0.73 lbs is 11.63 ounces verse my statement of 10.2 ounces is really not much difference, only 1.4 ounce. What was it Bessler said? And ounce of difference here or there ...
The first two wheels had very little power. They were mere toys. From those weak wheels, Bessler's wheels acquired a reputation of being weak and useless. As Bessler increased the size and power of his wheels, the reputation of his wheels followed him.
Bessler's enemies did not want to believe much of anything about his wheels.
Let's face facts. His wheels were relatively weak, specially when compared to water wheels or people/animal wheels. But to insist that they were even weaker and needed a block and tackle is just plain insulting to the facts.
As far as Bessler showing a grab-bar to stop the wheel, we have no witness reports that it was used, or even that it existed, other than in the one set of wood-cut picture where Bessler labeled it as such. It probably existed, but I doubt it worked very well for stopping the wheel.
Last night I wrote up an account of my experience with a brick-layer building the chimney of my home many years ago. I didn't post it. But here is a shorter version...
The young helper mixed motor, filled buckets with bricks or mortar, about 40 lbs each, and pulled them upward 20 feet to where I was on the roof, using a simple rope over a single pulley. It took the young man about 5 seconds to do the pulling, about 7 pulls, each about 3 feet, each about 3/4 second to pull. We moved about 120 buckets of cement and mortar each day. About 6 of the 8 hours was spent lifting buckets, the rest of the time was setting up and etc. So he lifted a bucket about every 3 minutes. The time between was spent by me walking the buckets about 20 feet across the roof to the brick layer, and by the young man mixing mortar in a cement mixer and filling and moving buckets.
If the lifting had taken 17 to 20 seconds instead of the 5 or so seconds that we experienced, then I would have said that Bessler's lifting of bricks was too slow.
I have a lifetime of many experiences to draw on. It is these experiences that guide my thinking. Bill says something is not right. I don't see it that way.
I can't help it is Bessler's enemies dis-believed Bessler's wheels.
Bessler's wheels were not very strong. But neither were they some wimpy weaklings as Bill would have us believe.
I just replaced the drive motor that circulates the warm air of my furnace. It is 5 inch diameter by 4 inch long. It has three speeds, 1/5 HP, 1/6 HP, 1/7 HP. I calculate Bessler's 12 foot wheel produced about 1/6 HP. All this little furnace motor does is spin a drum-shape blower fan. It takes all of this little motor's effort just to overcome air friction and pressure. 1/6 HP is not very much. Your automobile probably has about 120 HP, or about 720 times as much power as Bessler's wheel or my blower fan motor.
So when Bill tries to reduce the power of Bessler's wheel by a factor of 5, I cry foul. It is already too weak at about 1/6 HP. If a block and tackle were used, it would taken five times as long to raise the weights. At 15 to 20 seconds the lift time was already too long. Five times as long would seem like eternity to workmen.
