Saturday, August 7, 2010

Rules of the Tool Builder's Challenge

The tool builder challenge will take place over the span of 1 year. Teams entering the challenge will consist of 2 persons. Do not select a partner that you cannot meet with, this is a team activity. This challenge will have a winner, as voted on by the participants.

You begin the challenge with nothing. No modern tools of any kind - not a hammer, not a match, nothing. The objective is to see how advanced you can build tools in the 1 year span.

The first stage is found items only. You can comb the beach for smooth pebbles, rub sticks together to start a fire, make twine out of tree bark, whatever. Metal scrap can be used, but it cannot be used in the form you find it. It must be made completely molten before you use it to build anything. You do not get the use of any tools at all, not even in a supporting role (such as using a band saw to aid in building a casting pattern.)

Once you have built a fire you may use matches to start a fire from that point forward (no accelerants though.) Once you have created an item you can use any reproduction of it made of like materials. If you build a copper hammer you can go out and buy a copper hammer. The idea is that given a long enough time you can refine the copper hammer into a better tool, but you built that first one on your own.

Participants can also build duplicate items and trade them to other teams. The other team can use that item ONLY - they cannot buy a like item as they didn't build one themselves.

Once a team begins to build precision tools they will be allowed the use of one set of calipers, either dial or vernier, as a reference only.

7 comments:

  1. I'm in on this one. Can I be on your team?

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  2. ok realistically it is a pain in the ass to to melt steel. Can smithing the steel and forge welding be substituted for complete melting?

    Mark remember when we were doing silver casting we could not find a crucible adaquit enough to melt silver in. The melting point of steel is much higher I think I can make one but like I said to get steel to melt is a pain in the ass. I know I have tried it before.

    To melt a 1lb peice of steel to make a hammer is going to be a big enough pain in the ass. I already own a 110lb anvil and I really dont want to take the time and resources to try to melt 36.6lbs of steel and I am too poor to bur a another smaller anvil.

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  3. Certainly not! You should seriously not be thinking about iron work to begin the challenge - the iron age came about 2300 years ago, while stone tools have been in use for 2.6 million years. This challenge is about the evolution of tools from nothing, no skipping to the end when you haven't tackled what comes before. Besides a 3000 degree flame is certainly attainable, especially using coal and forced air. You've got a team-mate, do some brainstorming!

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  4. it was not about getting a hot enough fire. I can get hot enough in my forge to burn steel. it was about melting steel using a crucible that can withstand that heat. that is the pain in the ass part.

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  5. Correction to my earlier comment - the iron age came about 3300 years ago.

    Jeff it is not a challenge if it is easy to complete. If you're that adamant about melting steel from the start, why don't you start by finding out about crucible construction?

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  6. Grog must make fire to begin with. Question, you mentioned matches, but if we succeed making fire with sticks and stuff, can we then use a lighter? I hate matches....

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  7. Yes you can use a lighter after you've discovered fire. No accelerants though.

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