Grabbing Stuff First
So yesterday my niece asks, "What should I build for my Renaissance project?" And I'm like, "Ooooh good question!" I remember seeing printing presses and weird ships in pictures. But where to even start? Figured I'd mess around myself and find what’s actually fun and not super annoying.
Okay, Typewriter Thing First?
Heard Gutenberg's press was a big deal, right? Thought, "How hard can a simple one be?" Grabbed random junk:
- An old wooden wine box (Mom was mad!)
- Some foam blocks
- My kid's alphabet stamps
- Glue stick, duh
Stuck the stamps on the foam blocks. Rolled glue stick over an old birthday card. Slammed the foam stamps down... Total fail. Ink bled everywhere, letters overlapped. Looked like alphabet soup puked on cardstock. Not exactly revolutionary. Felt kinda stupid.
Switching Gears to Spyglasses
Alright, maybe the press is fiddly. Saw people mentioning lenses. "Now that sounds chill." Rummaged through:
- Two magnifying glasses (stolen from my kitchen junk drawer)
- Empty Pringles can (ate them first, obviously)
- Black electrical tape
- Scissors (almost broke ’em)
Taped one magnifier onto the shiny bottom of the can. Made sure it covered the hole. Taped the other magnifier over the plastic lid. Held it all together and peeked outside. Whoa! Actually kinda worked! The neighbor's ugly gnome looked way closer, just blurry around the edges. Shook the can? Image wobbled like crazy. Not perfect, but instant results! Way easier than the stamp disaster.
Quick Pit Stop: Coffee Fuel
Gotta be real – got distracted by caffeine needs. Remembered rich Italian dudes drinking espresso back then? Made myself a double shot. Drank it while staring at my janky telescope. Needed the boost before tackling anything else ambitious.
The Water Pump Fiasco
Feeling brave post-espresso, saw sketches of Archimedes' screw pump. "Pfft, just a pipe and a screw!" Grabbed:
- Clear plastic tube from fishtank supplies
- A long bolt and some nuts
- The sink faucet
- Big plastic tub (cue water mess)
Stuck the bolt inside the tube. Sealed one end kinda. Held it diagonally in the tub. Poured water in the top while slowly turning the bolt... Leaked everywhere like a sieve. Ended up with wet socks and about a tablespoon of water lifted upwards after ten minutes. Backyard looked like a flood zone. Got bored fast. My cat judged me hard.
Final Thoughts: What Actually Sticks?
After wasting half my Saturday:The telescope? Winner. Cheap, fast, works even when it’s janky. Instant gratification. Printing press? Skip unless you enjoy tiny details and inky rage. That water screw pump? Only if you love floods and frustration.
Told my niece: "Start with lenses. See stuff far away, feel like Da Vinci mapping clouds. Avoid complex moving parts unless you’re really patient. Get the easy win first." Then I used my janky Pringles telescope to spy on squirrels. Highly productive. Renaissance vibes achieved, sorta.
