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Thursday, June 11, 2015

The Arrival of Samson | South Asasif Conservation Project Blog


https://southasasif.wordpress.com/2015/06/07/the-arrival-of-samson/

The Arrival of Samson

Today we are celebrating a big day in the history of the South Asasif Conservation Project. Our dream of obtaining a stone-cutting machine has finally been realized. For years we had a group of stone cutters preparing blocks and slabs of limestone for the reconstruction of the architectural features and decoration in the tomb of Karakhamun. The work was very hard (especially during the summer months when we tend to have our seasons) and rather slow.

This season, thanks to the help of our wonderful supporters, we were able to deliver the magical machine from Cairo. The team was excited and intrigued. Nobody knew how it was going to cut our huge blocks of limestone.

It took us a while to find out how it worked.

Erhart Graefe was the one who discovered its secret weapon – a diamond wire.

The trials performed yesterday and today were highly successful. The wonder machine can cut blocks of different sizes and thin slabs. The surface of the cut blocks is so smooth that it does not require additional treatment. Its speed and quality of work gives Karakhmun new hope to be reconstructed in our lifetime.

Today the team voted on two important issues – the gender and the name of the machine. It turned to be male and named Samson. As it was Erhart Graefe’s suggestions he was appointed the Godfather of Samson. Delilah is still in the works.

Here is a video showing Samson in action:   https://youtu.be/dFVrfxBSqyM

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