Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
The Washing Machine is Capital-A Art.
Or something.
For anyone reading this Kathmandu-side, the washing machine is making a voyage Kathmandu-ward--perhaps by Nepali tractor--this coming weekend for an exhibition at the Lazimpat Gallery Cafe on Sunday, August 24th.
Sean's coordinating, so hopefully he'll post the details about time and what presents to bring!
For anyone reading this Kathmandu-side, the washing machine is making a voyage Kathmandu-ward--perhaps by Nepali tractor--this coming weekend for an exhibition at the Lazimpat Gallery Cafe on Sunday, August 24th.
Sean's coordinating, so hopefully he'll post the details about time and what presents to bring!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Sean is here!
Oh, and I forgot to mention: New mechanic Sean has arrived in Kathmandu, and is going to be a great addition to the program....and hopefully to the blog as well!
Friday, August 15, 2008
A quiet and minor victory
Up at Sakhu on Thursday, Jagat and Agreni told me that they want to make more pedal-powered washing machines--different designs, so they can learn which one works best.
And apparently people in Sakhu are asking what the name of the "company" is that made the washing machine. I told the kds to say PA Nepal; or the Jagat-Agreni-Jivan-Krishna company (though of course many more kids helped out...).
Not sure where super-low-budget Wrench Nepal is going to get the money to make more of these things; but hearing this absolutely made my day--it means that for all the social and appropriate aspects, this building experiment has been a great, great success.
And apparently people in Sakhu are asking what the name of the "company" is that made the washing machine. I told the kds to say PA Nepal; or the Jagat-Agreni-Jivan-Krishna company (though of course many more kids helped out...).
Not sure where super-low-budget Wrench Nepal is going to get the money to make more of these things; but hearing this absolutely made my day--it means that for all the social and appropriate aspects, this building experiment has been a great, great success.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Why build a pedal-powered washing machine?
Part of the tension of running training programs--like bike repair programs--is the question of what we're training for. In other words, when we've finished our class, when we gone over how all the parts of a bike go together and what they do, well, what then?
One obvious answer is vocational partnerships--finding internships, apprenticeships, or whatever else is socially and societally appropriate in bike shops, rickshaw companies, and the like. Another is the negative response: that there is nothing, that class is over, just like the last math class in high school for a soon-to-be English and Latin major. (Ahem.)
And often it stops there--but there are other options.
Especially in places of scarcity (like Nepal), the bike training we're giving needs to be a capacity-building enterprise. This means that it's a means to empowerment, through direct vocational skills--jobs in bike shops; overlapping job skills, like anything related to rickshaws and pushcarts; general mechanical skills; broadly transferable skills, here English-language; as well as a variety of others.
The skills we're teaching don't only have to be used to repair things that other people in other countries have created; they can be used to create things no one has seen or though of before. While the washing machine is not this--they've been built before, in various places--to the kids at the PA Nepal hostel in Sakhu it was and is totally incredible, a total reinvention of the bicycle and the bicycle class I taught there. And so, the point: The point of the washing machine was not to build a washing machine--indeed, it was not to build anything at all, save an imagining of other ideas. Nothing to build, that is, but inspiration.
One obvious answer is vocational partnerships--finding internships, apprenticeships, or whatever else is socially and societally appropriate in bike shops, rickshaw companies, and the like. Another is the negative response: that there is nothing, that class is over, just like the last math class in high school for a soon-to-be English and Latin major. (Ahem.)
And often it stops there--but there are other options.
Especially in places of scarcity (like Nepal), the bike training we're giving needs to be a capacity-building enterprise. This means that it's a means to empowerment, through direct vocational skills--jobs in bike shops; overlapping job skills, like anything related to rickshaws and pushcarts; general mechanical skills; broadly transferable skills, here English-language; as well as a variety of others.
The skills we're teaching don't only have to be used to repair things that other people in other countries have created; they can be used to create things no one has seen or though of before. While the washing machine is not this--they've been built before, in various places--to the kids at the PA Nepal hostel in Sakhu it was and is totally incredible, a total reinvention of the bicycle and the bicycle class I taught there. And so, the point: The point of the washing machine was not to build a washing machine--indeed, it was not to build anything at all, save an imagining of other ideas. Nothing to build, that is, but inspiration.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
How much did it cost?
Yes, well:
New steel, bought at Rajesh Hardware: 2475 Rs.
Nuts and bolts, from Kankai Hardware: 342 Rs.
Bike Parts, incl. a bottom bracket shell, crankset, left crank arm & 2 freewheels: 1390 Rs.
4 Bearings (6305?):250 450 Rs.
Steel Drum: 1100 Rs.
various metal from the same kawaDi: 15 Rs.
Various shop charges: 435 Rs.
Used steels and 2 old bearings used for sizing: 120 Rs.
Recycled steel: 640 Rs.
Other small parts: 20 Rs.
$
Total: 6987 Rs. above, but WN paid 6787 Rs., about $101.29
In kind donations from Aaron and myself:
Nuts and bolts: 110 Rs.
Welding charge at Sakhu: 650 Rs.
Small parts, bicycle: 185 Rs.
Others:463 663 Rs.
(plus 200 Rs. toward the bearings, above)
Amount:1408 1810 Rs.
Total spent:8195 8595 Rs.
*
Caveat: I am not certain that this accounting includes the cost of the 100-liter plastic inner drum, which I recall as being 560 Rs. If we need to include that as well, the cost becomes 8755 Rs., or about $130.60.
Edit: I found the last 3 receipts, for the plastic inner drum (bought new, 550 Rs.), the real receipt for the bearings (450 Rs. instead of 250), and 200 Rs. of miscellaneous pieces.
The cost now becomes 9145 Rs., about $135.48.
New steel, bought at Rajesh Hardware: 2475 Rs.
Nuts and bolts, from Kankai Hardware: 342 Rs.
Bike Parts, incl. a bottom bracket shell, crankset, left crank arm & 2 freewheels: 1390 Rs.
4 Bearings (6305?):
Steel Drum: 1100 Rs.
various metal from the same kawaDi: 15 Rs.
Various shop charges: 435 Rs.
Used steels and 2 old bearings used for sizing: 120 Rs.
Recycled steel: 640 Rs.
Other small parts: 20 Rs.
$
Total: 6987 Rs. above, but WN paid 6787 Rs., about $101.29
In kind donations from Aaron and myself:
Nuts and bolts: 110 Rs.
Welding charge at Sakhu: 650 Rs.
Small parts, bicycle: 185 Rs.
Others:
(plus 200 Rs. toward the bearings, above)
Amount:
Total spent:
*
Caveat: I am not certain that this accounting includes the cost of the 100-liter plastic inner drum, which I recall as being 560 Rs. If we need to include that as well, the cost becomes 8755 Rs., or about $130.60.
Edit: I found the last 3 receipts, for the plastic inner drum (bought new, 550 Rs.), the real receipt for the bearings (450 Rs. instead of 250), and 200 Rs. of miscellaneous pieces.
The cost now becomes 9145 Rs., about $135.48.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Thinking about Appropriate Technology
One of the best educations for me about doing appropriate technology work came from simply watching and listening to Aaron ask questions.
So here I present the list of questions we wrote down to ask the kids before and during the design process of the machine. Hopefully this sort of thing will serve as a good start for someone else's project in the future...
What is the range of clothes we're washing?
What are the step-function sizes? (Or, in other words: what are the 5 most common sized of laundry loads?)
How much water are you currently using for that amount of laundry?
How much water are you willing to use?
How long does that amount of laundry take?
For the machine, how many people should be able to add energy at one time?
Should that be done via feet, hands, both, or something else?
Is it acceptable for women to use bicycle pedals?
If so, is there something better?
If not, what is more acceptable?
How long are you willing to pedal (or crank) for?
Do you think a machine for laundry is a good idea?
What does a machine for laundry need to do? (E.g., stain-removal, washing, drying, sanitizing, etc.)
What are the advantages to a machine?
What could be fun about it?
How to you want to run the machine?
How might the machine work?
Who will use the machine? Who does the majority of work--age, gender, size, etc.?
What do you do when the machine breaks?
More specific questions:
How should we get water to it?
Where should the waste water go?
How should the clothes get in and out?
How should the soap get in and out?
How do you know when the clothes are done?
How many people should it take to move the machine? Should it be in a fixed location or mobile?
So here I present the list of questions we wrote down to ask the kids before and during the design process of the machine. Hopefully this sort of thing will serve as a good start for someone else's project in the future...
What is the range of clothes we're washing?
What are the step-function sizes? (Or, in other words: what are the 5 most common sized of laundry loads?)
How much water are you currently using for that amount of laundry?
How much water are you willing to use?
How long does that amount of laundry take?
For the machine, how many people should be able to add energy at one time?
Should that be done via feet, hands, both, or something else?
Is it acceptable for women to use bicycle pedals?
If so, is there something better?
If not, what is more acceptable?
How long are you willing to pedal (or crank) for?
Do you think a machine for laundry is a good idea?
What does a machine for laundry need to do? (E.g., stain-removal, washing, drying, sanitizing, etc.)
What are the advantages to a machine?
What could be fun about it?
How to you want to run the machine?
How might the machine work?
Who will use the machine? Who does the majority of work--age, gender, size, etc.?
What do you do when the machine breaks?
More specific questions:
How should we get water to it?
Where should the waste water go?
How should the clothes get in and out?
How should the soap get in and out?
How do you know when the clothes are done?
How many people should it take to move the machine? Should it be in a fixed location or mobile?
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Five second washing machine blogging
After a 4-hour journey 20 km to Sakhu yesterday--one of the kids asked, "by walking?" but it was actually by taxi, taxi, tractor, microbus, and then walking--with the outer drum of the washing machine, we today (we think) finished all the necessary welding. So the hand crank cranks, the freewheel and the hand crank turn the inner tub the same direction, the inner tub has a door, and the hand crank will freewheel if you're pedaling!
More to come tomorrow.
More to come tomorrow.
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