Wednesday, September 01, 2021
Wood works
In previous item I mentioned that the BLESSED return to benign weather after 8 months of wind and storms and heat has loosened up my mind to think about solutions to daily problems. Here's what I meant.
A few years ago I bought an old Tinkertoy set from Ebay, and used it first to build a record player.
Then last year I dug into the set again and built an acoustical test rig:
Wood is JUST RIGHT for some purposes. I was reminded of this in June when I bought and built this wooden astrolabe kit:
Now that I've got a brief creative interval again, another use of wood suggested itself. There are several cleaning tasks in the kitchen that simply can't be done by brushes or sponges or fingernails. I've tried repeatedly, and nothing works.
1. The slots in a coffeemaker basket.
2. The narrow 'well' in the dish drainer that holds silverware.
3. The inside of a thermos.
It occurred to me that splitting off one side of a long slotted Tinkertoy rod might fit in those spaces. I reached into the bag and found one long rod with a handle already stuck on it. I used pliers to split off one side, and sure enough it's JUST RIGHT for all three tight spots.
Wood is an ideal scrubber. It's hard enough to break through biofilms, but not hard enough to scratch metal or plastic surfaces.
= = = = =
Random wood-related sidenote, observed on this morning's walk. The creeping thyme that lives in the pavement cracks is also appreciating the return to benign weather and last week's rain. After staying underground for 8 months, barely surviving, it's creating wildly this week, overflowing and spreading across the pavement. I've never seen it growing so enthusiastically before.
Then last year I dug into the set again and built an acoustical test rig:
Wood is JUST RIGHT for some purposes. I was reminded of this in June when I bought and built this wooden astrolabe kit:
Now that I've got a brief creative interval again, another use of wood suggested itself. There are several cleaning tasks in the kitchen that simply can't be done by brushes or sponges or fingernails. I've tried repeatedly, and nothing works.
1. The slots in a coffeemaker basket.
2. The narrow 'well' in the dish drainer that holds silverware.
3. The inside of a thermos.
It occurred to me that splitting off one side of a long slotted Tinkertoy rod might fit in those spaces. I reached into the bag and found one long rod with a handle already stuck on it. I used pliers to split off one side, and sure enough it's JUST RIGHT for all three tight spots.
Wood is an ideal scrubber. It's hard enough to break through biofilms, but not hard enough to scratch metal or plastic surfaces.
= = = = =
Random wood-related sidenote, observed on this morning's walk. The creeping thyme that lives in the pavement cracks is also appreciating the return to benign weather and last week's rain. After staying underground for 8 months, barely surviving, it's creating wildly this week, overflowing and spreading across the pavement. I've never seen it growing so enthusiastically before.Labels: coot-proofing, defensible thymes, defensible times, Entertainment
¶ 5:20 AM
