To expand Stephen Fry's TV programme about Gutenberg they got a craftsman to build a replica of G's original printing press. This required him to carve a huge screw out of wood and both the end-product and the sawing/chiselling process were a delight to contemplate. But a screw is no use if it has no mirror-image to engage with and even the most adept carpenter would find it difficult to carve a thread on the inside surface of a hole. But those medieval woodsmiths knew a thing or two. Drill a pilot hole and introduce a shaft embedded with three metal blades. Rotate the shaft and, providing the measurements were correct, the female thread emerges. Voila!
TECHNO-ART You may not recall the name of the painting but chances are you'll recognise it when you see it. Totes Meer (Dead Sea) by Paul Nash is a moon-washed seascape cluttered with the wreckage of Luftwaffe planes. It's the authenticity of the latter that gives the painting its power and memorability.
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