TINKERTHON final

Last Project for LCL

As a lad, I had a TinkerToy set, and Erector Set, and lots of bits and bobs for my Lionel Electric Train. I had a village, special cars, signals, lights, and the nerve and resourcefulness to arrange terrific train disasters. I learned a great deal by combining parts from my sets and my trains. Almost anything was within limits. The gaps were filled by my imagination, fed by my steady diet of the NEW MEDIUM, Television! I was a child of the Forties. Television was new, and adventure comics, and Popular Science Magazine was plentiful.

Now, as an adult with years and years of experience as a trainer and educator, I would enjoy putting together an Adult Tinker Toy set or Adult TinkerThon for the community. Using a semi-portable unit, such as a shipping container or a large tent structure, I can foresee something exciting and something that could be integrated into the schools in the area as well as local parks and recreational events.

Since I am close to a couple of major ports, shipping containers, both new and used are available. Custom colors and doors, and delivery are available. When it’s time to move, a call to the local towing company brings their flat bed hauler to hook up and haul

@thomaspitre, I love your Tinkerthon thinking. I have a couple of those shipping containers I use for storage and I'm also fascinated by the Tiny Home movement. Those involved in the Tiny Home movement are some of the most creative individuals you will find.

There are pros and cons for both the shipping container approach and the tiny home method which involves more traditional construction methods using a trailer frame as a foundation.

Here's a link to a video you will find of interest. This young man is using shipping containers inside a larger dilapidated building where he builds a miniature factory of sorts in a shipping container that he sells. http://goo.gl/2WcCLB

Your picture suggest you have already build one of the shippable tinkering labs. Is that the case and if so do you have more pictures?

Thank you for your feedback and the link. Luke Iseman is a very creative guy. My friend, an artist and designer lives near the SteelWorks, so I'm going to send him to find American Steel.

The container you saw in my picture was a mockup.

I think we will see a lot more of this kind of innovation, experimentation and sharing as the designer/inventor/tinkerer comes to the forefront. Exciting.

I'm looking out the back window to my customized garden shed. It has a loft, large entry door, and a 2x2 window. It's perfect for storage and doubles as a summer house for guests. Size: 8X10. Gambrel roof, It was built off site and assembled on concrete piers and 2x8 joists in three hours by three men, including asphalt shingles. It never made sense to me to put guests up in a dank guest shed or crowded room in my little house. They will use an outhouse in the yard that empties directly into my sewer cleanout near the garden. The cleanout was just put in.

Cheers,