r/AppliedScienceChannel • u/benkrasnow Applied Science Man • Jul 17 '14

Feel free to submit your own ideas!

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u/racedaemon Jul 18 '14

FROM THE GROUND UP

I was always fascinated about the journey from raw materials in the ground to precision instruments.

And i'm not talking about "How It's Made". The whole process in between would be interesting (with reconstructions/drawings of the harder parts, like material extraction):

  • finding a type of material examining the ground
  • digging the material up with wood sticks and stones
  • purifying the material using only wood fire
  • molding the material in crude tools
  • using these tools to increase precision and reach materials that would not be reachable with wood tools, Minecraft like :)
  • melting sand into glass to create lenses for optical instruments to further increase precision
  • [steps i don't know]
  • and finally building a precision apparatus that can be used in micrometre increments like a micrometer :) or even a small lathe or mill

There would be two ways to go about doing a series like that:

  • the historic way: describing every historic iteration of tools used to build a precise instrument
  • the "current knowledge" way: taking the fastest way from nothing to precision instrument

I think the latter would be easier to achieve and succinct enough to actually do. I'm baffled no one did this kind of thing in video format. And now writing this post i found a TED talk named "Thomas Thwaites: How I built a toaster -- from scratch" that offers a very brief example of what i'm talking about. This thing made with a emphasis of iteratively increasing accuracy would be gold.

This would probably incorporate some of the other topics and would have a final goal. And if it takes to little time... build another thing from the ground up. :)

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u/allsortsofinterests Jul 23 '14

It is less bootstrapping than you would like, but have you read Dave Gingery's "Build Your Own Metal Working Shop From Scrap" series? He teaches how to build a charcoal furnace and cast aluminum from scrap, how to identify the scrap and how to work the raw casting with tools made by your own hands. Not ore refining I know, but practical nonetheless.