Gem-polishing mills, pivots and concave mirrors
Lapidary machinery, optics of parallel rays, and proportional calculations
This crowded blue-paper sheet develops machinery for polishing gems: little cord-and-wheel 'gem-mills', geared assemblies, and precise devices for holding and truing a rotating pole or spindle by cones, slit blocks and pivots, together with a copper-and-emery tool for boring a crystal bearing for a hardened steel pivot. Alongside the mechanics Leonardo pursues optics, asking what sustains a pyramid of rays condensed into a single point denser than air, and comparing two concave mirrors — 'modern' and 'ancient' — by the definition of parallel rays and their equal impact. Passages on proportion (testing whether a 6:4 ratio stays sesquialteral) and several blocks of arithmetic run between the drawings, with practical recipes such as fish glue, blotting paper and oil-filled incised marks.
On this page
Mills for polishing gems
Designs for 'mills of the gem-polishers' — little mills worked by cords and a wheel — with an inquiry into what force stops these small gem-mills.
Clamping and boring the rotating pole
Cones clamp the pole of the wheel so it does not stray from its straightness, one below and one above. A boring tool a b c of copper charged with emery works a concavity in a crystal die b c to make a good bearing for a polished, fully tempered steel pole.
Two concave mirrors and the impact of parallel rays
A comparison of a 'modern' mirror e d S b a and an 'ancient' one, reasoning that the impact of parallel rays is no greater than their origin, argued from the definition of parallel (equidistant) lines that never come nearer or more remote along their length.
A pyramid of power condensed to a point
Leonardo asks: if the pyramid condenses so much power into a single point and becomes denser than the air, what sustains it? He adds that with this one could bring every dyer's cauldron to a boil and heat a fish-pond continually.
Testing a sesquialteral ratio
If equal parts are taken from unequal things the remainder stays unequal: 6 and 4 form a sesquialteral ratio, but taking two from each leaves 4 and 2, a double ratio, so the earlier proposition is shown false.
