Lamp oils. What oils work best in traditional lamps? Try traditional
oils, bear, moose, seal, walrus etc. and modern oils, kerosene, stove oil,
cooking oil, Crisco and motor oil, but do not
try highly volatile liquids like gasoline or Blazo. What traditional wicks
were used? Which is most effective and durable?
Rendering oils. What processes of rendering did old timers used
to extract fat from bears, whitefish entrails, seals etc? What are the
qualities of these oils? At what temperatures are they solid/liquid? Are
they high or low in good and bad cholesterol?
Wood stove. Why does a wood stove feel warmer than an oil stove,
even at the same room temperature?
o Where does the most residue collect in the stove pipe of a wood stove?
What can be done to prevent this fire hazard?
Steambath woods. Different kinds of wood produce different kinds
of heat in a steambath. Experiment with driftwood, dry spruce, wood
from crates and pallates and others. Which produces the best heat and why?
What is the average temperature of the steambath? (Do not use green, pressure
treated wood. It contains arsenic that has killed people in steam baths.)
People who steambath often use the terms "sharp heat" and a "strong heat".
What do they mean? What different kinds of wood cause these different types
of heat? What happens to the temperature when water is poured on the rocks?
Why is this so?
Steambath rocks. Some rocks are acceptable for steambath and
some are not? What are the qualities of each? What is their geological
origin. Where do people in your village get the desirable rocks?
Effects of steambath. What are the physiological effects of
a steambath? Are they all good? How do modern soaps cleanse?
Breathing in a steambath. Some people breathe through a piece
of wood, or small bundle of grass while in the steambath. Why do they do
this? What science principles are involved? Why do people use brush to
slap their skin in the bath?
Strength of woods. Which are the strongest Alaskan woods?
Lumber drying. /Boards cut from local Alaskan lumber shrink
considerable when they dry. Cut boards of different types of lumber in
your area. What percentage of width and length do they shrink when they
dry? How does this relate to board-and-batten siding?
Wood rotting. What kinds of local Alaskan woods rot the easiest?
What kinds resist rotting? What are favorable conditions for wood to rot?
What are the applications of this knowledge in making traditional artifacts
(sleds, boat ribs, housing and building foundations?) The woods that are
the strongest might not be as strong after a year or two. How can you apply
this knowledge to the making of trditional artifacts?
Permafrost. What is permafrost? What happens to permafrost when
the tundra is removed? What kinds of foundations are in your village and
how do they relate to your findings? Which houses need more frequent leveling?
What is the best foundation for a house built upon permafrost?
Glasses frosting. Why do people's glasses frost when they come
in wintertime? Is there a way to prevent that from happening?
Batteries. Different kinds of batteries last longer than others.
Cheaper batteries aren't always the least costly. Perform a test with a
small light bulb. With different batteries, compute the cost of operating
a small light in cents per hour. Which batteries are the most efficient,
i.e. lowest cost per hour?
I have an idea now.
How do I present my experiment? Go.