My work to replicate Bessler's wheel proceeds well! Yesterday I spent some time refining the movement of one of the mechanisms and discovered, in the process, the meaning of another of Bessler's clues, something I had puzzled over for a long time. It relates to the two angles that one of the levers must adopt in order to drive the wheel onward to the next stage. This new knowledge confirmed to me that I am on the right track and later today I hope to continue with my work. This just illustrates again the need to build these things and not just design them in a simulater or on paper alone - and I would not have discovered the meaning of Bessler's clue if I hadn't been building the mechanism.
Currently I am trying to rearrange the mechanism so that as one part crosses another the two don't get entangled; something that it is prone to at the moment. Rearranging the mechanism without altering its effect is not particularly easy or quick but it is necessary for success. I'll post details of my progress (or not) in a day or two. JC
