The blog stopped updating in 2013. (I'm happy it still exists though.)
Man, I love that "Age of DIY" that "Modern Mechanix" and other publications of that era reflected.
I remember when I was a boy discovering volumes of the book "The Boy Mechanic" (yeah, that title: they were published around 1900 though) on the bookshelf of a friend's home. I was captivated.
I think the articles had just enough diagrams, photos, description to give you a nudge in the right direction without overwhelming you with exact part-lists, dimensional plans, etc. That vagueness might have even left the door open for experimentation (accidental or intentional) so that you arrive at your own design...
At some point the "Popular Mechanics" became almost a front for some entrepreneur selling plans on ... converting a VW to an airplane in your garage, but that was okay too.
Later I discovered the two volumes of "The Way Things Work" (not DIY at all, but in a similar spirit, I suppose).
I love those old publications, miss the spirit of those days.
Man, I love that "Age of DIY" that "Modern Mechanix" and other publications of that era reflected.
I remember when I was a boy discovering volumes of the book "The Boy Mechanic" (yeah, that title: they were published around 1900 though) on the bookshelf of a friend's home. I was captivated.
I think the articles had just enough diagrams, photos, description to give you a nudge in the right direction without overwhelming you with exact part-lists, dimensional plans, etc. That vagueness might have even left the door open for experimentation (accidental or intentional) so that you arrive at your own design...
At some point the "Popular Mechanics" became almost a front for some entrepreneur selling plans on ... converting a VW to an airplane in your garage, but that was okay too.
Later I discovered the two volumes of "The Way Things Work" (not DIY at all, but in a similar spirit, I suppose).
I love those old publications, miss the spirit of those days.