The Mechanical Bratwurst - The Inventions of Master Locksmith Walter Günther

In the past, life pulsated in Frankfurt's backyards, where a wide variety of businesses often went about their work. Although the most important business is now done in bank towers or modern shopping malls, the fascinating wind of the past still blows in many of Frankfurt's backyards. This is also the case in a back house in the Nordend, where master locksmith and tinkerer Walter Günther has his workshop. Inspired by his passion for mechanics, Günther gives free rein to his many ideas here. Sometimes through a direct order, sometimes simply on a whim, many wonderful devices have been created over the years that sometimes make Walter Günther seem like the McGyver of the Nordend. What the man conjures out of simple everyday objects is simply magnificent.

But since his inventions are all unique and therefore not for sale, Günther came up with the idea of making his devices accessible to the interested public, at least in the form of a book. The result is "Die Mechanische Bratwurst", an entertaining and fascinating illustrated book that not only offers an insight into Walter Günther's workshop, but also presents some of his inventions in more detail. In an informative, amusing and comprehensible way, Günther explains how he came up with the ideas for the world's only hand-operated percussion drill, for example, or the sausage grilling machine that gives the book its title. A pot with the help of which potatoes can be perfectly cooked (the so-called Aldentomat), a foam kiss throwing machine, a candle that goes out after a pre-set time or a lighter of a very special kind, all this can be discovered by the interested reader here. And of course the Bembelwächter and the Servietten-Willi, which was even close to going into production, must not be missing.

In a time when technology takes place in electronic miniature parts and is usually only used by the consumer, but not understood, Walter Günther makes mechanical processes tangible again. The best example of this is a corkscrew that you can't just carry around with you, but where every single process can be traced exactly.

Walter Günther's machines all run entirely without electricity, without batteries, but solely through mechanical processes. And through the enormous passion that Günther has put into each of his projects. And this passion can be clearly felt in this book. Both in the pictures photographed by Matthias Wenger and in the texts, which are presented not only in German but also in English. A wonderful book that can be warmly recommended not only to recreational tinkerers.

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp