The Daring Book for Girls - Andrea J. Buchanan [36]
4. Screwdriver
The screwdriver not only gets screws where they’re going and takes them out, it can be used in a bazillion creative ways to do almost anything. Try a 6-in-1 screwdriver (which has six changeable heads). To get jobs done faster, we recommend a battery-operated screwdriver.
5. Screws
Screws and bolts live in those mysteriously thin cabinets in the back aisle of the hardware store, along with their friends, bolts, nuts, and washers. Tighten a nut on a bolt to keep things ultrasecure. A washer—that’s a flat circular object that slips on the bolt between the nut and the surface—protects the surface and helps tighten the nut.
Remembering the saying “righty-tighty, lefty-loosy” will help you recall which direction to turn a screw.
6. Wrench
Wrenches tighten and untighten the nuts that go at the end of bolts. They come in the openend (fixed size) variety, and the adjustable. A small set of open-end wrenches, or one adjustable wrench, should start you off well.
7. Pliers
For gripping objects, like a stuck faucet, get a versatile groove-joint pliers. Also handy is a needlenose pliers to grab small objects, like wire. It often has a little wire cutter built in (peek at the intersection of the handles and you’ll find it).
8. Glue Gun
When you can’t use screws, bolts, or nails, a glue gun saves the day, and is quite fun to operate. A small one should do, and don’t forget plenty of glue sticks to melt in it.
9. Tape Measure
A 16-foot retractable tape measure that can lock in place is a good start.
10. Saw
A saw is not for the very young, of course, but it’s a necessity for cutting wood to size and making shapes. A handsaw is a flat hand tool. A modern jigsaw is a power tool, activated by a trigger. All power tools are extremely dangerous if they are not used exactly as specified in their instructions, and you should always have adult supervision when operating them.
Hold long strips of wood on a sawhorse (a beam connected by four legs); cut small pieces of wood off the edge of a work table. Be careful, ask for help, and, as always, use your safety glasses.
11. Drill
To drill, start with an awl or center punch (hand tools that look like small spikes) to make an indentation in your surface so the drill bit won’t slip. Bits are the small cutting pieces you fit into your drill for each project.
A battery-operated power drill is very handy. It will come with a basic set of bits, or you can get a set if it doesn’t. There’s an art to matching up the right drill bit to the size of the hole you’ll need for the screw. If you know the size of the bolt or screw, that helps. Otherwise, the best we can tell you is to peer closely at the sizes and when in doubt try the smaller bit first. Experience will make it all the more clear. As always, keep the twirling drill bit far from your body, or anywhere it can do harm.
Once you have your own toolbox, you might begin to truly love the hardware store. You’ll stand for hours looking at the display of unique drill bits to make holes in metal, brick, plastic, or stone; at the sander attachment that can remove paint or brush wood’s rough edges clean; at the buffer that smoothes it to perfection. You’ll handle each one carefully, and after much deliberation with the burly hardware store guy about the pros and cons of each, take some home to try out on a project of your own imagination.
Going to Africa
TRAVELING TO DISTANT COUNTRIES and experiencing different cultures is extremely daring. It can sometimes be disorienting at first, as you adjust to the language barriers and foreign foods and customs, but the rewards often more than make up for the challenges. A well-planned trip to Africa offers incredible history, mind-blowing sights, and once-in-a-lifetime adventures. Before you go, make sure to read up on the facts, like the ones below.
ALGERIA
Declared independence in 1962 from France
Languages: Arabic, French, Berber dialects
Adventures: The 400,000 palm trees of the Sahara oasis town of Timimoun, and El-Oued, the Town of a Thousand Domes