I was able to continue to work on the strike control arm today. I punched a hole in the top part of the support that will hold the strike control. I then attached a small piece of metal that will be used to attach the support to the frame. Here is a picture of the finished piece.
For sense of scale, my anvil is just 5" across the face. The tab at the top of the photo will be put through a mortise in the frame. It will then be peined over to attach it. It really felt good to make a part that isn't necessary just part of the frame. Its something that will actually be in contact with a moving part.
I also was able to try out the char cloth that I made yesterday. It worked perfect. I think about the third spark caught on the cloth. It starts as a tiny red spot. As you blow, it spreads outward in a glowing circle. I was able to start my forge in under one minute using flint and tinder.
As I shut down the forge tonight, I produced another batch of char cloth. This picture shows the metal container I use for the char cloth. There are a few small holes poked in the can. The burnoff of the impurities shows up as smoke coming out of those holes.
A chronicle of my attempts to create an early clock using only traditional techniques.
The strike control arm looks great- I can't wait to see as the clock starts to come together.
ReplyDeleteRegarding char cloth, I'll second that it starts a fire like nothing else, (as long as you get the initial baking parameters down right.) Speaking of char cloth, I made "Hiroshima Chicken" at a civil war event in Oregon once- it's what happens if you put a chicken in a dutch oven, and then put it in a roaring fire for a couple of hours. I ended up with a hollow shell of char, shaped like a chicken. Apparently, that's not how you're supposed to use a dutch oven...
RYC: Sure- I'll take a copy of that Mary Rose information. Thanks!