Remove bearing, still do work?

[Gill Simo]

Just a quick plea for help....do I imagine it or did Bessler mention somewhere that he could remove bearing/s for maintenance & the wheel could still do work....or something to that effect?
Ta.

[Senax]

I wouldn't have thought it had bearings. My eitech wheel doesn't I just rests in
one of the holes. 😒

[Fletcher]

It's a bit convoluted. Haven't got time atm to find the quotes and translations, but the essence is as follows.

The two-way wheel long duration test that was translocated to another set of supports rested the axle in journals (grooves). They were open to examination and greased etc. So there were no bearings as we know them.

B. said that his wheels were made in such a way that replacement parts could be stored and swapped over if one broke to keep downtime to a minimum.

There has been some debate about whether the wheel could keep on turning while he swapped parts out (re translation nuances), but logic seems to suggest that if the wheel came to a stop from the broken part, then it could be swapped out for a shelf item etc.

If a part was broken, but not catastrophically so, and it didn't stop the wheel from turning and doing work, then that part could be replaced at the next scheduled maintenance stop in a commercial environment I guess.

[Johndoe2]

I seem to recall uncovered brass bushings or something similar. As carriages would be common in his day I'm sure he had the at least

[Art]

Many of the descriptions coming to us from the eyewitnesses and from Bessler on close examination nearly always end up being ambiguous and some bring you to the point of disbelief .

Fisher , who appears to have been a very reliable witness , in mentioning the bearings gives estimated sizes of the axle diameter at something like a 1/4 inch IIRC which in my opinion is quite unbelievable in relation to a presumably 12 foot diameter weighty wheel . The only thing I can do is assume I'm not understanding his description and wonder why .

The problem with all this is that our interpretation of what other people describe in words will to some extent be filtered through the "Chinese Whispers Ap" no matter how hard we try . You have to be very careful what you rule in or out if it is not based on personal experience if you want your own personal religion to be 100 % ! : )

An example is " 8 weights were heard knocking on the perimeter towards which the wheel revolved "

The meaning of that changes from (1) a knocking being heard at say '3 0 clock' on a clockwise running machine if your head has a vantage point above the axle ,

to (2) a knocking being heard at '9 0 clock' on a clockwise running machine if that same head has a vantage point below the axle !.

So if the observation was made by a 5 foot person about a 12 foot wheel , with the axle at 6 foot above the ground , then the description will be different if the person is 6 foot tall and stands on his toes so he can see whats going on over the head of the person in front and therefore has his head above the axle .

I think it was Ralph who approached the possibility that the shape of the channel in which the axle rested could have been a factor in the wheels operation ( least that's what I think Ralph was saying and I agree with that ) .

Observe what happens to a spinning top when the point it balances on when spinning is not true to the center of gravity of the top . There are forces going every which way , which would also occur if that top is horizontal on two supports . Add grooves on the support for that point to follow and things quickly get complicated . All very simple looking , if you don't look too deeply .

This brings up the real possibility that we may be doing ourselves a real disservice by having nicely manufactured ball bearing races on our wheels .

Something to be kept in mind IMO

[Johndoe2]

So you are thinking that the journal that the wheel was riding in was part of or was the drive mechanism ?

[Art]

Something to be kept in mind IMO.

[eccentrically1]

That was one of the parts that was most closely examined for signs of fraud; suspected of being attached to something in an adjoining room. It was why the wheel was located to other supports; to remove any suspicion it was part of the drive mechanism.

[Georg Künstler]

The wheel runs also without bearing.
You can remove it from the supporting frame, it is trying to roll away.

It will rotate by itself.
It is self accelerating on a flat surface.

It has to be blocked when it is standing on the floor.

[Senax]

That's an important point Georg. It reminds me of the RBM (rubber band motor)
or even the VimmyWheel if I can find a way to commutate the reciprocating motion -
and to get the pendulum bob over the top of course. 😊

I visualise it as a hamster wheel motion.

[Fletcher]

The wheel runs also without bearing.

You can remove it from the supporting frame, it is trying to roll away.

It will rotate by itself.

It is self accelerating on a flat surface.

It has to be blocked when it is standing on the floor.

This question has been raised in the past.

Could the wheel be taken from its supports and placed on the ground so that it was upright and supporting its own weight on the rim, much like a hoop or car wheel ?

If so could it self-accelerate and roll away on a flat surface or even climb a gradient under its own power ?

B. never chose to disclose the answers to these questions in his writings.

Tho he and others also would undoubtedly have thought thru the great publicity potential and goodwill opportunity such a demonstration like that would promote. It'd be pretty convincing and guaranteed to get attention because then people would make the connection to self-moving carts etc. Of course the wheel would have to be strongly made but that wasn't an onerous condition, if the wheel could operate outside its supports.

In the translocation test many weights were removed and put in a box, to be reinstalled later. B. said it was to reduce the weight so that men could lift it. I suspect it was stopped and weights removed for another reason. Precisely so that it was stopped.

The fact is B. never did any demonstration where the wheel wasn't in supports. That in itself is a big clue I believe. I suspect it simply couldn't operate on its rim, and only in its supports, regardless of how strongly it was made for that purpose. JMO's.

[Zhyyra]

Apologia pg's 297 & 298


297
Tenthly:- “Could I indicate - should the machine ever need repairing - how much time, trouble and money would be involved?�

Answer - the main mechanisms, if built properly, should remain serviceable for many years. But, if something does go amiss, it won't cost much in the way of money, time, trouble or difficulty. Mostly, in fact, it could be put right within the hour. Moreover, I've


298
beautifully arranged things now so that the machine can continue to operate while being repaired! Soon everyone who has one of my works of art will wish to be his own manager!

[Georg Künstler]

Fletcher wrote:

Could the wheel be taken from its supports and placed on the ground so that it was upright and supporting its own weight on the rim, much like a hoop or car wheel ?

If so could it self-accelerate and roll away on a flat surface or even climb a gradient under its own power ?

B. never chose to disclose the answers to these questions in his writings.

Yes, the wheel is constructed in that way, you see it in the original drawings.
The rim is not only a thin board, it was strong enough to carry the wheel.

And Yes it could also roll away and even climb a gradient under its own power.

Even if the construction is made from wood, it is too heavy for one man to lift it from the support.
For two man it is possible, but it is dangerous.
when the weights are in their place, they have still a chance to do an uncontrolled move.
Your fingers on the wrong place, and you will suffer severe injuries.

So it is really better to remove the weights before you relocate the wheel.

The weights must not be removed because they are heavy(4 pound x times), no they are removed because you will be hurt.

[Johndoe2]

May I ask Georg where is that quote from ? I don't believe I've heard that the wheel would roll up hill !

[Gill Simo]

Err...I did say words to that effect...it may not have been bearing specifically but feel free to warble away about it.
Meanwhile I'm not convinced...like many I imagine, I've spent a lot of time over the years reading Bessler comments only to be more confused than enlightened in any way....& I've a strong recollection of pondering a good while over this one.
At a guess I'd say I read it in JC's book...& that was a loooong time ago.
It's sat in front of me now but I'm too half blind to be able to look through it.
I think I'm gonna have to keep on being niggled by this until the man himself tells me no.
But thanks anyway.
Gill