Popular Mechanics

102 Pages·2021·66.063 MB·English

NOVEMBER /
DECEMBER 2021 Other countries:
RSA: R42.90 R37.30 excl VAT
*

C O N T E N T S
Conventional farming is inefficient,
when compared to technologically
advanced methods, such as those
04 F rom the editor:
used by Growing Underground, in
Change of pace.
the abandoned Second World War
bomb shelters beneath the streets
09 R eaders’ letters: Email
of London. Turn to page 36 to dig
us and share your ideas,
a bit deeper into this story.
projects, or new inventions;
include photos. (Incentive:
A great prize is up for grabs.)
30 C onspiracy theories: 64 C ell-grown meats: Would
12 C alendar: Historic events in
S
R You’ve been conditioned to you eat a chicken nugget that
TE November and December.
PE believe them. came from a petri dish?
E
AT 14 T ime machine: Interesting
K
GE: stories from the PM archives. 36 F arming’s future might be 72 W oodworking: How to build
PA in a bomb shelter: Delve a folding table using lap joints.
S
HI 16 H YWW: Replacement for an into London’s underground
Y; T 78 D IY with Kreg: Make this
RR undefeated fighter jet; Ancient solution to growing food.
SHE theory on why Earth fractures simple coffee table.
MC 44 T racking predators: How
N into cubes; Century-old 86 P M Garage: Our opinions on
LI lion collaring is helping to
CO geometry problem, solved. two vehicles we’ve cruised in,
Y reduce wildlife-human conflict
ON B 22 B ook review: Sentient: in north-west Namibia. swerved, braked and parked.
RATI What Animals Reveal About 91 D riving: Discover the full
ST 50 A dventure: One man’s
LU Our Senses by Jackie Higgins. potential of your 4WD system.
L mission to paddle across
O I
HOT 24 G ear and gadgets: Gizmos, the Atlantic Ocean in a 98 D o it your way: Submit
P
R: devices, and equipment you’ll custom-made sea kayak. your tips and you could win.
E
OV want to own.
C 58 B reweries of the future:
The evolution of tech and auto-
mation is driving innovation in
the brewing industry.
popularmechanics.co.za NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021 3
FROM THE EDITOR
CHANGE
OF PACE
A
FTER MANY QUIET WEEKS goes according to plan, and the weather
(or maybe it’s been months), behaves, he’ll be departing sometime
mostly spent at my desk in during December on his two- to three-
front of my computer screen month unsupported expedition. I’ll
(with the occasional bit of certainly be following his progress closely,
exercise snuck in-between), and rooting for him the whole way.
the last several weeks have Perhaps reading about Richard’s
seen a flurry of activities come my way, and adventure will inspire you to plan
along with them a change of pace that I’ve something exciting for next year. That
thoroughly enjoyed. might mean getting around to that
I’ve been fortunate enough to receive a motorbike rebuild project, making a
number of exciting test vehicles to review new chest of drawers for your home,
(some of which you can read about in this or designing a system that takes your
issue in the PM Garage section on page 86), house entirely off-grid… Whatever it is,
and I attended the media launch events be sure to write in to us, because we’d
of the new VW Golf 8 GTI, and the long- love to hear all about it.
awaited Toyota Land Cruiser 300 (what an Thank you for your support of Popular
incredible vehicle, which I hope to tell you Mechanics this year – it’s hard to put into
about in the near future). I spent three days words how much this means to us. And
with my colleagues from CAR magazine, lastly, if you’re taking some time off during
helping them with their bakkie shootout December, enjoy the downtime, travel safely,
event, which saw us pitting ten different and we look forward to telling you more
double-cab brands and models against about ‘how your world works’, in 2022.
each other. (You can read about that in
the November issue of CAR.)
I also drove out of town to spend some
time with our woodworking contributor
Tobias Lochner where he showed me
his wonderful workshop space, some of
the projects he’s got on the go, and how
MARK SAMUEL
to plane a piece of wood properly (thanks Editor
for the free tutorial, Tobias).
So it’s been nice to add a bit of spice to
what’s mostly been an uneventful year –
as it’s been for many of us, due to the
constraints and lockdowns brought
about by the global pandemic.
None of what I’ve gotten up to, though,
can hold a candle to what Richard Kohler
has planned for the end of this year. If you
turn to page 50, you’ll read my story about
him and his plans to paddle his custom-
A
Z
made sea kayak Osiyeza from Cape Town O.
C
S.
across the Atlantic Ocean, south of the GE
A
M
equator, to Brazil. He’s had to delay his MI
H
departure once already, but if everything E/
K
C
O
M
T
E
E
P
Y:
H
P
Follow the editor A
R
G
on Instagram: O
T
marksamuel.za HO
P
4 NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021 popularmechanics.co.za

IS EVERYWHERE
@popmechsa popularmechanicssa popularmechanics.co.za
Editor Mark Samuel Chief Copy Editor
Roshaan Bouwer Deputy Chief Copy
Editor Nicole van der Scholtz Senior
Copy Editor Shaneen Noble
Creative: Art Director Tauriq Loofer
Designer Tyrone Michaels
Intern Designer Keenan Petersen
RSA Contributors Tiana Cline,
Lauren Endrody, Lynelle Govender,
Tobias Lochner
Digital: Digital Group Web Developer
Cicero Joseph Webmaster Lizelle Leonard
Ad Sales: Sales Director Ryan Nicolle
([email protected]) Advertising
Sales Jean De Ridder, Callie Romburgh
Buyers’ Guide Joanne Thompson
Debtors Manager Gasant Brenner
Production: Production Manager
Rushaan Holiday Deputy Production
Manager Maggie Wasserfall Ad Design
Manager Brümilda Fredericks
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005460/07 ISSN 1682-5136. Ramsay
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Managing Director Tony Walker Financial
Director Lindsey Makrygiannis Production
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CTP Ltd Directors: PM Jenkins,
TD Moolman, TJW Holden
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• 011 449 1100 • popularmechanics@
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Published and distributed by Ramsay
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States of America. We cannot be held
responsible for loss of unsolicited
queries, manuscripts or photos. For
return, they must be accompanied
by adequate postage. As a service to
readers, POPULAR MECHANICS publishes
newsworthy products, techniques and
scientific and technological developments.
Due to possible variance in the quality
and condition of workmanship and
materials, POPULAR MECHANICS cannot
assume responsibility for proper
application of techniques or proper
and safe functioning of manufactured
products or reader-built projects
resulting from information published
in this magazine. Prices listed in
features were accurate at the time
of going to print – contact suppliers
directly for up-to-date pricing, and
product availability. ER
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CAPETOWN
6 NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021 popularmechanics.co.za

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LETTERS
WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND?
WRITE TO US [email protected]
WINNING LETTER
Stick your
chest out
I built this kist for my any accidental liquid damage.
daughter as an additional There is no better feeling
wedding gift (and afterwards than creating something out
realised that it would make of very little. I love working
a great entry into the Kreg with wood and spend hours in
prize giveaway competition). my garage (‘man cave’) doing
I was given the inside just that. 
dimensions, as my daughter ROGER GRIFFIN 
had already calculated what
she wanted to store inside. Great project, Roger – I’m
In addition to holding certain sure your daughter was thrilled
items, it had to be sturdy with the gift that you made with
enough to be used as a two- your own two hands. I also love
seater when pushed up spending time in my garage
against the wall. making things from wood,
I started by dismantling although I still have a lot to
some old wooden pallets. learn. We so enjoyed the
Next, I welded an internal outcome of your project that
frame, to which I could attach you’ve not only won a Kreg
the wood using Tek Screws. Multi-Mark tool, but also the
I sanded the wood down, cut Kreg Multi-Purpose Klamp
the pieces to size, and started Table worth R7 540, for your
populating the frame.  ‘winning letter’ contribution.
Once the construction was I’m sure both of these prizes
complete, I varnished the kist will help you with your future
with Woodoc Marine to seal woodworking endeavours.
– Mark, Editor
and preserve the wood from Enjoy!
GO TINY, OR GO HOME
considerations, which I too was intrigued by
Reading about the tiny nuclear has led some countries to the overarching message
reactors in the previous issue abandon nuclear energy in our cover story from the
gave me a sense of déjà vu. I had entirely. It’s not so much last issue – effectively that a
a strong feeling that I’d read the possibility of an accident more nuanced and focused
about this previously… Then that is concerning, but rather approach is possible, when
I realised that it was in the the extremely long duration it comes to nuclear-power
context of South Africa’s Pebble of the after-effects of an generation. If smaller, more
Bed Molecular Reactor (PBMR) accident, amounting to manageable – and importantly,
project of the 1990s. I had thousands of years. safer – nuclear power
thought that that project had Unfortunately, however, generating options are out
a bright future, because of the the PBMR project was moth- there, I’m all for it. That, in
inherent safety of pebble bed balled in 2010, and finally collaboration with electricity
reactors, and their scalability abandoned in 2020, with the generated from a range of
down to village-sized units. assets of the project being put sustainable sources, needs
Nuclear energy faces growing up for sale. to be our future.
public resistance due to safety CLIVE DENNISON – Mark, Editor
popularmechanics.co.za NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021 9
LETTERS
WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND?
TOY STORY, TOO
I really enjoyed seeing all of
Douw’s model building, that
was included in the letters
pages of the September/
October issue.
I started building a 40-inch made of flour. On
(old English plan) version of YouTube I’ve found
a Second World War Harbour two interesting model
defence boat. Taking on this builders (‘Liberman’
challenge wasn’t unusual for and ‘Creative Phil’)
me, except that this time the who produce fantastic
hull and decks were made creations using cardboard.
from waste cardboard boxes If you put your mind
that appliances came in. It’s to it, almost anything
far cheaper than balsa wood. is possible, even if you
I did, however, cover the frame have limited resources.
with two layers of 1 mm balsa, DAVID RUMBELOW
as cardboard doesn’t bend well
when dry or wet. Thanks for sharing your
A friend who passed away thoughts, David. I was recently
some years ago told me that shocked to discover how much
during the Second World War, the price of wood has escalated,
model boat-building wood was so knowing about alternative
hard to come by and that he options (for people such as
built large-scale model yachts model builders) is reassuring.
– Mark, Editor
out of papier mâché and a paste
WRITE TO US, ENGAGE IN DEBATE, and you could win an exciting prize.
The writer of this issue’s winning letter has won a Kreg Multi-Purpose Klamp
Table sponsored by Vermont Sales (vermontsales.co.za) valued at R7 540.
The writer of the winning letter in Vermont Sales is Southern to s t a n d a chanc
the January/February 2022 issue will Africa’s leading tool and accessory in e
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win a Tork Craft Tri-Light (TCFL500) wholesaler, and has been providing e f
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activated, and has a rating of 3 000 now stocks the best international Pr R2 470 !
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Fitting the TCFL500 is almost product ranges and
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so it’s easy to install. The unit is provided to trades
guaranteed for 50 000 hours of use, and other customers.
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10 NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021 popularmechanics.co.za