Give an idiot a mig welder...

Tad

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and ta da...

Just taken out of storage, a pedal powered pencil sharpener. Fed up with how long traditional pencil sharpeners take to sharpen your pencils? Sharpens even the most stubbornly blunt pencils quicker than a very, very quick thing.

I made a series of pedal powered art works a few years ago including foolishness like this and a pedal powered meat mincer. The best was a pedal powered generator powering an array of 150 LEDs that projected an audience interactice projected installation. This is the only piece that survives although I still have the bits for the LED work, just no frame to nail it all to.

I've kept this because it is silly and does work rather well. It may raise a smile on a wet Sunday afternoon.

Enjoy!

Frame: 1960s Triumph
Fork: Bent
Front tyre: Flat
Chainset: Raleigh cottered with a 1/8" chainring attacked with an angle grinder to enable it to be used with scrap 3/32"chains.
Bars: Bit of steel pipe from the scrap metal bin.
Sprocket: Off a 5 speed freewheel again attacked with an angle grinder, bodged on to a bit of steel plate, then welded onto the end of a desk(now handlebar)mounted pencil sharpener.

Forgot to mention there's no free-wheel, it's a fixie! Also handle bar mounting alows for easy chain tension adjustment, just rotate bars forward/back to get correct tension. No need for faffing with tensioners or the push up/down debate.
 

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I'm sure Gil has the original decals for that machine.
Are you sure those forks are period correct.

I think an early campag rear would be a better match for that European sharpener.

Thern of course there's the argument of original paintwork versus a new coat of paint. Struggling with a RAL code? I'm sure Argos could help.


;)

<Fantastic - could do with one of those in my classroom>
 
Excellent

You,sir are a genius.It's people like you,that made this country a world leader.More of this sort of thing,please. :D :D
 
dbmtb":z8cs2a1c said:
This gave me a great idea for a coffee grinder.....

Do it! It'll be the most satisfying thing you've ever built and will have people in hysterics every time they come over for coffee. Hmmm, you could, some how, have a thumbie to controll how fine the grind is. dbmtb, I think I shall make you my apprentice. I shall wear a stove pipe hat and waist coat, you can have a brown warehouse jacket until such a time as I deem you have completed your apprenticeship, you will then be issued with your official beard.

MRGRUMPY, thank you. I feel that it is time for me to build a shed beside the man cave. I may also start to smoke a pipe for contemplative purposes as well as to point with when explaining how stuff works.
 
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