Civilization manualBook 1: From Bare Hands to Steam and Electricity765 entries · 23 phases · 100 years
The Island
Phases
16

The builder's tools: spanners, pneumatic hammer and construction crane

Earth parallel: 1880–1910. Goal: the tools that let a few people put up steel frames, bridges and towers: every nut turned, every plate joined, every load lifted.

Years 51–5815 entries0 procedures written
IDAchievementThreadBuilt onAbout yearProcedure
16.01Rolled steel girders and anglesthe long beams and corner bars that every frame, crane and bridge is built fromMaking10.17 15.01 15.0251
16.02Spanners and wrenchesa forged steel key for every standard nut, and one that adjustsMaking12.06 12.07 13.1851
16.03Pliers, screwdrivers and wire cuttersthe hand tools of the fitter and the electrician, with handles that do not carry currentMaking10.27 11.41 13.1851
16.04Screw jack and hydraulic jackone person lifts a wagon, a girder or the corner of a buildingMaking12.05 12.26 12.2752
16.05Chain hoista geared chain block: one hand on the chain lifts a ton and holds itMaking06.19 07.28 10.1352
16.06Scaffolding and ladderssafe footing up the side of anything being builtMaking09.10 10.22 12.0752
16.07Safety helmet and harnessa hard hat against what falls, a belt and line against fallingMaking06.19 07.30 08.02 08.31 09.13 15.4352
16.08Portable electric drilla motor held in the hand: the hole is drilled where the work standsMaking12.10 14.20 14.38 15.1053
16.09Electric arc welding ⚠steel melted to steel in an electric arc; the weld begins to replace the rivetMaking11.03 14.16 14.20 14.21 14.22 14.3753
16.10Calcium carbide and acetylene ⚠lime and coke melted together in an electric furnace; in water the grey lumps give off a gas that burns white-hotMaking04.14 10.03 14.21 15.2554
16.11Gas welding and cutting torch ⚠acetylene burnt in pure oxygen: a flame that welds thin plate and cuts thick steelMaking11.40 12.26 12.28 13.23 14.44 16.1055
16.12Pneumatic hammera piston driven by compressed air strikes thousands of blows a minute: rivets closed, castings chipped, concrete brokenMaking10.28 11.40 12.11 12.24 13.2355
16.13Pneumatic rock drill ⚠the air hammer turning a long steel bit: shot holes in rock in minutes, for mines, cuttings and tunnelsMaking07.35 10.28 13.23 16.1256
16.14Paint spray gunpaint blown on as a fine mist: a bridge painted in daysMaking08.37 11.40 13.2356
16.15Construction crane ⚠a tall steel tower with a long jib and electric winches: lifts girders to the top of a rising frameMaking10.23 13.22 14.27 14.38 16.01 16.0958