Antikythera Fragment #1 - Ancient Tool Technology - Making A Small Parts Vise

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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

πŸ‘οΈŽ︎ 84 πŸ‘€οΈŽ︎ u/anincompoop25 πŸ“…οΈŽ︎ Mar 12 2017 πŸ—«︎ replies

Well. When he first showed that thing I thought it was for holding small parts in your hand.

Didn't expect that.

πŸ‘οΈŽ︎ 36 πŸ‘€οΈŽ︎ u/BL0ODSUGAR πŸ“…οΈŽ︎ Mar 12 2017 πŸ—«︎ replies

You know I was just rewatching his last video in anticipation of his new video just a few hours ago.

πŸ‘οΈŽ︎ 14 πŸ‘€οΈŽ︎ u/[deleted] πŸ“…οΈŽ︎ Mar 11 2017 πŸ—«︎ replies

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.

πŸ‘οΈŽ︎ 5 πŸ‘€οΈŽ︎ u/Dweller πŸ“…οΈŽ︎ Mar 12 2017 πŸ—«︎ replies

Is there anything he can't do ? Amazing as always.

πŸ‘οΈŽ︎ 5 πŸ‘€οΈŽ︎ u/Tyrog_ πŸ“…οΈŽ︎ Mar 12 2017 πŸ—«︎ replies

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

πŸ‘οΈŽ︎ 2 πŸ‘€οΈŽ︎ u/Takuya813 πŸ“…οΈŽ︎ Mar 12 2017 πŸ—«︎ replies

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.

πŸ‘οΈŽ︎ 3 πŸ‘€οΈŽ︎ u/GoldenGonzo πŸ“…οΈŽ︎ Mar 12 2017 πŸ—«︎ replies

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.

πŸ‘οΈŽ︎ 1 πŸ‘€οΈŽ︎ u/[deleted] πŸ“…οΈŽ︎ Mar 12 2017 πŸ—«︎ replies

This man has an odd way of emphasizing too many words while he talks.

πŸ‘οΈŽ︎ 1 πŸ‘€οΈŽ︎ u/[deleted] πŸ“…οΈŽ︎ Mar 15 2017 πŸ—«︎ replies
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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.
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Channel: Clickspring
Views: 673,278
Rating: undefined out of 5
Keywords: antikythera, antikythera mechanism, classical greece, classical greek culture, ancient greece, ancient greek culture, hellenistic greece, clickspring, stitching pony, stitching clam, leather stitching pony
Id: Jk_rCm1rAeg
Channel Id: undefined
Length: 11min 25sec (685 seconds)
Published: Sat Mar 11 2017
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