I’m talking about non human bodies (shapes) that make my fingers twitch and pull my hands towards them like irresitable magnets.
An air foil. By that I mean a wing of a small airplane and especially a sail plane. I just can’t keep from running my hand on the leading edge and surface of the wing. I can almost sense the air flowing along the surface and the lift the flow generates.
Same goes for a sail on a boat. An air foil as well. The swell of a full sail and the way the wind shapes a perfectly tuned sail. The vibration it sends through the mast and shrouds to the hull of the boat beneath my feet. It’s almost magical.
I have the same irresitable compulsion to run my hand along the hull of a sailboat in dry dock. The shape seems to glide while sitting still.
I have a great appreciation for well designed cars as well but very few cars have tempted me to run my hands along their surface. I want to drive a car and push it’s limits while feeling the power through the wheel and seat but that’s a control and skill kind of thing, not so much an appreciation of the shape.
I’m a big car buff. Not as big as a few hardcore buffs here… but pretty keen on things automotive. I can list many cars (old and new) that strike my fancy and many enthusiasts would agree with me. Still, they don’t make me want to reach out and stroke the skin. But drive it like it’s stolen – sure!
Umm, how 'bout a 1965 Cobra I encountered in a car show? I did in fact run my hand over the aluminum skin. Nice.
Then there was this P-51 Mustang I helped push back into a hangar. There was some oil in the intoake cowling. I put my finger iin it. I almost climaxed. That was the best ever.
For me, just about any small fiddly metal thing. The more moving parts, the better. I’ve got my leatherman right here… I spend far more time opening/closing and generally playing with it than I spend actually using it. Usually I end up taking whatever object apart… if it’s got screws, somebody meant you to unscrew them, right? It’s probably not good that I have a set of torx and various other uncommon screwdriver bits.
I usually refrain from messing with primarily plastic gadgets… inevitably theyr’e held together by flimsy plastic clips that break when you pry them apart.
