Borgarsandr, day 11

Ballistics on the beach

Before breakfast I do my daily morning repeat of words and phrases. When I ask Kari if there is something I can do, should do, or not do, to secure the future she planned? In addition to the obvious to actually ask to be given her hand, she asks me to do something that is impressive and proves my sejd, but discreetly so it is not overly clear to impress. The timing is so damn good I wonder if she can actually predict the future, because I'm going to test my mini cannon and try different black powders today. Would have done it yesterday but the weather was unpleasant. I mean; I didn't want to disturb the initial hammering of the steel. Ask Kari to stay here in the garden and enjoy the view and sea, because we're going down to the beach.

When I have decided which method seem best for producing black powder, I can start working with different mixes, right now I use 100 parts by weight of saltpeter, 20 parts of charcoal and 10-13 parts of sulfur. In the small quantities I have made, its complicated to measure with high precision, and the sulfur can be limiting for future production, so I should be keeping it slightly lower.

Ask Alith and Bodil who is the least afraid of sejd, and loud bangs. Seems like both are equally unaffected by it if I'm the cause, but Alith has nothing to do and spent a big part of last day playing chess, so this time Bodil stays with Kari in the garden. So I have Iselin, Ciara and Alith as company and spotters. There is no wheelbarrow on the farm, so a couple of slave will carry down a handbarrow and then return, and I load what I need for the tests. On the way down, like the day before, I warn everyone that what they will see is secret and they will keep it to themselves as much as possible, and not talk about it where someone might overhear. They all seriously nod and confirm. Alith is the only one I think might talk, but she seem to take this serious. In the future I will be more open to her and Bodil, but now is not the time for that. Ciara is leaning a little forward and looks sore, but she says it will pass in a couple of days, and she seems to have messed up her back, and I feel bad for asking them to help me work the bellows yesterday. Best that I let her have the less mobile duties on the beach.

The idea for the shooting test is that with the same black powder weight, and the same size and weight on lead bullets, try shooting on the flat long beach and see where the first impact is if the bullet bounces, and to make 4 shots with each black powder, and switch during testing and try see possible difference in average distance and spread. Must of course scrub clean and dry the cannon barrel between shots, as well as to try and have a consistant angle and placement, which is the reason I stand the cannon on a small cliff. Range gives an idea about the velocity and thus the energy in the ball. To protect us from explosion or mishaps I've filled the emptied handbarrow with sand, so it act as a small sandbag thing between us and the cannon.

Pace up distances on the beach, stick branches in the sand and make a small cairn with rocks, writes numbers and mark a shooting range in 25m intervals. We also removes debries and rake some parts with a leafy branch so it will be easier to spot new disturbanses. Ciara has to crouch quite far away behind some low cliffs to see a possible impact far down, Alith about halfway behind another cover, and Iselin next to me. My dark eye protection is used again, and both me and Iselin have earplugs to protect against the noise.

Start with one gram of black powder. Use a long wooden stick with a rope tied to the end to light the fuse, and light the rope on a small fire we started. Ugly, but works. Everything works above expectations and its almost too much for the length of the beach. So much fail on me, should have thought that a lobbed bullet of course goes much further than classic musket shooting almost straight ahead, and I can only lower it another step. Both Alith and Iselin make shocked faces and stare at the cannon after the charge explodes. No one sees the impact, but we find it as we walk along the beach in a line. Aiming sideways will be difficult here, and the cannon barrel is quite short.

Switch angle and use a 2g load. Eventually we get a routine and its mostly Ciara who sees the impact and with a small cloth flag on a branch stands at the impact and waits for us to measure the distance. Iselin accompanies her far over there and keep record on a slate board how far each shot went. Alith stands close to me, to protect me from the cannon and keep me safe, and she's got Iselins earplugs. Some shots are not unexpectedly simply just gone, but already after 16 shots its clear that both black powder works well, but the grinded powder is slightly better with more distance, so that will be used in the future. More power is better. Then I gather everyone, as they might just stand here because I will shoot some more powerful loads and we will probably shoot too far or miss the beach.

We hear when the lead bullets hits cliffs and rocks at the end of the beach. Increase the load step by step and shoots one last shot with the last of the mortared powder, so about 6g right at a tree just 6m distant, and I stand behind the sandfilled handbarrow with Iselin and Ciara further back in the protection of a couple of tree trunks and boulders. Although the cannon is mostly behind a lot of sand, with a couple of big rocks on top they insisted on, Alith also insist on standing right in front of me and protect me with her body and shield.

Quite a large impressive mark on the tree. Alith seems scared of the little cannon, and she seems to understand what would happen if, for example, she stood in front, and even behind a shield.

I confirm that yes, this can be used as a weapon, but in this form is obviously impractical. Even improved it will be bad in a regular battle. A bow, spear or sword are more practical than this. But if Alith and Bodil continue to work for me, in the future they will learn to use special weapons based on this. For hunting. But they will see when we get there, because its a lot of work, and I don't want to spoil the surprise. Seems to drive Alith mad with curiosity. Which just makes it more fun. However, I get a little worried when she discreetly and with a sexy voice whispers that she can probably 'persuade' me to tell, as she let a hand slide along my leg and crotch.

Ciara fetch the slaves as Iselin helps me pack the handbarrow, and when we eventually arrive back at the farm and I have unloaded the handbarrow, I go out to Kari and Bodil in the garden. Kari gives me a small silent applause and a beautiful smile. So I just bow as I stand on stage after a performance. On the way in, she rewards me with a kiss on the cheek, and I don't know if I should complain or not.

Everyone except Alith accompanies into town. I take my three crucible steel lumps with me since the goal is to find a skilled weapon blacksmith who can turn it into something useful, and Kari says there is a well-known master here.

The master blade smith we meet is a confident older man named Olafr who is obviously good, and his craftsmanship is beautiful. But what I like above all is the accuracy shows, and the details on the handles. Not flashy if it isn't in demanded, but smooth, fine and exact. Precision more than flash. As an excellent tool more than blingy fashion accessory. I tell him I want to get something forged from a very special iron, called steel, and it will be a challenge for him as the steel doesn't want to cooperate as common iron, but instead fight against being worked. If he takes the job, he must follow certain specific guidelines. Other choices are up to him as a master blade smith, but also a skilled smith as he, can fail with this material. I notice that he doesn't really want to reveal exactly how he does things, but when he notices I understand a lot of the steps, especially the thing with inlays and acid, asks about his liquid for quenching and tempering, he is willing to go a little further. I am treated more like an exotic colleague with an interesting challenge, than a customer to be impressed. I really appreciate that.

In the end, he is instructed to try to make a sword, with a tapered tip etc, in the right length. What I consider an ordinary Viking sword design and he has a couple of, which he agrees is a good sword with the right balance and weight. He will also try to make an inlay in the blade with a text of ordinary iron; triangle, ROB, triangle A. I must give some homage to +ULFBERH+T swords, which apparently doesn't exist here, and the triangle is a more powerful symbol than the cross. The second lump can be a sword or knives and the third lump is reserve. Should it crack he won't try hammer it together again.

If everything worked and he's crafted a good sword, he should make knives of the other, preferably four, but save smaller steel parts, since I want to make tools and other things from it. The knife design I want is basically a copy of the Mora knife I carry with a rounded 12cm blade with a bevelled tip, and where the knife blades tang run through the entire length of the grip and have a hole for a lanyard at the end, and a small anti-slip guard before the blade. Wooden grip that is riveted. I would have preferred to do with riveting at the back of the grip for durability, instead of a lanyard hole, but I prefer this, and easier to change the grips if they become crooked or rivets get loose and so on.

I know he is a blade smith but if he can and wants, I would appreciate if he can make some precision files and drill bits from the last little of material because its special. Its not a priority or a requirement, just a wish he can refuse. He is hesitant, but say we will see when he made the sword, and he doesn't directly refuse.

He asks for a week to learn the material, see what it is like to be forged etc and try with the sword, and then we will see. He thinks it might take a couple of weeks as I don't want a lot of special mounted jewels or fuss. The price for everything depends on how successful he is, but since I supplies the material, it will be 3 ounces of gold for the sword, and 3 ounces of silver per knife. Seems like he likes the challenge more than anything. He can be a good contact for the future if he manages to do the job well enough.

A trip to the glass maker shows that the lenses are ready and looks okay, and Craftsman Digraldi who makes my 'candle' holders also turns out to be finished with them, and parts for my gyro suspended compass. Why does it feel like my work is being prioritized by the craftsmen? Because I pay well? It doesn't feel normal that I always get everything so quickly, they should already have jobs to do. Maybe the King have discreetly influenced them to give me preferential treatment? I tell Craftsman Digraldi that I will have another job for him, so I will return in a couple of days.

Back at the farm, I announce that I want to be undisturbed for the next few hours, and sit down and start taking notes how the log buildings for the Academy's buildings are to be made. Uses the documentary on the tablet for how they in Finland build a traditional log house in the old way, but will modify it. Both for my needs are different and I want to learn some lessons from other wooden houses that have had a long life, and the most important thing is that wood doesn't stand or lie directly on the ground, but on a stone foundation.

Sit there with headphones, sketches, and makes drawings. Pause, restart, etc. There will be a lot of drafts, but in the end one of those empty books will be filled when I have a clear idea, both on construction method, details, and plans. Feels like the builders get to start on a house like the one described in the documentary, but I need to modify it a bit so it includes a brick fireplace with chimney, so the builders learn how I want that, and get some experience of the building technique before the larger and much more complex building that will be my home. This first building isn't wasted and will have later use, and it is faster and easier to build. A hall with narrow ladder up to the attic that will be a storage area for food and other things, door in to a living room with fireplace and cold storage under the floor, and door in to the bedroom. The back of the fireplace will spread some warmth to both the hall and bedroom. In total the house will be about 6x4m, and it might become a common extra house. Quite a good chance that people will use it in a similar way as houses like this were traditionally used, where the living room is used for everything, including sleeping in, and the bedroom more becomes the classic chamber and storage. There will be windows even if there is heat loss there, but thin white curtains can probably help a little and still let light through, and might as well let the rooms have low ceilings to make heating more efficient. If the Academy become as I intend, it will be a small, scattered community with various craftsmen and a village with their families, and I want good houses for them, as well as premises and buildings for their respective crafts. Better living standards will probably attract more skilled people.

However, my own main building will have an extra outer wall outside the timber walls with planks as a facade, and additional insulation between in the form of sawdust or planing flakes/chips. Plus a whole hell of a lot of solutions to make it more comfortable, safer, modern etc, but the principle is the same as the timber building, only larger with two floors and a cellar.

If I go according to the documentary, maybe I can get enough timber felled and transported during the winter and the main building finished sometime in the summer of next year. Maybe can buy ready-made dried timber, but will have trouble transporting it, and the size of the building will require a hell of a lot of timber. Can hardly transport it longer distances along the road, and if there is a water route to use, letting it float directly on water waste that it is dried. Construction time depends on how much building material and manpower I can gather, where it will be and how much it will cost. Will have to make calculations how many logs are needed and really think about unpleasant 'oops' to avoid, such as changing the direction of the ends on the logs at each layer so that the building becomes straighter. Need someone who is a builder and makes decisions on the spot, and understands how to read my drawings and sketches. I could probably do it, but I have no idea about building something in this era, and handle all the builders, so better to hire someone competent to do it. However, I can live with it taking a year, will need time to collect silver and make plans, but need somewhere to live this winter with the others, and food, and it should probably be here in Borgarsandr to get access to the craftsmen. Some tools probably need to be manufactured as well. Might have to try and buy a house somewhere, or I might have to try to be a court magician or something over winter.

Continues a rough sketch of what will probably be my own future house, my farm. Gradually, it has grown into a large rectangular log building. Two floors with an open part in the middle with stairs up, a corridor in the middle out to each end on both floors and rooms at on each side of the corridor so they can have windows for light, with a single-storey wing for kitchen, bath, indoor outhouse, laundry room, storage room, basement, and servant quaters. So the house gets an L shaped look. I have to accept that I will need many smaller bedrooms, because the first student might live there, even if I don't want to, and later we will get guests who will need to live there temporarily, and it is supposed to be a more modern house with a modern layout, which means separate bedrooms for everyone. No longhouse where people sleep on benches in the great hall. The plan is now 5-6 guest rooms in different sizes, but it makes a difference if you have a single bed or several bunk beds in the rooms. The length of the logs, the location of the chimneys so most rooms have a heatsource, and the layout of the lower floor and loadbearing walls, affect the design of the second floor and the size of the rooms. Tricky.

If necessary, there is plenty of space in the attic of the wing for people to sleep, although I want part of it and the north side of the mainbuildings attic as cold and dry storage. Not luxurious or secluded, but will work as a sleeping spot and it won't be pitch black since every attic will have windows in the ends. Will certainly benefit if there is room for other things as well, because I would like to have a hobbyroom workshop with some machines and other things. However, that should be a little secluded and not right beside someones bedroom. There will sounds from that hobbyroom sometimes, and I hope for a few electric machines in the future.

Take a little inspiration from a fantasy fortress I designed several years ago and include an roof covered patio that can act as a training area and party space. Large rectangular surface, with posts holding up a roof. As windbreaks and 'walls', there will be canvases or sailcloth that can be drawn close. I can also hide a small crawling escape tunnel from the basement under the patio walkway to the other side of the patio. Can explain it as a sewer tunnel during construction, which it will also work as in case of flooding in the basement. Will probably be slowly angled down, because I need a basement, and its better to build the house on a slope so that the main building doesn't get an unnecessarily large basement that takes time to dig and build, and the basement need a somewhat level entry with lower land a few meters outside for drainage. I want the mainbuilding entrances hall to the north, so the backside is towards the south, to get the maximum amount of light into the middle hall with the staircase, so the corridors and southfacing rooms gets more light. It can also be a nice space by the patio and the house's basement for a future greenhouses where the building is the north side of the greenhouse, and its stone foundation will work as a temperature stabilizing 'fruit wall'. If I can grow spices, vegetables or something exotic, yes please, but I need to find someone who can take care of it too, but I can let the future maids help. Glass is expensive, but may be worth it for the future, and the greenhouse can use cheaper bad glass.

There will be a basement under atleast a big part of the wing - for storage, foodstorage and more. Some of my ideas need a lower level basement. Contemplating if I should start the tablet and sketch the house in Sketchup that I have installed with add-ons, because I often used it to create simple things for 3D printing since way back. Just barely feels worth it, because I still have to draw it on paper in the end. The main benefit is that its easier to try different things to find something I like. However, I generally have no problem doing plans on paper and thinking in 3D, and most things on a building can be easily recreated in layers. If I get plenty of time, it might be done in Sketchup, and then drawn back on paper.

I think I will focus on improving navigation in the autumn and over the winter, make a globe, ship compass, sextant and speedometer, possibly anemometer and direction for a larger boat to calculate movement and compensate. Compasses and charts. Will probably have to go out on a couple of sailing trips just to test and map. A travel sundial can also be used on ships if you design it correctly. Add life preservers, hammocks, water purification / storage, etc. Would love to make a pendulum clock and mechanical clock, and at least pendulum clocks are relatively simple.

Really want to lie down and just hold Iselin and cuddle, so I carefully asks if she wants to spend the night in my bed. Should have guessed that the answer to would be a very happy Iselin, and I get very happy by her enthusiastic answer, and draw a sigh of relief internally. Just have to accept that I'm completely in love with her.