putterings 317 < 318 > 319 index
he most flagrant errors; the proper method. this
...In skill he may be the equal of the Western molder, but in efficiency he is noticeably inferior. A pattern that he has been working on for some time he will handle with remarkable speed, but give him a new one that requires a different twist from what he has been accustomed to, and it will take him some time to figure out its geometry, and the chances are that he will make many puttering mistakes before he adopts, or is patiently shown, the proper method. This is true in all other lines of work done by the ordinary Japanese mechanic. In patternmaking he excels; that is, as far as finish goes. The Japanese are traditionally very fine carpenters and cabinet makers, and in working with any sort of wood he is thoroughly at home. He does not always grasp the scientific principles of a pattern, particularly the intricate ones, but he will copy a model or a blueprint faithfully. In turn, these models or drawings must be absolutely accurate, for the patternmaker is likely to copy the most flagrant errors.
— “Hi” Sibley, “How Japan Turned Its Gardens Into Foundries” in American Machinist 47:10 (September 6; 1917) : 397-399 (398) : link (Michigan copy)
same (Harvard copy, via hathitrust) : link
Synopsis —
“The war has been a remarkable stimulus to Japanese mechanical industries. This article tells how the demand for castings wherewith to build machines resulted in the creation of numberless backyard foundries in Japan.”
The article is informed and kinetic; displays some dismissiveness vis-à-vis Japanese workmanship. Interesting account of that area in Saitama Prefecture (facing Tokyo, across the Arakawa).
Walter “Hi” Sibley (1881-1973)
“South Bend native made a name for himself as writer, illustrator”
by Margaret Fosmoe, South Bend Tribune (July 5, 2015) : link
“a chill is an object used to promote solidification in a specific portion of a metal casting mold.” : wikipedia : link
some Kawaguchi photos, ca 1985, at asfaltics : link