On Thu, 07 Aug 2003 19:04:01 -0400, Silvan
wrote:

Your mention of chips good, twisties bad (in reference to cast iron)

I never said "good" or "bad", just that it's how CI behaves. Twisty
swarf certainly isn't bad, it's just that you won;t get it, except for
the most sophisticated grades of CI.

The other thing about CI is that it contains loose carbon between the
iron crystal grains. This acts as a lubricant, so you don't need to
add one yourself.

One way or the other, the hole is drilled, the rod installed, the chain
attached, and the railroad track segment serves as the counterweight for my
trebuchet.

Doesn't really sound heavy enough !

My 8' beam car-portable treb
http://www.jarkman.co.uk/toys.htm
began life with a 12 brick counterweight and was pathetic. With a 20
brick counterweight it got much more interesting. You need at least
20:1 weight ratio to make a treb start to behave.