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and hotter, made a lot of soot. He often needed to use several candles at once.
He knew what he needed. Something like the "Bunsen burners" at the up-timer high school. However,
that would have to wait until he had access to gas. He knew there had been talk of producing "propane,"
but for now that was as far off as his much-needed aluminum. As for the alcohol burner the Kubiak
Country people had given him, it was very clever. But he could never see the flame, and the alcohol was
always evaporating, and it always ran out at the most inconvenient moment. At least with candles he
could easily add more, and the heat they put out was greater than that of the single alcohol burner.
He returned to checking the bills. "There must be a better way."
1633, Jena, the new HDG Enterprizes facility
Dr. Gribbleflotz walked around the site of what would soon be the head office and main manufactory of
HDG Enterprizes. The new facility was a large compound with buildings for the various production lines,
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accommodations for laborants and other employees who lived on site, the head office, and the new
apartment building for himself and his household. Finally, there was the set of rooms that were his
personal office and laboratory.
The current area of interest was the large waterwheel, or more precisely, the area where the waterwheel
would be installed. Phillip could see the men clambering around the heavy structure that would eventually
support the wheel. He joined the small crowd watching an older man slapping clay around the joints in
the steel. Confused, he continued to watch.
"You might want to step back, Dr. Gribbleflotz."
Phillip turned and looked up to see Ted Kubiak. "What is he doing?" He pointed to Erwin O'Keefe.
Ted followed Phillip's pointing arm. "We want to weld the steel frame together. Erwin is going to
thermite weld. Right now he's slapping on clay to contain the molten steel until it cools."
"Molten steel? How can you melt steel without a furnace?"
"It's a chemical reaction, Dr.. I can ask Erwin to explain if you like, but for now, just watch. This is really
cool."
Phillip watched as Erwin set an odd package over one of the clay covered joints, lit a fuse and jogged
back a considerable distance. After a few moments, the brightest light Phillip had ever seen burst from
the package. White-hot droplets leaked from the bottom of the clay seals.
Ted pointed. "Those droplets are molten iron from the thermite. The clay holds it in, and the iron cools in
place to make a weld. It's really neat to watch."
Phillip stared, awe struck. "Yes, please, Herr Kubiak. Do ask Erwin to explain."
* * *
Dr. Gribbleflotz idly fondled a crude iron ingot while he read the letter from Erwin O'Keefe. The ingot
was the product of a final demonstration of the thermite reaction that Herr O'Keefe had conducted with
one of the remaining thermite kits he had brought with him. The demonstration had so impressed Phillip
that he had asked for a "cheat sheet." Herr O'Keefe's letter described the thermite reaction in such detail
that he was sure he could easily duplicate it. Herr O'Keefe had even included a couple of alternative
methods of initiating the reaction.
Phillip looked over at his cabinet of chemicals in their jars and bottles. He selected a couple of jars and
walked to his fume cupboard. He placed a watch glass on a dished firebrick and carefully measured out
a small amount of the purple crystals from the up-time "chemistry set." Then he added just a drop of the
oily liquid, clicking the stopwatch function of his pocket watch at the same time.
While he waited Phillip admired the "Buick" logo on the door of the fume cupboard. He watched
through the safety glass of the fume cupboard door as the purple powder ignited. With the first signs of
ignition Phillip stopped his watch. After observing the whole pile of crystals burn, he retreated to his desk
where he made notes in his journal. The observed time for the reaction to occur was within the range
Herr O'Keefe had written. It was a most interesting experiment, but not as interesting as melting iron in a
ceramic pot would be.
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As he read Erwin O'Keefe's directions, Phillip could see a potential problem. The thermite reaction used
aluminum. Aluminum was a rare and strategic resource. The Kubiak people had indicated he was lucky
to get the few pounds they had been able to provide.
Unlike his aluminum pyramid, the thermite reaction could use any aluminum. Minor impurities did not
matter. Phillip looked along his bookshelf, toward the model pyramid with its faceted gems. He sighed.
He had had such hopes when the Kubiak Country people had provided him with the ingots of aluminum.
However, his tests with the scale model had failed to invigorate theQuinta Essentia of the small rodents
he had tested it on. It was the aluminum he had concluded. It wasn't pure. The Kubiak Country people
had admitted that there were other elements in the mix.
Phillip already knew that pure aluminum would not be available until the up-timers were able to mine the
ore. Well, they had admitted that there might be a way to purify the aluminum. However, it required a
chemical he wanted nothing to do with. After reading the up-timer handling instructions and warnings, he
was happy to let others play with hydrofluoric acid.
He walked over to his store cupboard. Once there, he picked up the few remaining ingots of aluminum.
At a guess he had half a pound left. Biting his lip, he turned his gaze to his dysfunctional model pyramid.
Make that two pounds.
Seated back at his desk he caressed the iron ingot while he re-read Erwin's letter. An image appeared in
his mind. He could see it vividly. He, Dr. Phillip Theophrastus Gribbleflotz, the World's Greatest
Alchemist, giving one of his justly famous seminars, and as the pièce de resistance, a demonstration of
thermite with . . . Phillip looked down at the iron ingot in his hand . . . a specially molded shape.
Something special. Something of distinction.
Thinking of distinction, he looked down at Erwin O'Keefe's letter. No. "Thermite Reaction" didn't have
the right ring to it. It needed something more. A real name. Phillip allowed his mind to wander as he
searched for inspiration. The molten iron could obviously be molded into any shape. It would take a little
experimentation to get it right, but imagine, in a haze of the brightest light, forming an ingot of pure iron
from the dross of rust. Phillip shivered. It was almost a holy event. Then it struck him. The "Gribbleflotz
Candles of the Essence of Light." Nobody else in Jena would be able to duplicate the demonstration, and
if people should want to buy the iron ingot . . . Maybe if it was formed into some significant shape? The
ideas ran through his mind while he visualized the demand for his demonstrations.
With a sigh he came back to reality. He didn't have enough aluminum to demonstrate the Gribbleflotz
Candles of the Essence of Light at all of his regular seminars. It was a pity, but he would just have to limit
the demonstration to maybe one a month. Maybe by the time he used up his small store of aluminum, the
up-timers would be mining the ore for more. But first things first. Before he could do any demonstrations
he had to be sure he could make the Gribbleflotz Candles of the Essence of Light work reliably. To have
one fail would be humiliating. He walked over to the door of his personal laboratory, opened it and called
out for his laborant. "Hans. We have work to do."
Several months later, HDG Enterprizes, Jena, the new facility [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]