ABOUT INSPIRING MACHINES

While wandering through an antique fair in Brimfield MA a few years ago I came upon a booth filled with old machines.  I was instantly curious.  One machine in the back caught my eye. I picked it up, looked at it from every angle, twisted its handle, and watched the machine spin into action.  For what purpose was it designed?

 

The machine in question was a U.S. Automatic Pencil Sharpener, patented in 1906.  It is pictured above.  It had never occurred to me that pencil sharpeners had ever looked any different from the rotary ones bolted to the walls of my elementary school classrooms.  But, in fact, in the 1800's there were hundreds of different pencil sharpener designs.  

 

It has been a pure joy collecting these old pencil sharpeners and admiring how each has a unique sharpening mechanism. What this experience underscored for me is that machines can inspire; they encourage curiosity, questioning, imagination, problem solving, and so much more.

 

​Inspiring Machines was founded to give children opportunities to experience the magic that can happen when they touch, prod, twist, turn, pull, spin, and unreservedly explore machines. ​I look forward to hearing your thoughts, feedback, and suggestions.  ​

 

Jillian Marcus

Founder

inspiringmachines @gmail.com