Making copies is fun!

The last two days have been fairly busy with both the BIW plans and some other things. The BIW project is slowing down because of the exhibit going up in a few weeks and I've been asked to help out here and there.

Something interesting that has taken place though... Ok, so I'm an intern. Interns get coffee and make copies right? Well, I don't get coffee for anyone but myself but I was asked to make copies today. Copies of plans though. BIG plans. And not in a paper material like we are used to and a very different sort of copy machine. Its called a Diazit machine (people call it a "diazo" machine- short or slang, I dunno?) and its pretty neat. This machine is an older model but "new" to the museum compared to their last one apparently.

Hopefully I can explain how it works, as I'm not a scientist or an engineer... It has rollers in it, you slide the plan and it shoots light through the paper. So the plan you are using has to be somewhat transparent. There is ammonia or some sort of chemical that smells the whole basement up something awful that prints on the copy, it is slid through another roller and the light and chemicals do something and it copies it. The ink on the copy is blue, not black. Besides nearly being overtaken by the chemical fumes, it was pretty cool.