Fast Fasteners

As I was out and about on Sunday, I came across some motorcycles that took my breath away! 

First off, they are nice bikes...I guess. I don't really know but they looked fancy & expensive. But what filled me with joy was seeing all the fasteners in place, holding each bike together - this bike was my favorite!

Fasteners Galore

Look at all those - nice one, Yamaha!

Then there was this one...it isn't as impressive, fastener-wise.

Lucite VS. Acrylic

So what is the difference between Lucite and acrylic?

It's simple: Lucite is a brand of acrylic, that's it. Just like Plexiglas, Perspex, Policril, Gavrieli, Vitroflex, Limacryl, R-Cast, Per-Clax, Plazcryl, Acrylex, Acrylite, Acrylplast, Altuglas, Polycast, Oroglass, Optix - they are all brands of acrylic.

Bulletproof glass however is something different, it's polycarbonate.

Anyways, the real reason I love seeing things made of acrylic (even polycarbonate, like at banks) is, in general, they are being held with fasteners and I like that you can see right through the material to see exactly how the fasteners are assembled.

Cracking Nuts

People are putting those Lucite/Acrylic fasteners to good use! We found a Lucite/acrylic nut cracker that utilizes a large screw which goes up and down to put pressure on that tough nut that needs cracking...I feel like a proud parent watching their kid play ball that says, "That's my boy." because when I look at it I feel like saying, "That's my product."

Buy it on ETSY for $20.

Acrylic Fasteners

Did you know you can buy acrylic fasteners? YOU CAN!

The ones in the photo come from a place in Singapore.

You can buy this online.

Does anyone know the difference between lucite, acrylic & plexiglass? 

I do but I'm going to wait to tell you next time!

Vintage Lucite Paperweights

I'm not really sure why but Lucite or acrylic paperweights filled with fasteners became very popular in the 60's & 70's...I wish I could have found some historical context but I didn't. Despite that acrylic or Lucite is clear many of them have turned yellow from age - have a look.

Here are a few we found online and then of course, last but not least, our very own at the bottom.

For Sale at Ebay.com

For Sale at Mecox.com

Another one for Sale at Ebay.com

For Sale at BigAshtry.com

Even toilets seats! 

For sale at the Unfinished Man

And this one is ours!

Ours has been moved around and fondled over the years so there are a lot of scratch marks and scuffs on it BUT WE LOVE IT.

Summer Boat Rides

We saw a Groupon for a boat ride in Newport Beach and it made me laugh! I took a photo of it so you can see why (hopefully you'll be able to see it.)

Can you see the name of the boat?!!!

It is called 'KNOTS n VOLTS' - we love it!

Nut & Bolt Candles

Found these over in Oregon.

I love that it says they are perfect for engineers and tinkerers. 

Buy your own at HONEYSTONE CANDLES

A Mechanical Bug

We found a mechanical bug!

ADORABLE.

Found this at Zazzle.com - you can buy it as a card or magnet there.

The artist goes by:

borianagpencil

Our Hat's Off to Phil Ferguson

Melbourne artist Phil Ferguson crochets these awesome hats. They are super fun and clever. But why has he been included in our blog, you ask...you'll have to scroll to the bottom to see why!

All the photos are from his INSTAGRAM page.

A SCREW HAT!!!
(How did we get so lucky?! Normally does food but one day he decides to do a screw - woohoo!)

And if Phil ever sees this, if he scrolls all the way to the bottom of this post too, let me take this opportunity to tell you that my nieces and I think you're so funny and great!

Chess Set Diagram

Since we were talking about chess sets, and because we love diagrams, we're posting this too:

Someone with the username Retro-gamer posted it to the Deviant Art website.
It gives you the recipe to make your own set in one visual page.
Very cool.