Nina KalininaMar 8

I'm sick (again!), and so I'm reading old magazines as a comfy way to spend time. I have procured scans of 1961's magazines (that's 65 years ago!), and will share some interesting findings in this thread.

The Workbench magazine features a DIY ukulele on the cover, that sounds... incredible? I wonder if the instrument itself sounded good. We'll find out, I guess?

Show threadNina KalininaMar 8
"Workbench" features a catalogue of patterns for sale, from "unusually cute designs" to "electroplating baby shoes" and a gun RACK (edit: it was a gun rack!). I wonder if baby shoes must be in a "never worn" condition for this to work.
Show threadNina KalininaMar 8
After all, who wouldn't want a DIY transformer, right?
Show threadNina KalininaMar 8
We're back to the ukulele-making article! Now I know why I'd want to have a bandsaw in our local hackspace, huh.
Show threadNina KalininaMar 8

Aha, they're using pre-made fretboard. I imagine making a decent fretboard is probably one of the biggest challenges in making an instrument like this?

Surprised that strings and pegs were considered "difficult to obtain"

Show threadNina KalininaMar 8
Darn, I take my words about "fretboard is the most difficult part to make" back. They're making the ukulele body by steaming the wood and forming it in a mold.
Show threadNina KalininaMar 8
At least one mold sandwich is needed to build this ukulele. The pattern is relatively simple.
Show threadNina KalininaMar 8
I don't know what I like more: a DIY Shoji lamp or a Custom TV Kit....
Show threadNina KalininaMar 8

A toy house presumably large enough to fit two kids for $1? What's the inflation-adjusted price.... $10? How did they make it work? There's no way in hell I could buy a mass-produced plastic thing like that for $10 today. What...

Oh, is it like, poles and cheap printed textile? I bet it was....

Or maybe it was $100? %) Not sure. It says it was $3.98 and now just $1...

Show threadNina KalininaMar 8
A "Quickee" or a hand-held two-way radio? Why not both?!
Show threadNina KalininaMar 8
I'm not sure if I should take advice from a 65-year-old magazine, but I feel like I might be inclined to, the messaging really resonates with me somehow.
Show threadGemma ⭐️🔰🇺🇸 🇵🇭 🎐
@nina_kali_nina Remember when appliances were repairable? My microwave oven broke last night.
Mar 8 at 2:43pmWeb
Show threadNina KalininaMar 8
@gcvsa 😢 sorry to hear... I wonder if it is repairable or not. The microwaves I have should be fixable as long as it's not the controller in them dying (I wouldn't risk it to control the magnetron with my own software)
Show threadGemma ⭐️🔰🇺🇸 🇵🇭 🎐Mar 8
@nina_kali_nina It's a mechanical problem with the door. I can't figure out how to access the mechanism, because there are no fasteners, which means the only way in is prying it apart, which is almost guaranteed to break it even more.
Show threadNina KalininaMar 8
@gcvsa sad :<
Show threadGemma ⭐️🔰🇺🇸 🇵🇭 🎐Mar 8

@nina_kali_nina The better news is that this is a bargain basement microwave that has survived at least 7-8 years, even though it's actually starting to rust out, and better yet, I didn't pay for it—it was left behind by my old flatmate.

In fact, now that I think of it, I'm 57 years old, and I don't think I've ever actually purchased a microwave oven in my entire life.