Be a Boy Mechanic For A Day!

You are invited to be a Boy Mechanic For a Day at my studio!! It works like this: You pick a project from one of the four Boy Mechanic books (you have almost 4,000 to choose from). We'll look at the project together to make sure it can realistically be completed in under a day. I'll supply the materials, so we'll adapt the project to use common, inexpensive things, especially ones that are already on hand. Then we'll make it together. It's that simple. We'll take a few pictures of the process and the project and I'll post them here. The object itself will become part of the Boy Mechanic For a Day Archive. You will have the option to keep the object if you want. Your contribution will be credited along with the object. Join the curious tradition of collective self reliance, become a part of Boy Mechanic History!

Contact me at ginasiepel@earthlink.net if you are interested.

The Versatile Querl

The Versatile Querl: useless, or useful, obsolete, or cutting edge sustainable design? Contributed by W. Karl Hilbrich, from Erie, PA. Book 1, page 28, 1913. The Querl was even outdated at the time: Hilbrich called it an "outmoded German cooking utensil." I believe the Querl harbors new potential for an age that demands versatility. Etymology reveals that "querl" means to coil and to twirl; other research suggests the word is a conflation of "queer" and "girl" thus intimating new possibilities for Boy Mechanic identity construction. The Querl is pictured above in a time trial test: Querl vs. Whisk in a Whipped Cream Making Race. Guess who won.

I make the Querls from hard maple. The handle is turned on the lathe and the star shaped end is hand shaped. The handle is joined to the star with a round wedged tenon. Get in touch with me if you are interested in having one made for you. We'll work something out. I am always interested in new use potentials for the Querl. I want to repopulate kitchens of the world with this all-but-extinct device. This beautiful maladaptation could be yours.

More Projects

The "Webfoot Attachments For Swimmers" (Book 3, Page 381, contributed by J.B. LaPlace, New York City). These were tested at the YMCA Pool, in Portland, Maine. The oak split right down the middle, along the grain. Pushing these against the water required a lot more force than I expected. The webfeet have been rebuilt out of high density plastic.

Here's the new version - more info later on the test!

Below, you'll see the "Beginner's Helper for Roller Skating."
I made the modern version out of black steel pipe from Home Depot. I had an awful time getting the threads to tighten in this application, so I wound up just welding the pipe together. Later, at Maine Hardware, I learned about a plumber's fitting called a "union." It allows for tightening in opposing directions, thus eliminating the need for welds.



I built a pair of special roller skates to accompany the Beginner's Helper. These skates really transform a user's relationship to the ground, gravity, and their body. In other words, they are terrifying. I used swivel casters instead of straight ones. The skates make the skater accept a certain directionlessness, and it's amazing to see how inventive people become when using them. Also, the Beginner's Helper becomes an absolute necessity when you are on these skates.

Book Four, Page 429

Carlos Harrison, You Win!

Last night we could finally see the stars here in Skowhegan, Maine. The Simple Sextant finally had the chance to prove its powers.

At first we had some difficulty lining up the sextant visually. Chris eventually found a way of sighting the device (more like a rifle) that worked better.

Reading the sextant is a three-person job - one to sight the North Star, one to line up and read the protractor, and someone to hold the light. And in this case, a photographer, to add a fourth.

By all counts, tallied by three different readers, the sextant read 45 degrees latitude. Google Earth (see previous post) tells us we are at 44.49 degrees. Not bad for a chunk of wood, a nail, and a plumb bob, a four people who can barely find the North Star!

Boy Mechanics pictured l to r: Chris Carroll, Mary Kate Maher, Pasqualina Azzarello

How to Bore a Square Hole

Originally contributed by: Anonymous, Book 1, p. 179, 1913. Print this image to try it out.

Simple Sextant Update

After I tested out The Simple Sextant a couple of nights ago, I referred back to the original book. It turns out I was using the device wrong. The measurement actually has to be between the string and the perpendicular line on the board, not between the top of the board and the string!



But now it's been cloudy and rainy for days, and there hasn't been a clear sky for retesting. Good thing I am not actually lost at sea.