“It works like this, Grandma. We have a sewing machine. If we sell it, it’s gone. Mr. Marcantonio’s machine shop could make sewing machines if we didn’t need it to make other stuff, but eventually it’s going to have breakdowns, and it won’t be able to make sewing machines any more. Especially if all it’s making is sewing machine parts and not machine shop parts to keep the machine shop running. But if Mr. Marcantonio’s shop makes some machines that make sewing machine parts, then when those machines break down we have some place to go to get more of them. Every step away from just taking what we have and selling it costs more, but means it takes longer for us to run out of stuff to sell. The machines that make the sewing machine parts don’t have to be as complicated as those in Mr. Marcantonio’s shop, because they don’t need to be as flexible. ‘Almost tools,’ Brent says.”
Sarah Wendell and the Partow twins made a new friend that evening; their parents, even more so. Delia was impressed by the kids and the parents who had given them the knowledge they had.
She was also impressed with David. She promised not to interfere unless asked, but made him promise to ask for her help if needed. She added her vote to the sewing machine because it was a machine itself, so in a way it added yet another level to the levels he had talked about. She gave permission to disassemble her Singer if it was needed. She also promised backing if the kids came up with a plan that they convinced her could work.
“We’ll find the money to do it, David. You and your friends come up with a plan that has a good shot of working and I’ll find the money.”
David Bartley went to bed that night at peace with the world. For the first time since the town meeting after the Ring of Fire, his stomach didn’t bother him at all.
That is, until he remembered that grownups weren’t to be involved. How was he going to tell the others? He had to tell them. Grandma could help a lot.
June 19, 1631: Grantville High School
David had admitted his breach of confidence three days before. After being shunned for a day and a half, he had been invited conditionally to rejoin the group. They wanted to know what his grandmother had said, and they wanted assurances that she would not call in their parents or try to take over the project. He had provided the assurances, and added that she thought the sewing machine was a good idea.
After much enjoyable debate, they had narrowed the list of things down. The sewing machine was now top of the list because they had permission to take apart the Singer. Before that it had been fairly low on the list because of its complexity.
Besides, Sarah had noticed a trend. Sewing machines were renting as fast as people could find them, and the price was going up. After some obscure conversation with her parents she had realized that meant there was a ready market for a fairly large number of sewing machines. Brent had thought of several places where a single machine could make up to three or four parts. You would make a bunch of one part, then change an attached tool and make another kind of part. If they could get a good start, they would be ahead of local competitors.
Trent felt it would be better in the long run to make separate machines for each part. “You’re making them too complicated Brent, you always do.” Lots of really fun arguments in the offing.
The sewing machine was starting to look like a really good product, if they could build it—and just maybe they could. They had an incomplete list of the parts involved, most of which could be produced manually, and now they were in a position to get a complete parts list.
June 20, 1631: Delia Higgins’ House
The Great Sewing Machine Disassembly took most of the morning and reassembly was scheduled for the afternoon. Since Delia was now in on the secret and Ramona and Donny were at the storage lot, the kids could talk freely about what they were actually doing.