Solo [ED]A Gear a Gadget

[Crylon Stonecraft]

15 Spring 521 Letting out a sigh, Crylon looked up at the rising sun over the water on his way to the sawmill. It was not often he had the time or inclination to watch the sun coming up, but as he watched the colors reflecting on the water his mind went to subjects more esoteric. The soul, magic, humans, and other odd topics he didn't fully understand. Sona had requested his help today, and so he was heading over bright and early to see what he could do. Of the various humans among the Meraki Sona seemed to grasp some small concept of the Isur, acting as she did daily to both make things and to help others make things by providing materials from the mill. Both were an act of worship of Izurdin, in weight if not by name. And so with a small smile drifting over his face Crylon arrived at the mill, looking about. Nothing immediate came to his attention. No odd sounds, nothing visibly wrong. After a few more moments though he noticed something else, he wasn't notice any noise. Not even the normal noise of the mill. As in, he realized, the mill was not working. If Sona had asked him there that early then surely it would be with the intent to help with the functioning of the place. The fact that it was not functioning said more than anything else. As he approached Sona seemed focused on something, a length of parchment she had spread out on a table with a lit lamp nearby. This left Crylon wondering how early she had been up. Hearing his feet on the foot Sona greeted him without turning, something Crylon understood as indicating she was focused on a task and could not take her eyes off it but was still aware he was there. "That you Crylon? Give me a chime stone arm, I just need to..." Sona made a few marks on the paper, before finally turning to meet his gaze. "Welcome. I know its early... Ah what am I saying, I've seen you up way earlier than this. Anyways, I need some assistance. I need some help replacing a gear, its worn out and liable to snap if it keeps being used, so we've got to take it off and replace it with a new one. That's the good news. That I know how to fix it, and found it before it snapped. The bad news is its a two person job, and I need to make a replacement part." Pointing up into the gears and rods and other parts of the sawmill above their head Sona seemed focused on a single point. "That right there. It needs replacing. But I'm having a bit of trouble getting it loose. Gimme a second to check it out, in the meanwhile this diagram should explain what I mean. Nodding Crylon headed over to the table, seeing the diagram in question. As with architecture being able to read a blueprint or diagram of something was as important as being able to build or fix something, and was usually required to do the latter. Looking over the diagram Crylon inspected it, checking to see what exactly was displayed. Looking it over he quickly saw it was a subsection of the sawmill, not the entire workings but one part alone. From what he could see it was including the section where the part needing replacing was placed, though not that alone. That part connected there... And this here... Which meant... Those two there worked off this one, which was what needed replacing. WC: 601

[Crylon Stonecraft]

A gear, functioning as a wheel and axle as he knew but with teeth along the edges. At its base it was very simple, but as he had seen there were quite a few ways to use such things. The sawmill was just one of many, but he was sure there were many more than he had seen. Using them alone was beyond him at the moment, but under the direction of Sona who was more familiar with such things he was able to assist well enough. Nodding at Sona he saw that she had paused, along with moving several ladders into place. She also had a metal tool with teeth in her hand, similar in size to a hammer... A wrench, he realized as he drew close. “I see what you mean. Is... Two pieces... Work with. Need move, to remove... Fix piece.” Sona shrugged, looking up at the gears and things, her focus on her work. Climbing one of the ladders Sona began twisting at something which Crylon couldn't make out. After a few moments he heard a sound of wood on metal, and then saw as Sona passed down a small metal piece. It was a bolt of sorts, somehow connected to the gear. Which made sense, as something had to hold things in place and a bolt was a common way to do so with rods or screws. After the first was a second, then a third, and a fourth, all of which was holding... Something... In place. Once she was done Crylon set them aside on the nearby table to avoid losing them. "Alright Crylon, I've taken off the bolts, now use some arm strength and get this off so we can get to the messed up gear." Nodding Crylon hopped onto the ladder, seeing once he got up where the bolts had attached. Even this simple action taught him more about such things, seeing as he had never before considered what kept gears on and in place. They were a wheel, but the spoke or axle that they rode on... That clearly had to come out if the gear was to be removed. With the bolts removed Crylon was able to turn a small metal piece, which once turned exposed an open end of the axle. With that it was easy to turn the axle far enough... At least once the other end was loosened. Hopping down from the ladder Crylon took the offered wrench and began turning the bolts, Unscrewing them one at a time. "Crylon, a tip, don't loosen them all the way one at a time, instead loosen each a little, then take them all the way off. Thats for two reasons. One, so that the task of taking them off can be done in quick succession, like I did for you. And two, so you will discover any issue with them before you have taken the time to completely remove one. Got it?" Crylon grunted an acknowledgement and began to loosen the others, returning to the first when all where loose. Then one, two, three, four, the bolts were off and handed to Sona. And with that the other end cover was able to turn, showing the other end of the axle. With that done the entire axle could be removed, gear and all. "All right, that one is free. That should give us the room to take the other one that is damaged off. Get too it!" WC: 578

[Crylon Stonecraft]

Crylon let out a grunt of acknowledgement before quickly returning to his task. Once he had seen one it was much simpler to undo another, though the particular method of holding the rod in place via a rotating ring with an opening on one end... And bolts holding it in place in the locked position... The idea was interesting, and not one he believed he would have thought of. Having not seen another sawmill he was unsure how much of it was common design, or how much something Sona had invented. But even with that little bit other ideas were rising to the surface in his mind. Half formed ideas, vague designs, and other things that could use it. Anything where it was useful to be able to remove a rod horizontally to allow access and removal of gears on it, particularly where high pressure was involved and losing a rod could be unsafe. Something smaller like... A clock... Would not have as much danger nor did it involve as much pressure so perhaps it would be overkill for something like that. Beyond that though could better designs be invented? He had seen master carpenters make things work, fitting together without nails or holes. Could someone more skilled in gadget making and metal work make something like that with enough talent? Sliding metal that just slotted together and worked... Of course, Crylon thought as he unwound the last bolt on one end, most everything had to be made with repair in mind. Anything short of a fully Izentored apparatus would need repair, or else any non reinforced part would give in while the surrounding enhanced bits would not. Moving the ladder Crylon got it in place and began unfastening the bolts, one, two, three, four, as his mind moved about across far of projects and ideas. Once he was done with the simpler physical labor though he pushed his mind back to the topic at hand, and the layout and structure of the pieces involved. Pulling out this rod from both ends Crylon handed the piece down to Sona, watching as she pulled the gear off. Dropping to the ground Crylon looked it over and could see where it was worn out. Some of the teeth worn from the labor it performed, a common wear across each of the wooden pieces. And there, a small crack. Not all the way through, a hairline forming on one side which if left untreated would mean disaster. Clearly Sona's inspections had caught it early, but not before it became finger sized in depth. "Alright Crylon, make a copy, an outline of that, and we'll compare it to the print I have on record." Crylon nodded once more, letting out a mmm of confirmation, before he took up his work once more. This paper in question was thin, thinner than most he had seen, thin enough light came through easily and he could see through to his hands below. Better he supposed to compare against another piece. Using some pointed dark chalky substance, perhaps coal derived for color, Crylon carefully copied the outline of the gear onto the thin paper below. As he finished he inspected the gear further, turning it over to see J-7 inscribed on it. WC: 544

[Crylon Stonecraft]

Within a chime Sona returned, holding up a thicker more permanent piece of paper. This one he noted had J-7 noted on the corner, apparently the base blueprint for this specific size and type of gear. Which made sense, any kind of standardization improved efficiency, made making copies easier, and meant the design and exact details of a piece was not lost if something more tragic happened or a piece broke and could not be copied. Holding the thinner piece of paper over the record paper Sona inspected it for a few moments before grunting in confirmation and handing Crylon back the thin paper while returning the record paper. "Alright, now we need to make a new one. The planks over there are of sufficient dimensions, depth, width, and length, for it. Cut out the lined area, and then mark a new copy on the wood exactly as this one is. Not even a hair wider or longer, understand?" Crylon nodded, quiet as usual as he focused on his task, working while Sona put things away. Taking out a small knife that had been set aside on the work table Crylon carefully cut the thin paper, the substance easily parting with minor pressure, taking it slowly so that he could get it exact. In a few spots a bit of excess showed, and he had to carefully go back over, but eventually Crylon had a small paper cutting with just the outline of the gear showing. Using that he overlaid the paper on the wood, and began his real work. First he marked around the edge using the chalk, marking the outline. He did this and then compared the edges carefully, matching it up. With that done Crylon took out another blade, a pick, one Sona handed him as she had returned, and scored a thin cut on the edge of the paper and where the black line was. He did this just as carefully as the other parts, slowly moving around the traced line until he had a full circuit. At that point Sona checked his work, inspecting his cutting, the wood, the scored line on the wood, and then back to the paper. Once she was satisfied Crylon made a second deeper mark to show better where the edges were, before continuing. It was at that point Sona handed Crylon a saw, and setting the wood on a saw horse he began cutting off the bigger excess pieces. The gear was rounded, but he began by cutting a large square. Close to the edges, but far enough from the outer point that he did not risk marring his work. He did this on one side, then the opposite, before turning and doing the same on the top and bottom. With that a rough square a bit bigger than the gear was left. "Alright Crylon, now for the increasingly detailed work!" With a smile Sona handed Crylon two more tools. This was a chisel and a small mallet. While not having used such before on wood, he had used similar tools while working with metal and understood in general how they were to work. WC: 525

[Crylon Stonecraft]

It was at this point that Crylon realized the tricky stuff was to begin. He imagined there were better tools for such things, perhaps a type of vertical saw, but such would require a more intense set up than the simple hand tools they had and some type of powering mechanism. Seeing as the sawmill was not working... Well that was rather out of the question. And so instead Crylon began the slow and arduous task of working the gear out from the wood. In his mind he could see the final product, as with all acts of industry he committed, he only needed to make the correct steps to bring the current substance into the form of his mental image. In some ways he felt like... The material spoke to him, in a way, like it wanted to be in the correct functional pattern, it was only his own misunderstanding and trouble listening that caused things to not be as they were possible. The perfection ringing out from the realm of Izurdin and something only possible to be expressed by a true master. He understood it was his own failings, his own lacking skills, that caused that misinterpretation. But still he worked on, questing for that perfect translation of material to ideal. Crylon began with gentle strokes, holding the chisel and mallet in each hand and working on the excess away from the gears edge. Taking his time and familiarizing himself with the medium and tools, he took a single strike. He did his best to go straight down, since the gear did need a straight edge. Then he picked another spot near it, and with a strike carved into the wood again. Slowly approaching his goal. Shaping the wood was both calming and complex, but was something he enjoyed to a degree. He carefully fixed the angle of the chisel, and then cut off another bit of wood with the chisels sharp edge. Then another, and again, and again after that. Slowly the teeth began to form, but rough and ugly. Not the smooth symmetry Sona had made with her original. But still he could feel the intent, the wish behind his work, and understood how it fitted into the greater whole of the wood and the mill. Slowly approaching that goal. After he had been chiseling away for a while Sona got his attention, and took over the tools. By that point he had most of the excess off, but still needed some work. But it also meant the work was becoming closer and more detailed, and less open to errors. "Alright, I'll take it from here Crylon. Just watch." What followed was a series of clean blows and strikes of the mallet that put Crylon's own work to shame. He had done the ugly brute work, while now Sona was doing the more finessed fine bits. Slowly the gear formed into an actual true object, Crylon watching all the while. Eventually she let out a sigh, and turned to grab some more tools. "Alright now all that is left is to file and sand it down, get a good smooth surface, and we should be ready to reinstall it. You can just watch for now, alright Crylon? I'll get you when I'm ready for the next step." WC: 551 Total WC: 2,799

[Alric Lysane]

Your Grades

Crylon Stonecraft

Skills

Body Building – 2
Carpentry – 2
Drawing – 2
Gadgeteering – 3
Logic – 3
Reading – 1


Lores

Carpentry: Working From Templates
Gadgeteering: Blueprint For Sawmill Gears
Gadgeteering: Replacing Sawmill Gears
Gadgeteering: Standardized Designs
Gadgeteering: Systematically Removing Bolts
Sona: Gets Isurian Concepts