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From: ems@amdahl.UUCP (ems)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: Lunar Colony
Message-ID: <1286@amdahl.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 15-Mar-85 21:11:42 EST
Article-I.D.: amdahl.1286
Posted: Fri Mar 15 21:11:42 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 18-Mar-85 04:02:09 EST
References: <135@ISM780.UUCP> <1228@amdahl.UUCP> <866@ames.UUCP>
Organization: Circle C Shellfish Ranch, Shores-of-the-Pacific, Ca
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> > Forget draging the farmtools and small hand tools up with you
> > (after the first batch - and even they are optional).  A good
> > smith given reasonable ore and smelting facilities can make
> > an astounding number of tools.
> 
> And, I imagin, produce an astounding amount of atmospheric pollution.
> Since the available atmosphere is very small, you cannot disperse
> things into it.  EVERY byproduct of your processes must be dealt
> with.

The part about the smith in the space suit was humor.  I would
expect that the actual work would be done inside.  Yes, it would be
a closed system.  There will be garbage to deal with.  Don't
see how that changes things.  The process of reducing ore has
traditionally used carbon for this.  To waste scarce carbon by dumping
it into the 'air' would be plain stupid.  This brings up an
interesting point though:  what reducing agents are found in the
lunar environment?

>        The basic idea is very good though.  Bring tools that make
> tools.  There was a study some time ago that identified a few dozen
> tools that could be used to make almost any other industrial or agricultural
> tool.  Unfortunately, I can't remember where the study came from.  I
> think the California Space Institute had something to do with it.

A few dozen?  My god, that would be luxury!  I have a book on
smithing that shows how to start with *NONE*.  Start by making a few
bricks by hand.  These are cured in a fire made by hand.  They are
used to make a *VERY* crude furnace.  With this you smelt some
ore to get pig iron.  The iron is drained from the furnace into
rough moulds dug in the dirt (either by hand or with a stick or
a rock).  These first lumps of iron are moulded as a flat lump
for use as an anvil and a squarish lump with a hole in the middle for
a hammer.  Aditional iron is used for making pigs.  With the bootstrap
anvil and hammer you make crude tools for building a forge, billows,
real anvil and real hammer.

The first of these is the tongs.  They hold the work piece while
you use the hammer on it.  Next is a cutting tool or two.  (like
chisles)  With these you cut a file blank.  Harden it.  Then your
ready to do a better anvil and hammer.  Then some more tools and
a better forge.  etc.

Bootstraping is never easy, but it can be done!  Required are
dirt and clay, fuel (heat source), ore and reducing agent
(traditionally wood), water (for quenching and hardening),
and wood & leather for a billows (Though I would expect that
with solar heat the billows would be optional :-)

I would also expect that starting with a couple of good power
tools, a solar smelter kit, a real hammer and anvil, and a few
decent hand tools would get you a few years ahead of the game
real quick!
-- 

E. Michael Smith  ...!{hplabs,ihnp4,amd,nsc}!amdahl!ems

Comedo ergo dorum

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