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Clockwork submarine
he submarines and boats that I build are made
entirely from everyday tin cans, from baked bean
tins to biscuit and chocolate tins. There are no
heavy press machines, it’s all done by hammer and
hand – the most sophisticated tool I use is a drill.
The clockwork motors are made from old alarm clocks
and broken old toys available from charity shops for a couple of quid –
and again, each one I hand-build.
The reason I make these things is because, firstly, I get a real kick
from turning junk into something which will still work in 100 years’
time, and still do exactly what it’s supposed to. Modern mass-
produced stuff has no soul, it’s tossed aside for something new with
hardly a thought. This is not good – so perhaps my interest could
possibly inspire a younger generation? Who knows. What I do know
is that generations of androgynous drones hell-bent on pseudo-
stardom is not what made Britain; it was engineers, physicists,
scientists, mathematicians, and inventors from Darwin to Brunel,
Newton to Turing. These are the people we need, not dancers!T
By Neil Mclaren mclarenclockworksubmarines.comRight
This model was
inspired by Captain
Nemo’s Nautilus and
Gerry Anderson’s
Stingray