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Hi! My name is Adam and I'm the creator of the Marbleocity® product line.
When I was a kid I loved machines, contraptions and, of course, marble ramps. I also loved
building models but I found the plastic materials unsatisfying and model cement hard to
work with. Today, amazing laser-cutting technology exists to craft highly detailed shapes
out of wood. The real wood parts in your kit have a great tactile feel and can be assembled
easily with household white glue.
The kit that you are about to build was carefully designed to be a great maker experience
that you’ll enjoy in and of itself. But beyond that there’s a little physics and a lot of
engineering experience waiting for you. The graphic novel that begins on the next page
will teach you about a really clever engineering innovation that was originally designed
thousands of years ago! Although conceptualized in ancient times, the Archimedes Screw
still has useful applications today in our modern world!
Another goal of this Marbleocity maker project is to show how you – yes, you! – can build a seemingly complex
machine out of simple parts. Simple parts become sub-assemblies and sub-assemblies come together to
construct an amazing, working machine that you built yourself. So grab your glue and let’s get started!
Adam B. Hocherman
Chief Tinkineer
GETTING HELP FROM OUR COMMUNITY
Have a question about a step you’re working on? Need a video tutorial? We’re
building a community of Tinkineers – just like you! Please visit us online at
Tinkineer.com/community.
LEARNING MORE
Today you'll be building your very own model that utilizes an Archimedes
Screw to lift marbles up in order to perform useful work ... well, in order to
do something fun, anyway! If you’d like to learn more about the Archimedes
Screw (and other clever engineering mechanisms) start at Wikipedia.org. You
can also find a variety of cool videos highlighting real-world applications on
YouTube.
A NOTE ABOUT SAFETY
The kit that you are about to assemble is designed for children and adults ages
8+. It contains marbles and other small parts that can be a choking hazard for
children under 3 years old. If you have younger siblings or other small children
living in your household, please keep these small parts safely out of their reach.
Archimedes Screw_Inst.indd 3 5/10/18 4:00 PM
