wrote in message
oups.com...
I have never heard of a clockwork governor much less seen one. But
from the description it sounds as if it has small wheels which are
geared to an escapment and balance wheel similar to a watch or
non-penduleum clock.

The closest thing I can think of that might be adapted would be a
childs toy car with a flywheel for power. A flywheel would smooth out
my erratic movements when using a cutting torch.

Nah... those governors were common on a lot of things that had to control
motion smoothly -- even down to revolving doors.

They worked on the principle of a flying-ball governor. Usually, the
"balls" were spring-loaded weighted brake shoes rotating inside a fixed
brake drum. (like a centrifugal clutch) The system naturally resists
spinning above a certain speed. Gear-up trains from the work to the
governor provided the correct "work" speed vs. the braking rpm of the
governor itself.

(Some modern revolving doors now use eddy-current braking, using permanent
magnets and aluminum armatures. Dunno if any of them still have clockwork
governors.)

LLoyd