acting out computer stuff is always cool
July 31st, 2007 | | No Comments »
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July, 2007
for those of you who make things pretty
enter to participate in the cut & paste tournament, a sort of iron chef for designy folks. 7/17 - is the entry deadline
hand crank electric toothbrushes
July 11th, 2007 | | No Comments »
yay! i made this hand crank electric toothbrush! i never got to take any pictures of this nor did i ever get it back so im psyched to have evidence that it does exist!
this was for an art show titled handjob last march at philly’s space1026. everything exhibited was an object typically made by machine were recreated by hand. it included tasty cakes, a bookshelf, a xerox machine, a photo booth, and so much more goodness.
i guess i kinda cheated cause the crank is from a really old eggbeater, but whatevs. that egg beater was handmade, i sawed it apart, soldered new parts to it, and glued hair from a paintbrush (made of horse hair) to make the bristles. the hardest part was trying to resolder old shitty metal back together.
interestingly enough, the first toothbrushes were made with the bristles on wild boars’ backs and many times used cow bone. i was considering going to a butcher to ask for a rear shin bone, but the online bone carving community is rather small. the most helpful site i found was for the bone studio in new zealand. so the lack of online documentation, online community, immediate access to tools, and time kept me with my original hand crank idea. besides, a hand crank electric toothbrush seems so much funnier!
it’s strange how valued online communities are now (at least to me). when i encounter a hobby or subculture that does not have an online presence, i am baffled and, in this case, turned off from the idea. i wonder how many other people have experienced the same thing…
thanks matt for getting me in touch with courtney and helping me when i sawed off too much. : )