Tag Archives: hardware

Screw the Star of David (Jewish hardware in the art room)

Posted on 01/08/2015 | 3 comments

screwdriver pokes

Torx screws are wee Stars of David. Have you seen them? If you’ve peed at a urinal you have. Or if you’ve waited for your preschooler inside a public loo. (In both cases, the screws are at about eye level). Torx screws are part of most public bathroom installations because they are fabulously functional. Torx don’t “strip out” as easily as do Phillips or slotted screws, because the design resists torque. There’s more to grip and less room to slip.

This anti-slip head design just happens to be a 6-pointed star: the Mogen David. Who knew the logo on the shield of an ancient king of Israel would be so darn practical? Continue reading →

3 Comments

Posted in Activity, Crafts, Kitsch

Tagged hardware, mogen david, star of david, upcycle

Socket Menorah, instant DIY for the Jewish Garage

Posted on 12/11/2014 | 3 comments

garage hanukkiyah in natural habitat

Sockets are instant candleholders. And a socket holder is an instant Hanukkah menorah base. Thus, the Socket Menorah: instant ritual object for the handyperson or car nut. Continue reading →

3 Comments

Posted in Crafts, Hanukkah, Kitsch

Tagged hardware, menorah

Manischewitz Tiki Torch: An Essay

Posted on 10/07/2014 | Comments Off

Tacky Tiki Torch

The Manischewitz Tiki Torch. Unendorsed, unaffiliated, unnoticed by the Manischewitz company, but most emphatically created in homage to it. I timed the debut for erev Sukkot, and I admit, I am tickled purple with myself. Continue reading →

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Posted in Crafts, Humor, Kitsch, Shabbat

Tagged candle, hardware, recycle, scrap art, torch, trash art

Handyman Menorah (DIY “Man-orah” for dorm or home)

Posted on 11/05/2013 | 5 comments

PVC and pine Menorah

A “Man-orah.” 100% hardware, rough and ready. Instant. Cheap. Uncomplicated. Just hacksaw 18.5″ off the end of a pine 1×3, slap some glue on 9 PVC fittings and you’re done. No need to sand the splinters or remove the printed SKU# with acetone. That’s for sissies. LED tealights mean this bad boy is safe for the strictest dorm rooms (“no naked flames”), but Continue reading →

5 Comments

Posted in Crafts, Hanukkah

Tagged hardware, menorah, pvc, tealight

PVC Menorah kit for kids, revised

Posted on 12/14/2011 | 4 comments

PVC Menorah, ready to disassemble and reassemble

The finished PVC menorah worked beautifully at the Chanukah Carnival. The volunteer who staffed that station devised a great ploy to generate interest: he left it half-assembled and then asked kids if they would like to “help finish it.” They sure did. Boys and girls, I am pleased to report, in seemingly even numbers. Leaving it half-built was a wise move. This left just enough of the structure up to entice would-be builders, yet not enough to look finished (and therefore not as alluring). If he had disassembled the whole thing between turns, the kids would have seen nothing to draw them to the table.

Setup: I put everything on a huge baking tray on a card table. The tray was the working surface, and the raised sides (like a jellyroll pan) kept pieces from Continue reading →