A Floating Grain Mill on the Hwei River in China (19th/20th century). Source. Previously: “Boat mills: water powered, floating factories“.
Floating Grain Mill in Old China
July 15, 2013 by Filed Under: Boats, Random, Water powered machines
From Europe to America by Sail
July 3, 2013 by Filed Under: Random, Sailing ships, Travel
Do you want to travel between Europe and America in a sustainable way? Try a sailing boat. The 32 m long brigantine “Tres Hombres” maintains a freight service between Europe, the Atlantic islands, the Caribbean and America. Besides a cargo capacity of 35 tons, she has accommodation for 5 crew members and a maximum of 12 passengers. On board you learn the basics of square-rigged seamanship: maintenance, navigating, manoeuvring under sail, safety, cooking and much more.
The ship sails throughout the year. The website now shows the schedules for the summer of 2013, the winter of 2013-2014, and the summer of 2014. On November 17, 2013, you can sail across the Atlantic from Portugal to Brazil, which takes an estimated 45 days. The trip costs 2700 euro. On February 10, 2014, you can sail back from the Dominican Republic to London via Bermuda and the Azores. This eastbound Atlantic crossing takes 81 days and costs 4455 euro. Shorter trips are also possible. For example, on May 4, 2014, you can sail from London to Amsterdam in 5 days, which costs 375 euro.
More info at Fairtransport. (Click “Tres Hombres” in the upper right corner, then switch to English language).
Ask No Tech Magazine: Self-Replicating Solar Kilns?
July 2, 2013 by Filed Under: Solar
Jon Freise sends us the following question.
“Have you come across any designs for solar ceramic kilns that might be able to manufacture glass mirrors? If a solar kiln was powered by mirrors, and if it could make a mirror, then it would be possible to have a self replicating solar economy. If the supporting frame was wood instead of steel, it would be possible to assemble anywhere. My college had several wood parabolic dishes used to transmit sounds over long distance. They were built as a toy.”
“I am not certain this concept is even possible. I don’t yet know enough about glass making. But if it was possible to get a net energy gain using a mirror kiln, then solar powered ceramic kilns, solar ovens, and solar brick works, and possibly solar cement works could spread across the world in a self replicating fashion. Your Nubian Vault article shows just what could be done if solar brick works and cement kilns were possible.”
Jon: the Helioforge project is an open source effort to create accessible designs for self-replicating solar kilns and hydrogen crackers that utilize readily available resources. Similar technology was also featured in the article on solar powered factories.
If anyone has more information, comments are open.
Human Powered Pile Hammer
July 2, 2013 by Filed Under: Human power, Video
Check out this video of a human powered pile hammer in Thailand. Thanks to Arne.
The Elegant Simplicity of Wood Repair
They could have replaced the full beam. They didn’t. Sound wood repair on a pontoon in Helsinki, Finland.
More pictures below the fold.
Hand Powered Sawing Machine (1886)
June 30, 2013 by Filed Under: Hand tools, Sawing machines
“In the science and practice of mechanics, there are well-known devices which are used as reservoirs of power, among which may be mentioned adjustable and automatically moving weights, the swing of the pendulum, and the continued rotation of the balance wheel, when once put in motion. The machine shown in the accompanying engraving is an illustration of the adaptation of means to an end. It is a hand-sawing machine, carrying a circular saw, which may be run by the power of one man or even a stout boy.”
“The ease of running the machine and the rapidity of its work are truly
surprising. A full-sized machine can be run by a workman with one hand,
while another can with ease drive the saw through hard, seasoned plank
four inches thick. Altough this machine is represented as being
exclusively used for sawing, the principle is capable of being extended
and applied in various ways, and may be used wherever power is needed;
for instance, to run gigsaws, lathes, boring-machines, mining-drills,
printing presses, and the like.”
“The power is applied, as seen, by means of a long pendulum lever swung back and forth, and having attached to its short arms, at the top, a pitman, connected at its other end with a wrist-pin on a balanced gear. This gear meshes with a pinion on the saw-arbor, which also carries a balance-wheel intended to equalize the motion. These are the principal parts of the machine, which is very simple, and not liable to become deranged. If only one man operates the machine, where little power is required, a treadle is attached to the saw-frame, its pitman being attached to the crank of the flywheel. This can be instantly unhooked, as when two persons are at work, one being engaged in the propelling the saw by the pendulum-lever, and the other guiding the stuff to be sawn.”
Quoted from: The Manufacturer and Builder Volume 0001 Issue 2 (February 1869).
