Squint like an Eskimo

Eskimo Sunglasses from Wood: DIY Tutorial

While choosing equipment for snowboarding, I came across an article on the internet about Eskimos. More precisely, about how representatives of this people of the far north protected their eyes from sunburn. This problem is known to winter sports enthusiasts – skiers, snowkiters, mountaineers, snowmobilers – everyone who spends a long time on white snow Read more…

Lever to help

Auxiliary Balance Beam for Crane: DIY Device Guide

Sometimes a load lifted by a crane beam or winch (when replacing an engine in a car, for example) needs to be lowered slightly to the side from the suspension point. In this case, an auxiliary balance beam made from a suitable pipe or T-beam may come in handy. An eyelet for the crane hook Read more…

Butterfly garden

Butterfly Garden Rest Area: DIY Dacha Project Guide

Paraphrasing a well-known saying, I will say that in our family, the husband proposes, but the wife disposes. For example, my beloved wife wanted to organize a recreation area on the plot where she could sunbathe and lounge with a book. And butterflies must flutter around! Who would bring this fantasy to life? It became Read more…

Balkan “Eagles”

J-22 “Orao” fighter-bomber of the 241st Fighter-Bomber Aviation Squadron “Tigers” of the Serbian Air Force

Throughout most of the Cold War, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) and the Socialist Republic of Romania (SRR) were the most “rebellious children” in the family of socialist countries. Yugoslavia, under the leadership of Marshal Tito, not only did not join the Eastern Bloc but was one of the key countries of the Read more…

I once had an “Oka”…

DIY Buggy from Oka: Build Your Own Off-Road Vehicle

I had long been planning to build a single-seat racing car, similar to those that race in Formula. But… I got an old “Oka”. Although it was still running, its body was completely rotten: grass was growing from all the cracks! Restoring the vehicle made no sense. Well… so instead of a road-racing sports car, Read more…

“Aerodynamic” Tatra cars

“Aerodynamic” Tatra cars

After the end of World War I, Czechoslovakia found itself in a unique situation. It inherited a powerful industry from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, including automotive, comparable to Germany and France. However, the volume of the domestic market of the new state was small, and to survive, automakers had to focus on exports. In the early Read more…

A RIDDLE FOR A BURGLAR

A RIDDLE FOR A BURGLAR

Externally, this padlock is no different from thousands of its counterparts guarding storerooms and dachas, sheds and utility rooms, shops and warehouses. Except for one stunning detail: it opens… with a screwdriver. Can one trust such an unserious device that even a mischievous boy could unlock? “You can,” asserts its creator, engineer I. Yankin. “Opening Read more…

Mini kart

DIY Mini-Kart Build: Homemade Children's Kart with Lifan 6hp

While browsing ads on an online “flea market”, I came across wheels from a children’s quad bike. They also came with hubs and steering knuckles. The price was very attractive, and I bought them with a “long-term plan”. They gathered dust in the garage for a couple of years until I decided to build a Read more…

From a branch — a cutting

Tree Branch Rooting: Michurin's Grafting Technique DIY

An unusual tree grafting technology was proposed by I.V. Michurin, and in N. Verzilin’s book “Journeys with Houseplants” this original method of obtaining a cutting from a living branch directly on the tree is described. He “surrounded” the branch with a vessel of water — and roots appeared on old branches of pears and apple Read more…

Triptych

DIY Motorized Bicycles & Scooter: Complete Build Guide

Regular readers of “M-K” are already familiar with Mikhail Landyshev’s original DIY creations. The creative process so captivates Mikhail that, having designed one piece of equipment, he almost immediately proceeds to make a second one. This was the case with tarabaikas and electric bicycles (see “M-K” No. 7-2019 and No. 4-2024). This time, three machines Read more…