Francis; I remember those belts and pulleys well. My grandfather had a silk mill in Fonda NY that he built around 1920. It was powered by a huge electric motor rather than steam, but the shaft on the east side powered the warps and the 12 foot knitters, and the shaft on the west side powered the 16 foot knitters and his machine tools. He had casting and forging done outside, but he essentially built the knitting machines, and patented several innovations. Some of these remained in service after the demise of the northeastern textile industry, in a small custom silk shop through 1980.
I had a little machining experience as a GE Apprentice boy, and had a marvelous retired GE instrument maker in my group in later years. I wouldn't know where to start if someone gave me a piece of damascus to drill or turn. Slow and easy might not be careful enough; and it appears to me that the higher the grade, the more difficult, as the chips would become shorter. Maybe that is the reason a D6 barrel set cost as much as 5 VH's.
Best, Austin
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