890.

[2] He developed some early steam-flow formulas but made significant contribution to free convection.