Maker

The Maker State

Safe working practices give you the freedom to attempt projects on the edge. By William Gurstelle

WHEN MY SON ANDY WAS 12 YEARS old, he entered his junior high school science contest. His challenge was to invent something new and useful. He badly wanted to win, but inventing something useful is hard, especially when you’re 12.

After various aborted attempts, he came up with a self-buttering toaster. What a brilliant idea from such a young person! (I readily admit my fatherly bias.) The device was intricate yet simple: a wood and steel construction that held a slice of bread at an angle in front of a carefully wound matrix of nichrome wire heating elements. While the bread toasted, the heat from the wires melted a glop of butter on a perforated metal holder positioned over the bread. The butter dripped through the holes

34 Make: Volume 11

and onto the toasting bread. Voilà! There was a slice of automatically buttered toast. By my lights, this was a pretty terrific invention for a sixth-grader.

The evening of the fair approached, and Andy and I looked forward to a night of glory. The judges, a collection of teachers and parent volunteers, methodically walked up and down each aisle. They asked questions, measured things with rulers, made notes on clipboards, and generally maintained a judge-like demeanor. When the judges came to Andy’s table, the toaster worked perfectly. With self-assurance and a smile, he handed each judge a slice of warm, buttery Wonder Bread for a snack.

But when the winners were announced, Andy’s name wasn’t called. Crestfallen, he approached the judges and asked, “Why didn’t I get a ribbon?”

Photograph by William Gurstelle