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Before the flintlock, there was the wheellock ⚙️. Wind the spring, pull the trigger, and a serrated steel wheel spins against a piece of pyrite, throwing sparks on its own 🔥. No match cord, no waiting for anything to catch. Gunsmiths in the 1500s built the whole thing out of springs and friction, and it stayed in use for roughly 200 years.


#Wheellock #Invention #History #Engineering #Spark #16thCentury #MechanicalIgnition

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Transcript
00:00The wheel it came from the 16th century and it let you start fire with just mechanics.
00:05You wind up the spring, pull the trigger, and a steel wheel spins against pyrite.
00:09Sparks come flying off like from a built-in lighter.
00:12There is no wick to deal with and no waiting.
00:15That part stands out.
00:17Most ignition now runs on something similar.
00:20It seems basic, but it was a big step, I think.
00:23Anyway, the gears kind of took over what a person used to do by hand.
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