Popular Mechanics (South Africa)

100 Pages·2021·58.924 MB·English

p23
MAY / JUNE 2021
RSA: R42.90
Other countries: R37.30 excl VAT
Five Year/ All New Low Range Gear Traction Control Authentic Ground Clearance Touch Screen 6.3ℓ/100km
200 000km 1.5ℓ engine Offroader *GLX model only
Warranty
C O N T E N T S
23 P M game and toy awards: 62 D rinks: Can our taste
After days (and days) of testing buds tell if we’re drinking
during lockdown, we found the AI-generated whisky?
04 F rom the editor:
best tabletop and video games
Skills development. 64 Provisions: How to make
for everyone.
tasty protein-bar snacks to
08 Readers’ letters: Take
36 T he secrets of the world’s see you through the day.
a moment to write to us,
greatest magic tricks:
and include pics. (You’ll 68 Create a legacy: Make a
He builds illusions that baffle
probably win a great prize.) self-sustaining garden for
and dazzle audiences. We
future generations.
went behind the curtain to
10 C alendar: Historic events
in May and June. learn how he does it. 70 T ools: Three types of lawn-
mower drivetrains, explained.
44 Cybercrime is on the rise: In
12 Time machine: Quirky stories
from the PM archives. a rapidly changing world, illegal 72 Woodworking: Use hand
internet activity is thriving. tools to make a marking gauge.
14 HYWW: A confounding
(Project three of four.)
50 Gear guide for budding
maths riddle; Why our body
temps keep falling; Locker- podcasters: All the equip- 78 DIY with Kreg: Easy steps
door brain-teaser. ment you need to have your to building a bathroom shelf.
voice heard.
20 Book review: Seven and a 82 Be good at what you do:
Half Lessons About the Brain 54 Gear and gadgets: Kit and Molten sweet-moulding skills.
devices that make us happy.
by Lisa Feldman.
84 PM Garage: Read the editor’s
60 This changed everything: summary on Land Rover’s
S, The ingenious vision of the brand-new Defender.
ME first handheld GPS device.
GA 88 Riding: We hit the long road
GHT When you’re stuck at home on BMW’s new S 1000 XR.
LI (such as during a national
F
Y lockdown because of a
S 98 Do it your way: Submit
TA pandemic), what better way
AN is there to pass the time your tips and you could win.
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E, than with a fun game? From
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ONS to toys for adults or children,
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popularmechanics.co.za MAY / JUNE 2021 3
FFRROOMM TTHHEE EEDDIITTOORR
SKILLS
DEVELOPMENT
I 
’M FEELING QUITE accomplished – the roll bar looks; all I care about is that
this past weekend I achieved a lot. the rust’s been removed, and that it’s
I carried out a service on Bubba, my stronger than ever.
17-year-old Nissan Hardbody. He’s Next it was my mom’s turn as my skills
no longer under a service plan, so I like adviser. Several weeks ago, I attacked an
to do this type of work myself. (Usually old pair of jeans with scissors, to fashion
with my dad’s oversight – if you’ve tough work shorts for hot-weather DIY.
been reading Pop Mech for a while, you’ll The fraying hems were becoming a
know he’s a retired engineer, and I lean on problem, so after the bakkie work was
him a lot for his wealth of technical know- completed, I settled in at my mom’s
ledge.) I did all the usual stuff – drained sewing machine for an introductory
and replaced the oil, changed the filters, lesson. With her at my shoulder sharing
assessed all the fluid levels, and completed hints and tips, I added a simple zigzag
a range of other checks. I also scanned the thread pattern to the shorts’ hemline.
bodywork for corrosion, which is when My work certainly won’t win any awards,
I discovered one of the roll bars required but I got a feel for the machine’s pedal
some urgent rust-removal work – just and needle action (without puncturing
the scenario I needed… I’ll explain why. myself), and the fraying is solved, for now.
I recently decided to learn two new I’m motivated to dedicating the rest of
skills – how to weld, and how to sew with 2021 to learning new and functional
a sewing machine. While very different to skills, and to broadening my
each other, they’re both equally useful in knowledge about how to fix
life. (Especially if a digital apocalypse were things that we usually pay
to strike.) Finding rust on my bakkie’s roll others to repair. I’d love to
bar presented the ideal situation for my hear some of your suggestions
first lesson in the basics of welding, in a – drop me an email at
one-on-one lesson with my dad. Let’s just popularmechanics@
say that I have a long way to go, but I’ve ramsaymedia.co.za.
now gained a little experience in metal
arc welding, while attaching a few curved
pieces of steel to the base of Bubba’s roll
bar. Welding’s challenging – kudos to the
experts out there – gaining consistency,
accuracy and flow in how the electrode
melts is going to take hours of practise,
but I’m determined to improve. Fort-
MARK SAMUEL
unately I’m not too precious about how Editor
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@marksamuel.za) LL
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4 MAY / JUNE 2021 popularmechanics.co.za
CONSERVING ENERGY
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Editor Mark Samuel Chief Copy Editor
Roshaan Bouwer Deputy Chief Copy
Editor Nicole van der Scholtz Senior
Copy Editor Shaneen Noble
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005460/07 ISSN 1682-5136. Ramsay
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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
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6 MAY / JUNE 2021 popularmechanics.co.za
HARNESS THE SUN. FEEL THE POWER. QUATIX® 6 SOLAR
LETTERS
WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND?
WRITE TO US [email protected]
WINNING LETTER
The
balance
of power
As a woman who enjoys
spending time in nature while
trying to be conscious of my
impact on the environment,
I was delighted to come across
the recent Pop Mech piece
focusing on off-road electric
vehicles. I’ve always been
struck by the paradox of entirely squeaky clean, the average South African way – certainly as things stand
outdoor enthusiasts burning are they? We could get who’s trying to get the most – that those types of journeys
holes in their pockets (and the around this problem, with bang for their buck. would be possible in an electric
Earth) accessing the ‘great the ‘something is better Just thought I’d send this off-road vehicle. And as a short
outdoors’ in enormous than nothing’ argument, but in to add to the debate of off- article in our previous issue
fuel-burning vehicles. a few more hurdles remain. road EVs. mentioned, photovoltaic panels
This article highlights At this stage, much of Looking forward to a time, on cars simply do not fulfil the
a welcome change, show- Southern Africa doesn’t have hopefully soon, when we’ll see charging needs of the powerful
casing spectacular electric the infrastructure to support an affordable off-road EV on batteries. But, technology has
off-road vehicles expected long-distance journeys with the market, with the infra- to start somewhere. Once upon
to be launching in the global an EV. It’s tricky to imagine structure available to support a time we didn’t have the broad
market soon, but there are a overland travel in a fully sustainable change. network of fuel stations spread
few points that I think make electric 4×4, without the L GOVENDER across our continent. I bet that,
it tricky for this to be viably availability of recharging someday in the not-too-distant
considered in the South stations along the way to These are all certainly valid future, the same will be the case
African setting. support it. points, and they occurred to me for electric charging stations.
Most of our electricity is As a last point, the EVs too when I first read that piece. Thanks for writing in. Your
generated in coal-burning described in the article are not I’ve done many an overland interesting letter has won you
power stations. Electric cars exactly affordable. Prices that trip through our neighbouring this issue’s prize!
- Mark, Editor
operating here, then, aren’t high seem exclusionary for countries, and there’s just no
8 MAY / JUNE 2021 popularmechanics.co.za
ESCAPING THE GRIDLOCK
I read an article recently online electricity becomes extremely I haven’t looked more deeply in the same boat as us, perhaps
about the true cost of going unreliable. I guess that implies into the figures, so I can’t really a ‘sub-R10 000’ solution will
off-grid. I know, this topic it’s only moderately unreliable comment, except to say that it see you through just fine too,
seems to get discussed a lot in right now. People’s opinions all sounds really expensive. It’s at least for now.
the Pop Mech letters pages, but on this might differ, I’m sure, clear to me that going this route DEON BESTER
I guess that’s because people, depending on the ways in would never be about ‘saving
especially South Africans, are which the rolling blackouts on electricity costs’ – paying I think I read that same article,
deeply interested in it. affect them. those sorts of amounts will Deon, and similar thoughts
Like you mentioned in one The article seemed to take decades to recoup. Going occurred to me. I would love
of your recent editor’s letters, discount the cheaper ‘sub- entirely off-grid is a lifestyle to take our home entirely off
we too recently invested in a R10 000’ home solution, and convenience decision, the national grid. In fact I think
small battery backup system saying that it’s not viable in creating a home bubble for I’ve had dreams about not being
to keep our fibre internet the long term. It went on to yourself that makes you at the mercy of Eskom’s load-
working during load-shedding, say, quoting an expert in the immune to the whims and shedding schedule. But, for now,
and the TV and Netflix running industry, that if you’re going woes of Eskom. it’s not financially viable. I also
for entertainment’s sake. It’s the off-grid route, you should All I can say is, for the time have concerns about theft of PV
nothing too fancy, but the large install a scaleable battery back- being, our simple little battery panels… None of the articles I’ve
deep-cycle battery, along with up system and inverter in your backup system is getting us read have ever really touched on
the inverter, seem to be doing house, at an initial cost of about through reasonably unscathed. this. Surely these panels, mounted
the job just fine. Well, for our R70 000. ‘Scaleable’ in a sense We can work from home, no on our roofs for all the world to
current needs, of course. that you can add photovoltaic matter if the power’s out or see, are highly vulnerable to
The article I read discussed panels at a later stage (at a cost not, and we simply have to plan theft? I’d be interested to know
the cost of going entirely off- of about R45 000), and other our lives a little more carefully, if anyone else has insight into
grid, should we as a country components, if and when your if load-shedding is going to fall this concern.
– Mark, Editor
reach a stage where grid budget allows. over meal-prep time. If you’re
WRITE TO US, ENGAGE IN DEBATE, and you could win an exciting prize.
The writer of this issue’s winning letter has won a WORX 20 V SwitchDriver
sponsored by Vermont Sales (vermontsales.co.za), valued at R4 369.
The writer of the winning letter to be Vermont Sales is Southern Africa’s
published in the July/August 2021 issue leading tool and accessory wholesaler,
will win a WORX 20 V cordless two-in- and has been providing top-rate services
one inflator/flashlight valued at R5 000. for more than 35 years. Over nearly four
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popularmechanics.co.za MAY / JUNE 2021 9