And the work goes on...

We got the hamster wheel up and moving and it is a lot of fun. However, when misused, it is also dangerous! It simply works too well! It seems that car rotors can gain quite a momentum. If you run on it full tilt, it doesn't take much to get swept up 8 feet in the air. After that comes the discovery that gravity is not your friend. Luckily, the 15 year old girl who taught us this lesson didn't break or sprain anything. (She jumped up and down laughing about how "cool" the experience was while I was shaking/crying/hyperventilating & wiping blood off her waffle marked shoulder)

Even though the wheel would be slowed when attached to the machine, We have added plenty od safety measures. We were going to put in handrails anyway, but now there will also be a harness in the center, a non-slip rubberized paint on the mesh and we're going to switch out the bolts for something a bit safer.

Here are a couple of photos.


Wait...I've got more to tell...

As Mr. nosepicker grows, he develops a dual personality. The art is friendly Jeckyll and the engineering is definitely Hyde. The joke has been that if we can't get it to actually work, we'll just put up a screen and have someone push the arm up and down while people run. We'll just say it's a political statement.

The truth is...I'm sorry to say, the motion doesn't translate. We can get the arm up easily enough, however it catches on the back swing. when the wheel is at "10 o clock" the force is too great and the whole thing freezes.

We are, unfortunately, going to have to try a different way. A very nice engineer named CTP, who said he met you when you were at the Exploritorium, told us to use a lever/pivot then add the twist motion in separately. It is a nice solution.

Is it ok to say I'm disappointed? I like the way your machine works. I have always been intimidated by mechanics and I'm exactly the type of person you write your beginners books for. So, you might say that seeing a simple metal bar with a twist on each end holds a special fascination for me. It's something even I can understand.

pictures:

1) We tried our best....

2) At least the face is coming along...

3) We have the design for the wooden nickel. America's founding father, Thomas Jefferson, is having a moment. It's based on the "old" nickel. For some reason, the new nickels have Jefferson in a Hollywood close-up facing the opposite way. This administration can't leave anything alone. (Drawing by Hal Robins...a local master)

I hope I'm not boring you with all this. Writing to you is becoming my favorite part of the process.
Stay well. Hopefully, I'll have more to report soon,
Tracy