Post by deejay on Apr 25, 2019 23:53:26 GMT
Decided it was time to clear out my elderly mothers garage this week during a few days visit and made a discovery....
Behind a stack of lengths of wood were some lengths of steel bar with holes drilled in them. Also one piece bent round into a circle and riveted together. To anyone else these would have meant nothing, but I suddenly realised these were the parts for the second kafo that i ever made. (Really the first one which was anywhere close to the real thing.
I have told the story before, of the time that I made it. I must have been about 16 (many years ago!). I had aquired the steel bars (about 3/4" x 1/4") from somewhere and spent the evening bending the ring and riveting it together and then cutting and drilling the uprights. I then drilled the ring and bolted the uprights to it. Covered the ring with rubber pipe insulation and uesd wood screws to screw the ends of the uprights to the heel of one of an old pair of shoes. A couple of leather belts completed my caliper.
It was not unusual for me to spend an evening working on various projects in the workshop at the back of the garage and nobody usually bothered me.
The next night my parents were out so i couldnt wait to try out my creation. I climbed into it and, for the first time I felt like I was wearing the real thing. No knee joints of course and very long so they were almost weight-bearing. I walked around in the garage, enjoying every second but panic set in that someone might arrive unexpectedly, so I quickly took it off and hid it away.
Of course it wasnt many days before I had to try again, so mid evening, after dark, I was again in the garage. Somehow i figured a way to get my trousers on over my new brace. Again I walked around for a few minutes and then, to my absolute horror, I heard someone comming. I quickly turned off the light in the garage, leaving just the light coming from the workshop at the back...
My father opened the workshop door, looked in and called that they were just going to bed and would I remember to lock the house door when I came in.
I stood still in the gloomy light, trying to appear to be looking for something and answered that I would.
Good night, he said, and closed the door. That must have been one of my most terrifying moments ever. There was absolutely no way that I could have taken the brace off and no way that I could possibly have explained it if he had noticed.
The whole episode was such a close call that, now I have found the evidence, I can remember every detail.
I waired until I could see the house lights go off and managed, with some difficulty, to get my trousers off and remove the device. I quickly dismantled it down to its component parts and hid them away.
Although I always wanted to try it again, I never worked up the courage to try.......until I moved away from home and made the next one some years later..
I wonder if anyone else here has had any close calls?
Behind a stack of lengths of wood were some lengths of steel bar with holes drilled in them. Also one piece bent round into a circle and riveted together. To anyone else these would have meant nothing, but I suddenly realised these were the parts for the second kafo that i ever made. (Really the first one which was anywhere close to the real thing.
I have told the story before, of the time that I made it. I must have been about 16 (many years ago!). I had aquired the steel bars (about 3/4" x 1/4") from somewhere and spent the evening bending the ring and riveting it together and then cutting and drilling the uprights. I then drilled the ring and bolted the uprights to it. Covered the ring with rubber pipe insulation and uesd wood screws to screw the ends of the uprights to the heel of one of an old pair of shoes. A couple of leather belts completed my caliper.
It was not unusual for me to spend an evening working on various projects in the workshop at the back of the garage and nobody usually bothered me.
The next night my parents were out so i couldnt wait to try out my creation. I climbed into it and, for the first time I felt like I was wearing the real thing. No knee joints of course and very long so they were almost weight-bearing. I walked around in the garage, enjoying every second but panic set in that someone might arrive unexpectedly, so I quickly took it off and hid it away.
Of course it wasnt many days before I had to try again, so mid evening, after dark, I was again in the garage. Somehow i figured a way to get my trousers on over my new brace. Again I walked around for a few minutes and then, to my absolute horror, I heard someone comming. I quickly turned off the light in the garage, leaving just the light coming from the workshop at the back...
My father opened the workshop door, looked in and called that they were just going to bed and would I remember to lock the house door when I came in.
I stood still in the gloomy light, trying to appear to be looking for something and answered that I would.
Good night, he said, and closed the door. That must have been one of my most terrifying moments ever. There was absolutely no way that I could have taken the brace off and no way that I could possibly have explained it if he had noticed.
The whole episode was such a close call that, now I have found the evidence, I can remember every detail.
I waired until I could see the house lights go off and managed, with some difficulty, to get my trousers off and remove the device. I quickly dismantled it down to its component parts and hid them away.
Although I always wanted to try it again, I never worked up the courage to try.......until I moved away from home and made the next one some years later..
I wonder if anyone else here has had any close calls?