G'day Chris here and welcome back to Clickspring. One of the surprising things about the Antikythera
Mechanism is that such a mechanical wonder could have
even been created with the tool technology of the day. I briefly touched on one aspect of that tool
technology, workholding, in Episode 2. And I'd like to talk a bit more about that
in this video as I make a version of the device that I described. It's basically what we would today call a
"stitching pony". Two arms carry a simple set of jaws at the
top, and the whole structure could be either fixed
to a base to sit on, or as I intend to use it, pushed firmly against
the bench. A shallow wedge acts as a spacer for the 2
jaws, and a basic bronze casting can be slid up
and down the taper to apply or remove the clamping pressure. Much like the modern equivalent, an ancient version might have had the jaws
covered in leather to both protect the work, and also improve
the grip on the workpiece. Now of course, I'm using modern tools to make
it. But its easy to imagine how this could have
been constructed with the known tools of the day. The materials are common enough, and for the
most part I'm using interference fits and a wedge to
hold everything together. So there's no modern fastener tech required. I must admit though, its very pleasant to
be able to use modern power tools to get the job done faster. OK, so as I go about making the sand mold
for the bronze casting, I'd like to go through the approach that I'm
going to take with the construction of some of the tools
indicated in the wreckage of the mechanism. The first thing to mention, is that in the
case of workholding for example, its entirely possible that e much more complex
device was used. Grape presses were known to have existed at
the time, using a similar principle to the modern machine
screw. So its not a huge leap to imagine a simple
wooden screw vise existing in the same period. But as tempting as it is to imagine the Ancient
Greeks using tech closer to our own to solve the same problems, I think its worthwhile establishing that this
need not necessarily have been the case. The Antikythera Mechanism is an elegant and
strikingly efficient design, and much the same could be said of the broader
Classical Greek culture. I think that its reasonable to assume that
the Ancient Greeks would have approached their tool design in
a similar way. They may not have used a version of a Stitching
Pony for example, but I do think that they would have been strongly
inclined towards using something elegantly simple. And here's why: Firstly, the worker was almost certainly the
tool builder. So it seems logical to me that the tool design
would have been straight forward. Making the tool quick and cheap to build from
locally sourced materials. Secondly, each tool was a solution to a specific
problem. So I'd expect the tools to be practical and
functional, with no unnecessary embellishments. Just a simple design that gets the job done. And thirdly, the worker was almost certainly
the tool repairer. So the tool would need to be easy to repair
when it inevitable breaks or wears out. So I would expect no unnecessarily compex
tech, and as few moving parts as possible. As I speculate on the tool technology going
forward, this will be the approach I take with the
tool design. If something simple could have done the job, then I'm going to assume that that was the
route taken. I'm going to take a similar approach when
sourcing the raw materials for the tools. I've made these copper ingots in an open faced
sand mold from some scrap copper. And the tin is also scrap, left over from
making the tin lapping discs in a previous video. The casting looks to be OK, and now needs
the sprue and riser cut off, and be given a general clean up. I used a file to knock off the sharp edges, and I've left the other surfaces with a bit
of a rough "as cast" look to give the tool a bit more of an authentic
presence. OK, so next up is the main body of the tool, and for materials I've decided to use oak. Its a nice springy wood, and also very pleasant
to work. The jaw arms will experience a significant
force when they're wedged apart. To oppose that force, I used a simple twine tightly bound around the perimeter of the
two pieces of wood. The twine also serves the purpose of keeping
the casting in its operating position, just below the start of the taper. A shallow timber wedge was slotted between
the two jaw arms, and then hammered home. I used candle wax as a simple lubricant for
the dowels, tapped them into place, and then sanded them
flush. Now there were quite a few traditional adhesives
available for use in the ancient world. Although I imagine that a good choice to hold
the leather in place would have been something simple like pine
pitch, a thick tarry substance. I don't have a lot of pine trees in my part
of the world, but what I do have is shellac resin, which
behaves in a similar way. Much like pine pitch it solidifies glass hard
at room temperature. But under a low flame it melts and becomes
an excellent glue. In fact watch and clockmakers have been using
shellac in this way for centuries, to hold parts onto the face of the so called
"wax chuck" in the lathe. With the main body of the tool complete, I cut it to a convenient operating length
and then pinned the base with a single dowel. Now I'm not so sure that a finish was necessarily
a high priority for an ancient working hard to make a living
on the tools. But I figure if it was, then a natural linseed
oil would probably be one of the options available. OK, so that's the tool compete, and I have
to say that it has a nice convenient feel. Its easy to position and move about, and its
also easily operated with normal hand strength. Its got an excellent grip on the part, and
in that regard at least, its clearly working. But of course the only way to really decide
if its a useful tool is to use it to make something genuine, like
a wheel from the mechanism. Initially I had expected to have to permanently
fix the vise to the bench somehow. But I quickly realised that it just wasn't
necessary. A small amount of knee or foot pressure is
enough to keep it in place. In fact in a lot of ways keeping the vise
free makes it more versatile. It can be flipped and turned to reposition
the work, even faster than my modern vise. And its certainly at least as rigid. This is a very satisfying tool to use. It has a nice flex, and it feels great under
the hands. It also satisfies what I would consider to
be the two critical requirements of such a tool: Continuous access to the perimeter of the
work, and fast, easy repositioning. So to me at least, its an entirely plausible
option. Now to be clear, I'm not saying that this
is definitely how the Ancient Greeks approached the problem of workholding. These are just my personal thoughts based
on what's required for this specific machine. But I do think that this sort of approach
is worth pursuing. And I think it will shake out some really
interesting ideas and conversations as I build more of the tools. And who knows, it may even lead to a few surprises. Thanks for watching, I'll see you later. Now before you go, and while I'm still talking
about workholding. In the very first Patron Series project, I
made this terrific little hand vise. I think its an indispensible tool for any
home shop. So if you'd like to maybe build one for yourself, and at the same time help me make more videos, then consider becoming a Clickspring Patron. As a Patron, you get immediate access to the
5 videos from this Hand Vise build series. Free plans for the project, And you also get access to the first few episodes
of the Byzantine Sundial Calendar build, with more episodes to follow as its completed. The added bonus of course is that one lucky
Patron will get to keep that sundial calendar at the conclusion of the build. Visit Patron.com/clickspring to find out more. Thanks again for watching, I'll catch you
on the next video.
Yo did you see him just hand file that gear? That was crazy. I also like that he just happens to have all the tools for bronze casting on hand, wonder what else he's done with that
Well. When he first showed that thing I thought it was for holding small parts in your hand.
Didn't expect that.
You know I was just rewatching his last video in anticipation of his new video just a few hours ago.
Anyone know what he used to create the 3d video from 00:12 to 00:20? I have used things like Sketchup to make models of projects but would love to be able to define/simulate how everything will move together.
Is there anything he can't do ? Amazing as always.
I dunno how I found clickspring but I have been watching the clock making videos since he started doing them. Totally engrossing. I don't have a lot of practical experience with work like this (woodshop in junior high) but damn do I enjoy his videos. :D
Does that seem like a TON of tin? Bronze is usually ~85% copper and ~15% tin, but that appeared to be 50/50 ratio at least.
Is he sharing this project with any anthropologists? I'm sure there's some researcher out there who studies tool building and stuff like this. It would be a great case study.
This man has an odd way of emphasizing too many words while he talks.