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Aug. 7th, 2019 07:58 amErik visited yesterday to help retrieve my lost magnet. He had several lengths of rope and some screw-lock carabiners with which we improvised a pulley system. It should have provided 2:1 mechanical advantage, I think. We pulled at it for a while without success. Part of it was that there's a great deal of stretch in the rope attached to the magnet, and I think part of it was also the friction and cling from using carabiners as improvised pulleys. And part of it is that it's a stupidly strong magnet. We went back to my place for dinner with Danae.
As we ate, I decided to look up how much it would cost to buy actual block and tackle gear. It'd be a hundred bucks or two, right? No! About $20 delivered for an admittedly chintzy-looking but probably functional four-wheel block and tackle that should provide 7:1 advantage. And on Amazon Prime! I ordered one. It should be here today. If it's early enough, I'll try again to retrieve my magnet after work.
I'm so excited! There was a span when I was a kid where I thought block and tackles were the coolest thing ever! Such a simple, elegant design! I wanted one. I imagined rigging one up outside the second floor window of my bedroom. My parents were probably not amused by that idea. But now I'm going to have one!
The claimed two-ton capacity is...well, I wouldn't want to stand under it. But I think there's a good chance it'll help me with my magnet! I need to get a length of rope to anchor it to a tree at the bank and I'll be all set. It comes with 50 feet of rope to use as the working line which should only give me about 5 or 6 feet of usable pull once everything's all set up. But hopefully that will be enough to overcome the stretch of the magnet's rope and reel it in a few feet at a time.
I feel happy and excited when I'm problem-solving creatively.
As we ate, I decided to look up how much it would cost to buy actual block and tackle gear. It'd be a hundred bucks or two, right? No! About $20 delivered for an admittedly chintzy-looking but probably functional four-wheel block and tackle that should provide 7:1 advantage. And on Amazon Prime! I ordered one. It should be here today. If it's early enough, I'll try again to retrieve my magnet after work.
I'm so excited! There was a span when I was a kid where I thought block and tackles were the coolest thing ever! Such a simple, elegant design! I wanted one. I imagined rigging one up outside the second floor window of my bedroom. My parents were probably not amused by that idea. But now I'm going to have one!
The claimed two-ton capacity is...well, I wouldn't want to stand under it. But I think there's a good chance it'll help me with my magnet! I need to get a length of rope to anchor it to a tree at the bank and I'll be all set. It comes with 50 feet of rope to use as the working line which should only give me about 5 or 6 feet of usable pull once everything's all set up. But hopefully that will be enough to overcome the stretch of the magnet's rope and reel it in a few feet at a time.
I feel happy and excited when I'm problem-solving creatively.
