Time to squat!

Most of us we remember those lovely times in the woods or in India etc. where squatting was the way to go, but it is difficult procedure to keep up in western society. 

Finally we an invention that can make this happen.

This post is about the revolutionary and quite ancient method of squatting when dropping the bombs, how to make a device to comfortably do it in a western style toilet and the health benefits of all this.

Here we have this magnificient little platform in action, that helps us to raise above the toilet. It can be done with half a squat sitting on the ring same time or a full squat as demostrated above. The rule of thumb seems to be, that the higher you can get your knees above the waist while having a poo the better for the rectum.

I lent this picture and the whole idea from squattypotty.com, the possible inventors of this concept.
In their page they claim how simply squatting can help with varieties of ailments like constipation, hemorrhoids, colon disease, urinary infections and pelvic floor issues.
The picture illustrates nicely how this could be, since squatting postition helps to loosen the puborectalis muscle and straighten the rectum.
Pooping in this way is simply nicer and takes on average half the time compared to sitting.




                This blog is actually about making artifacts, so here we have the process of making this one.

This old oak cuttingboard was skipped from kitchen renovation leftovers from high end neighbourhood in Helsinki. It was a drawer type so there is some holes.

First the sketch on hard paper to figure out the size and shape. It is 9"(22,8cm)high with 8 decrees slope towards the toes. 19''(48cm) wide and 11''(28cm) long with inside gap of 12''(30,5cm).

Then moving the figure on the wood and making the legs in the middle as big as possible. The hard paper pattern was also very useful for I was able to fold it half to mirror better side and make them alike.

Now the first leg has been cut out and put hold to be straghtened to sit under the deck.

The blade of the circular saw could not reach the end, but the surface is like glass.

Copying the leg on the other side to have and exact pair.

And here I am asking from my wife to pass me a figure ruler from the window to not to have to come all the way upstears. :)

Modeling the legs and polishing the surfaces.

Drilling the holes for the pegs in exact places.

Testing it out to see that it fits and the gluing will work nicely.

Holding the legs in proper places over night.

Giving the surface some traditional wood oil.

And here we have the poopsquat ready to serve!

Bulb in-fuse-on

 I wanted to share the birth process of this light bulb oil lamp and the realisation for a good use of the porcelain and other parts of old fuse boxes.

It was made mainly out of these parts.
Door latch, fuse components, light bulb and a sea compass.
All of these are old and beautiful by themselves, though for me at the time, pretty useless.

I had a wonderful realisation about the fuse components and how to make good use of their beautiful porcelain parts and screw thread that is exactly the same helix as in light bulb. I would like to know is this a universal phenomenon or just in Finland, but I think it is a global standard on old-type fuses.

So on the left we see the two parts of the fuse box. On the middle right we see how the fuse box ring fits equally in to the light bulb and in to the fuse holder likewise, and how they meet in the middle creating a sturdy connection.
On the far right we can see how the light bulb fits also inside the porcelain fuse holder when the metal helix is removed.

 Here we can see them put together. The fuse's metal helix is sturdy with the bulb, and the porcelain knob moves around it loosely and in this way makes it possible to adjust the flame size by getting more or less wick, since the wick is ringed more tightly lower down.

The back leg was released from it's functional prison, giving the latch a new purpose to serve as limb for the lamp.                         

 The connection where made either with screws or by using copper wire by making soft rivets.

 Other legs are joined to these steel parts that happened to have right size holes in them. They are pinned to the main body -a big brass nut -  with nails.

The bulb was simply poked empty with a screwdriver.

'The wick had to be the right size to work nicely with the porcelain knob, so I made the wick by spinning it from 5 meters of thin cotton twine with a hanger.

 

Hi, how are you!

Im putting out my right hand to greet you, dear reader.
Also I wanted to show it as my primary hand in making all these things, since I've been talking about my hands lately.
But mostly I wanted to share something that is in the middle of my palm, a hair of a cat.

I was thinking, that since all the matter is almost fully empty space, (was it 99.999999999999% or so)  that's how it would probably look like when we would squeeze all of it into one long solid piece of junk. So here you go, the solids of the world.


Just wanted to set things straight and to be honest.
With all my reason, I belive that this life is as real - as a dream is for a dreamer.

And I don't meant to be anyhow disrespectful with all this, on the contrary. I find life to be the most amazing dream-like adventure, that has enough continuity( a lifetime) so we can do something great with it and enjoy the fruits of the process.

I believe that life has sooo much to offer for all of us, and its up to us - not to take it for granted - but receive it with bit of a gratitude.

I'm saying this, for it lets me to believe that the idea of this blog will work.

I want to make the most out of the gifts, that the world has to offer me!

So, when someone gives me something, that could become a practical and beautiful device, I will share the process!



I will work with the gifts as soon as there's time and I can get something sensible out of them.

Also I will post other interesting projects, if there's not enough given stuff to work with.

Not all gifts are meant to be accepted, but if it has any potential, I will do my best to make the most out of it!
If someone likes to give me something to do for them, it is also okay, but that's more like trading, so just to be clear.

I'll probably break apart most of the things I receive, so people need to be aware that the stuff given will need to be given for good, for it might become unrecognizable.


Most preferably I would like to receive patinated wooden things, brass and other metal objects, porcelain, leather and so. But I'm open, sometimes even plastics are workable.
Also the size would need to be reasonable, for I still haven't settled down with a barn, so I could disassemble bigger things like old farm machines etc.



So here we have some dude who doesn't believe that matter really exists, wasting his time working with stuff to make it practical and beautiful? What a juicy paradox.

Well, these things that I make might be around longer than me, so what the heck, I enjoy what I'm doing!

Introduction to the blog

This blog is about creating something beautiful from what I have in my hands.

It includes non-solid things, like beautiful thoughts and beautiful acts for that is within my capabilities, but mostly it is about creating with hands to make beautiful physical objects.

This blog is not about minimizing,
nor using the least possible work to finish.

It is about intending to create the most beautiful things with what we have and aiming to do it just right.

By seeing the fullest potential of the stuff in our hands and by finding what is needed,
we can achieve beauty and perfection.
I mean that nice kinda perfection that comes with the flow, sometimes so effortlessly.

And since the beauty is in the eye of the beholder we certainly have means to do it.


I work preferably with old wood, soft metals and hardened leather to answer to the needs of the world - usually something that I need for something - and to make the most out of it.

This blog is about those processes of crafting that are so much enjoyed and would like to be shared.

Behold world, for the story of every little thing just might be interesting. :)