Attaching an an eye bolt from the inside

Today was an outstanding day at Tinkering School Day Camp - many important steps forward were taken in project progress, and more importantly we are truly honing our skills in collaborating to manifest such epic creations. None of these projects would be possible without the hands and minds of every single tinkerer at camp this week! It has been truly astonishing and inspiring to witness the development of each project, from idea to reality at the hands of a dedicated and hardworking group. We are all eager to make finishing touches tomorrow morning in preparation for the showcase tomorrow afternoon.

The shake shack group spent a portion of today implementing important safety features into their build – the inside of the structure is coated with foam, and there are clearly marked “STOP” and “WARNING” labels strategically placed around entrances and areas with higher risk. Because their expectation is that viewers will engage with the shack by entering it, and potentially be shaken off their feet from the force of the movement of the building, these precautions are important safety measures.

Milkshake machine testing and adjusting pulleys

Tinkerers working on the milkshake machine made good headway. Today we built and tested a series of pulley mechanisms attached to a bucket, to dump ingredients into the milkshake bucket moving along its conveyor belt path. Additionally, the group created a handheld chute with the same intention, and were able to attach that to a wall along the conveyor path.

The shaking marionette finally took form today – the team used rope to attach each limb to the completed torso, using a mix of figure-8 and sailors knots. This afternoon we were able to test launch the octagonal cross which will ultimately hold the entire marionette and control it’s moving limbs. The cross attached to a rope hung from a ceiling beam here at the Palace of Fine Arts, and a couple of tinkerers worked together to pull it up to full height. Some adjustments were needed in the way of balance, but the test today bodes well for tomorrow’s work of ultimately attaching and hanging the rest of the body.

We’ve been spending our afternoons in a field near the water to escape the windy beach days we’ve been having, picnicing in the grass, running, and climbing. The days are leaving us exhausted but fulfilled and excited about our creations, innovations, and new skills!

As always, we invite you to view the rest of our photos on our Flickr page! More to come tomorrow…

Shake It Up - Day 4 - Week 3 (SF Day Camp)