Midwinter calling, day 2
The ring
I should probably have been more specific about what kind of help was wanted, but it's late autumn, and most farms have less important things to do, so of course there is several volunteers who want the job of collecting nitrates. It is after all work paid in silver. After a bit of questioning, one is selected, and he gets a quick lesson from me what nitrates looks like and what he will try to buy, and what he can expect from the job and that Iselin will give further information in removing it, and so on. The other three volunteers gladly except to help with construction work on the island. Silver is silver, and paid work is uncommon. There is a lot of barter, especially in the countryside. I ask them to spread the word around the area that I am willing to pay to have several dams for irrigation built on Large Ackerek.
As long as there is enough inflow to the dam, less surface and deeper is advantageous for cutting down on evaporation losses, and hopefully before summer, water pipes will be arranged to pipe water to fields, so higher-lying dams are better to increase water pressure. Just not too high water pressure, as that will be problematic. I hope the pressure and flow rate will work for simple self-rotating sprinklers, or maybe a center pivot irrigation system. It will be several kilometers of pipes, so making all the pipes in earthenware or metal is probably not practically possible for next summer and might take years, but we can use the classic method of drilling out tree trunks and bury them. Improvements will be done gradual and basically be what is most effective and needed. But the dams need to be done before the springs lack of rain or snowfall, and I should've already had dams built this summer. Or the last month. But hindsight is easy and there hasn't been that much rain. Hopefully at least the dams and the start of pipework will be done before spring or summer. I need to have irrigation systems made for all my farmland to be prepared for when a summer with drought happens, but these islands are prioritized as there is only rainwater to collect here. That huge farm Forsheim in the south have a river beside it, so an under flowing waterwheel can be built to lift water up.
I've also asked them to spread word that I will buy straight tree trunks that are cut down and floated here, and not just for 'pipelines'. There is so much construction that will need wood, and they're building my sawmill, so I might as well spend silver to get logs here and prepared. I rather spend a hell of a lot of silver into getting things done as quickly as possible, to get maximum use of it in the coming years. And everything takes time here, so time is a resource I don't want to waste. I want a vacation, but I rather work hard until next summer, and enjoy a better, more comfortable and less worrisome life then.
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I give Iselin, Kari, Ciara and Jane their own updated combo desk LED lamps with extra switches and wires, and they all know how the combo function works as I have updated to it in my office and workshop. The switching system is much like a stair light with two toggle switches. One is sitting on the lamp, the other is sitting at the door. So it is possible to turn on or off the lamp from each place, which is very convenient when it is the only electric light source. Jane is overjoyed. The lamp also has two light modes, with full or dimmed light, since the LED modules are bright. The 'combo' function is that the LED head itself is detachable and in the future it will be possible to the put the LED head on a battery pack and get an LED lantern to take with us in a tent or similar. The battery pack will of course be charged at 12V, but in use mode the battery is connected as 6V and the LED head then also runs at 6V and has a much longer operating time as less energy is wasted in the resistor. Bodil is building special small battery packs so they become a type of camping lanterns, so we can bring 5 LED lanterns on future travels. The battery will last long enough, especially in dimmed mode. Iselin can bring hers with a NiMH battery pack on their journey. I still have the parts from the first and now scrapped wind charged USB charger I built outside Borgarsandr, and with Tom's stuff I got more things.
Iselin, Kari and Ciara are so proud to have electric light in their rooms, and comment that it is so practical. Jane loves it, not least that I ask where she wants the extra outlet. The lamp can then be a bedside lamp, desk lamp and room lighting, and she can move the lamp to where she works even though the color rendition will be wrong. As long as she doesn't do work with colors, it does not matter. I have very enthusiastic help to install the updated wiring and switches in their room, so the main attic, the guards bedroom and the toilet also get their lighting.
I have become skilled at soldering things with copper rods, but I want something better when I start building more advanced things, and I need to try making electric heating elements too, so I start making an improvised soldering iron by making some heating elements from thin iron wire that is sealed in ceramic. Iron is basically the highest resistance wire I have, that doesn't melt at low temperatures like lead or tin will. The soldering iron tips will of course be copper for heat conductivity, and the handles ceramic since it can handle the heat and have bad heat conductivity. The heating element will have a metal casing as the structural element to hold everything together, protect and ground it with a screw to hold the tip, as the soldering iron will surely be a bit fragile and clumsy. I am happy as long as the soldering iron works and is between 30-60W. It will hardly be the first time I use an unregulated soldering iron. Avoiding to use other people's bad tools was one reason why the yellow 'fix technical stuff' toolbox was usually in the car. To make soldering more practical and safer, there will be a simple soldering stand with space for a damp piece of paper to wipe off the tip on, a place for a lump of resin and a power switch and LED that lights up when the soldering iron is on. The soldering tips will be consumed quite fast because solder eats up copper tips fairly quickly, and I will have to file them regularly to have a good tip. It also does not help that the tip will be too hot and create unnecessary oxidation and slag on the tip. Definitely not 'long-life' tips, which is basically copper tips with a coating of iron.
It would be nice with a regulating soldering iron and I have thought of different solutions such as manometer switch or bimetallic switch, but the third option and what I hope for is to make a magnetic switch that pulses around the curie point, which is the temperature where a metal loses magnetism, which via a magnetic switch disconnect the current until the temperature falls, the magnetism returns and turns on the power again. It is an old technology for soldering irons, with a small magnetic piece imbedded in the back of the tip. So you bought a certain tip shape with a certain temperature. But the question is what temperature whatever I might manage to make will have and whether it is suitable for soldering with available solder. However, a bimetallic switch should be able to work well enough, and is probably the best I can do that is compact enough, and which will also be reasonably adjustable for when contact is broken. A screw can adjust the springing contact. When the tip is hot enough, the bimetallic blade bends too much, loses contact and the current is cut off. When it cools down and makes contact it will heat up again. It will definitely be worth a try.
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Jane wants to jog after her combat training, so we take the usual round, up and down the north and west mountain and round south, and Alith and others will follow. We chat as usual as we jog, and about it starting to get to cold to run outside as cloths and shoe options are limited. But it's just something we have to do when it is possible. I make the mistake of thinking loudly that maybe I can do an exercise bike or jogging machine and create a small gym for the winter. Jane instantly bites and wants it so much, so we discuss what is needed, where it can be and so on. I don't want the gym equipment on display for guests, and there is limited options and other things will need space.
Argh, I should build a more efficient horizontal loom to replace the vertical looms that Iselin, Kari and others have in their rooms. Heh. It would be a interesting to try building a loom that is more advanced, with a flying shuttle and maybe can be programmed to make patterns. An automatic loom would be quite interesting to build in a couple of years. Jane have far more breath as we jog and my mind wanders. I dislike jogging.
When it comes to gyms, there are really only a few places, five of which Jane knows and talks about. The wings basement where there is most space, but dark, cool and neither of us wants it down there. The small guest room next to the meeting room with a north window facing the courtyard is probably best, but poor ventilation and longer to the shower etc. The little extra room in the wing between the maids room and the large bathroom where Caecilia used to live, but is too small and basically only works for the exercise bike and dumbbells or something, and I don't want to merge both those rooms and move the maids up in the attic. The fourth alternative is the main buildings attic. Lots of space, can open windows but also absolutely the worst to get there, and farthest from the shower etc. The fifth is the wings attic that could work, but the ceiling is low and it is just not a good exercise space. The sixth is the semi-secret room under the mezzanine, which is larger and with very high 2.7m ceiling and much more light than the wings basement, but ventilation and that it should be a bit secret makes that a bad idea.
But before space is an issue, I need to do the equipment, and I can start by trying to do an exercise bike. The mechanical and bearings become more of a problem than anything else, and I can completely forget about a chain. So my options are a leather strap, gears or direct drive. The only options I can think of for a braking force is friction, air resistance or magnetic. Friction should be possible with a leather strap around a large wheels outer edge, and the more taut the leather strap is, the more braking force on the wheel. The leather strap will wear but that is manageable and replaceable. The major downsides in a friction systems are lots of problems with heat, wear, sound and dust. Air resistance works with basically a wheel with large blades that can also fan the user, but I should be able to make a more modern solution with magnetic braking via magnets and maybe electromagnets too, which is far more interesting and silent.
I simply have to build something and try, and pedals will drive a flywheel for no matter what kind of braking, with a seat and handles in front. I have to encapsulate the wheel etc so that pants or dresses do not get stuck in it. I need to try and introduce shorts more thoroughly next year, even though Iselin already likes it and looks so damn good in it. And she knows it.
If I make the exercise bike in wood, many parts will be thick and quite massive, but the right design on the frame can solve a lot, and still have an adjustable saddle and so on. Maybe a X style frame? Except braking, I'm most worried about the pedals - they must be able to rotate around a shaft - but wooden pedals on a brass shaft might work. Or just in brass? Sprinting them should keep the pedals in place while allowing rotation.
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Jane shows me her engagement ring and tells me it's platinum and ruby, which surprises me because I have no idea about prices or manufacturing, but it should be one of the most valuable metals in the world, and in the satisfied way Jane smiles I assume it is probably the most valuable metal - at least for jewellery. Jane says that the ring is important to her. She chose it and its design. She spent so much time finding something she loved and considered materials and designs, and she likes rubies. It was so expensive that Tom and she shared the cost because it was just an engagement ring and not a wedding ring. But she really wanted it. She no longer associates the ring with Tom, for the ring and the rubies symbolize love for her. The ring is hers and always has been, but she is no longer in love or engaged, and won't wear it, as that feels wrong. But she likes that she must have the most unique ring in Alfheimr even though no one here understands it, and shows and tells me because I can understand how special her ring is.
I have an idea and take Jane to my office. Jane is a bit impatient because I'm obviously sneaky about something, but I avoid her nagging and I find my written down physics book. I look up the melting point of platinum and see that it is 1772 celsius, almost double of gold and silver, and 230 degrees higher than molten iron. I can't find ruby, but ruby is aluminium with something in it which I think is chrome if I remember correctly from Maiman's synthetic ruby laser, so it wouldn't surprise me if it is closer to 2000 celsius too; much more than diamond which is just carbon and easily burns. I was right, and my smug face annoys Jane.
"Jane, you know that my swords, knifes and other things are steel, and the main problem they have here is that they simply don't reach high enough temperatures in a fire for a lot of work, including really melting steel and controlling it?" Jane nods.
"If you throw a gold ring with diamonds in a normal fire, the diamonds are carbon and will burn and become carbon dioxide - they just disappear in a cloud of smoke. Then the gold will melt and same with silver, long before iron melts. Your ring? It will most likely be completely untouched, since wood can not burn that hot. It might not even get soft. They can not melt it, and what do you think everyone here in Alfheimr would call a silver metal ring that weights more than gold, does not rust and can not be melted in a fire? Magic. You pretty much have 'The One Ring' from 'Lord of the Rings' - without the doom and invisibility. "
Jane is so damn happy and she gives me a big hug, kiss my cheek, followed by more hugging. I don't know how many times she says 'thank you', but with a Gollum voice she say 'My precious', gives me another kiss on the cheek and she walks away with a new appreciation for her magic ring.
It feels good to be able to make her day, and it's completely unnecessary to mention that I could melt it; modified propane burner, probably with high current, perhaps with focused sunlight, via a gas burner or with termite. Rust is not that difficult to get hold of, and I have aluminium that I don't want to waste, but I think that zinc or tin can work instead, and that is something I already have.