There's been some talk about whether Bessler's wheel was out of balance and if it was balanced when stationary. It seems obvious to me that because the first two one-way wheels began to spin spontaneously as soon as the brake was released it must have been out of balance while stationary and it was only the brake or lock or ties which held it motionless.
I ignore suggestions that the wheel was stopped at an opportune moment so that at that point it was out-of-balance. It would be too difficult to arrange for those who tested it to stop it at that particular spot - if there was one. And anyway many people commented on the evenness of its rotation and any unevenness would indicate flat spots and high spots which would be suitable for stopping in an unbalanced position.
If you suspend an object from any point, let go of it and allow it to come to rest, the centre of gravity will lie along a vertical line that passes through the point of suspension. The centre of gravity will generally lie below the suspension point.
So if we wish to make the overbalanced wheel continue to turn, then we have to find a way of raising that point which generally lies below the suspension point.
JC
