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On Jun 6, 2008, at 9:00 AM, Joshua Larson wrote:
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology  
> Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related  
> institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
>
> It seems to me that the take aparts I've witnessed are more about
> mindless unscrewing than anything else.  How can a person assess  
> whether
> or not a part is cool if there is no essential usefulness for the  
> part within the activity?
>

Josh,

Well, better mindless unscrewing than mindless screwing!  But,  
seriously, I think you may be looking at take apart activities through  
a too narrow lens.  It doesn't have to be about reusing the parts in  
some "creative" way.  Simply exploring the insides of things to see  
how they go together is a fine way to spend an hour - or some good  
part of a lifetime, as I have done.  For some kids, opportunities to  
use tools are sadly rare.  For others, the puzzle of disassembly is a  
perfect challenge to exercise problem solving skills. And for all, to  
see how things come apart is the best training to learn how to put  
things together.   Take apart, for example, an old Underhill  
typewriter, if you have the privilege, or a crashed hard drive, if you  
have given up on ever extracting your lost data.  The value of the  
parts you scavenge for reuse, in my mind, is far less that the value  
of the insights gleaned from an up-close look at the marvelous guts of  
such everyday objects.

As for capacitors, there are only a few that hold a high voltage  
charge long enough be of any concern.  The real warning needs to be  
more general: use caution and good sense about any disassembly  
activity.  Vacuum cleaners, suggested by an earlier commenter, should  
really be avoided unless you are willing to provide dust masks to all  
participants.  Electromechanical devices can be covered with thick,  
messy grease, printers and copiers are pandora's boxes of used toner,  
and circuit boards older than a couple of years have lead alloy  
solder.  I wouldn't put anything out for public take apart unless you  
already have a good idea what's inside it.


Happy deconstruction,

Tom Nielsen
The Exhibit Guys


>

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