To Start a Business

 August 15 meant a trip to Midwest Distribution (United Methodist relief organization) where several of us spent the day working. Those of us who were assembling school desks noticed that there were a large number of old sewing machines. This took me back to my early years where I would sit and on the floor at my grandmother's house and push that floor pedal up and down to watch the needle work. No electricity needed.

Why does the United Methodist Church collect, literally, dozens of these machines and get them working in perfect order? I have made five mission trips to the Amazon region and was still puzzled by the 21st century need for these types of sewing machines.

Two gentlemen rework these machines by cleaning, oiling, and fine tuning the gears. They are then "shrink wrapped," placed on palates and shipped to regions around the world where there is no electricity but cottage businesses can thrive with this advancement over hand sewing. Wow, I am so bombarded every day with 21st century technology that I forget there is a significant segment of the world that still goes without electricity.

What if more of us sacrificed a few "things" and started giving money to organizations that are producing small solar panels for use in these areas of the world where consistent electric supply is still years away. My challenge today (STEM) for teachers is to have their classes work on solar and wind power generators that are small and easily assembled. They must be able to withstand harsh climates, be easy to set up and take down. The footprint must be minimal.

I know these types of products are being created but our students might come up with a simple product, lighter, stronger, more efficient means of bringing electricity to the less fortunate of the world.

To Design a Plow in the 19th Century

 Returning to my travels to Grand Detour and the John Deere home. Illinois contained vast amounts of prairie and farmers found that centuries of growth was hard to turn so the soil could be planted. The image to the right is of the iron plow typically used by farmers. They could plow for about ten feet in the thick grassy soil of Illinois before the dirt had to be scraped away. Think about that, ten feet, scrape, plow ten feet, scrape. Think about the difficulty for the animal(s) pulling the plow.

The image to the right is what John Deere designed using steel. What do you notice about the iron plow and steel plow? Anything in the angles used, the more highly polished finish of one versus the other?

The image to the left is looking straight on at the John Deere plow. Deere had no way to make the steel, where did it come from? What advantages does steel have over iron? Why? What is the importance of polishing in the process? Can you approximate the angle of the blade? What if it were greater? Less? Concave versus convex face? How much less power did the animal have to exert to pull the steel plow? How much more land could be plowed in a day? What would this do to food production? Population growth? Price of food produced? What other technologies would this development inspire? How would this development aid in farming the later settled territories of North and South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas?

Image to the left is a side view of a later steel plow, notice the wrap around effect that has been added. Why?

To Quill or not to Quill

Visited the Arts in the Park this afternoon in Washington, IL and it was truly amazing. The creativity NCLB is attempting to kill was in full bloom among a vast array of artists. One booth in particular caught my eye and I was so caught up in the skill that rather than post all my questions I am simply going to include the link to The Quirky Quiller site and encourage everyone to visit. This is Science-Technology-Engineering-ART-Mathematics and this person should be guest speaking in the local school (Rochester, IL you are missing the boat!).

Please take time to visit the site, click on the history link if, like me, you have no idea what Quilling might be.

http://www.thequirkyquiller.com/index.html

To be an artist

 Personal home repairs have kept me away for a few days but I wish to return to a previous topic........the blacksmith. My wife and I visited the John Deere home in Grand Detour, IL and the images on the left are of the final blacksmith product. The "leaf" was originally a 3/8" x 3/8" piece of steel.  Questions about the product:

• What is the best working temperature of the coal used by a blacksmith?
• Repeat question, What is coke?

• Why don't blacksmiths use charcoal?
• How long did it take to produce the leaf? (answer, less than 15 minutes)
• What produced the gold hue in the finish?
• At what temperature was that golden hue applied?
• The leaf is considered "sealed" for outdoor use, what does that mean?
• What product sealed the leaf?

• Is this helping you think of a blacksmith in totally different terms than you previously did?
• There were no drawings, does this mean it's art?
• The leaf is three dimensional, what does that mean?
• How do you think the blacksmith views the process in his/her mind? 

• Why might this type of skill be valuable in the 21st century?
• Why might other 19th century skills be valuable today?
• How do the bellows that a blacksmith uses to stoke the fire work?
• What is the danger of the bellows?

To Build a Church

St. Peter's Church, Grand Detour, IL. Don't miss this stop if you are visiting the John Deere home. My questions today are rambling and hopefully will interest people of a wide variety of backgrounds.

Church questions:
1. What is the history of the Episcopal church in the U.S.?
2. What is their background? (from what group did they come from)
3. Do they have any unique differences from their Catholic brethren?

4. What is a diocese?
5. Where did the word come from?

Geology questions:
1. What is limestone?
2. How is it formed?
3. Where are the largest deposits?
4. How hard is it compared with granite or other rock?

5. How is it mined?
6. What is it's value? (is it expensive)
7. How easily is it shaped?

Construction questions:
1. How thick is the foundation?
2. How deep in the ground (assume there is a basement)? This would mean, how deep below the floor level of the basement would the foundation have to be?
3. How was mortar made in 1849? Where did the materials come from?
4. How were the archways formed?
5. Why do the windows have a pointed peak instead of a rounded peak?
6. How was the church heated?
7. How was glass made in 1849?
8. The interior has plaster walls, was the interior framed after the exterior stone was laid?
9. How long did a stone mason apprentice in 1849? What were the most common tools of the trade? Did John Deere make any of them?