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Jul. 27th, 2005 09:55 amOkay: who wants to help me build a sundial out of discarded aluminium cans? Also, who has advice on how to go about doing this? I'm thinking squish cans into appropriate shape with a big hammer, but I'm open to alternate strategies. I want fairly low-tech - the idea is to demonstrate building a useful low-tech tool using salvaged materials, low-tech tools, brute force and massive ignorance and so on.
(cross-posted to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
techipcom)
EDIT: The idea is not to make a really neat thing using lots of tools that I may or may not have. The idea is to demonstrate that it is possible to make something serviceable and sturdy with salvaged materials and very primitive tools. I consider a lump hammer a primitive tool because if I didn't have one I could use something else, like a brick or a rock. I don't consider aviation shears or metal snips primitive tools; I wouldn't know where to begin substituting something like that. I wouldn't even recognise metal snips if I saw them now.
I'd like this thing to be somewhat portable. I know sundials aren't usually, but I don't just want to go the "stick things in the ground and you have a sundial" route. That isn't the point; I want a self-contained sundial for dummies, something I could carry to a friend's house and use. It doesn't have to be easily portable but it shouldn't be dependent on knowing which bits of ground to stick things in, I should be able to set up the finished product by finding north (or finding out what time it is). It also shouldn't fall apart in transit.
I'd also like it to be relatively weather-proof. Little filigree bits of aluminium that will blow away or get bent or damaged in the rain aren't going to cut it. After I've made the sturdy one I might consider ways to prettify it or even just make a different one that is pretty, but I want to demonstrate that the basic article can be made, first.
The other requirement is that it has to be safe. There is a cat who comes to visit my garden and I'll not have it cutting its paws on something I made. Aluminium can be pretty sharp.
Having said all that, if there is a relatively simple way to make tools out of bits of aluminium or other salvaged material, I'm willing to give some thought to using them.
'NOTHER EDIT: I'm really bad about documenting these various projects. If someone with a nice digital camera (or even a crap digital camera, or even just someone who likes taking pictures who'd like to use my crap digital camera) wants to come along and take lots of photographs, I'd appreciate it greatly, and offer food or something.
YET 'NUTHER EDIT: Please, no more links to how to make a sundial. I know how to make a sundial, roughly, and will be reading up on various designs before actually making one. This is really more about working with salvaged materials to make a semi-permanent structure that Doesn't Suck.
(cross-posted to
techipcom)EDIT: The idea is not to make a really neat thing using lots of tools that I may or may not have. The idea is to demonstrate that it is possible to make something serviceable and sturdy with salvaged materials and very primitive tools. I consider a lump hammer a primitive tool because if I didn't have one I could use something else, like a brick or a rock. I don't consider aviation shears or metal snips primitive tools; I wouldn't know where to begin substituting something like that. I wouldn't even recognise metal snips if I saw them now.
I'd like this thing to be somewhat portable. I know sundials aren't usually, but I don't just want to go the "stick things in the ground and you have a sundial" route. That isn't the point; I want a self-contained sundial for dummies, something I could carry to a friend's house and use. It doesn't have to be easily portable but it shouldn't be dependent on knowing which bits of ground to stick things in, I should be able to set up the finished product by finding north (or finding out what time it is). It also shouldn't fall apart in transit.
I'd also like it to be relatively weather-proof. Little filigree bits of aluminium that will blow away or get bent or damaged in the rain aren't going to cut it. After I've made the sturdy one I might consider ways to prettify it or even just make a different one that is pretty, but I want to demonstrate that the basic article can be made, first.
The other requirement is that it has to be safe. There is a cat who comes to visit my garden and I'll not have it cutting its paws on something I made. Aluminium can be pretty sharp.
Having said all that, if there is a relatively simple way to make tools out of bits of aluminium or other salvaged material, I'm willing to give some thought to using them.
'NOTHER EDIT: I'm really bad about documenting these various projects. If someone with a nice digital camera (or even a crap digital camera, or even just someone who likes taking pictures who'd like to use my crap digital camera) wants to come along and take lots of photographs, I'd appreciate it greatly, and offer food or something.
YET 'NUTHER EDIT: Please, no more links to how to make a sundial. I know how to make a sundial, roughly, and will be reading up on various designs before actually making one. This is really more about working with salvaged materials to make a semi-permanent structure that Doesn't Suck.
