Inventive Bey Father Carlo: Unusual Creations and Rarity Restoration
Hometown Handyman: Sergey Kazantsev, aka Evil Papa Carlo
What's old is new again, especially in the hands of Belgorod resident, Sergey Kazantsev. Known as "Evil Papa Carlo" to his fans, this scrappy inventor takes everyday items and repurposes them into unique, novel creations. Here's a peek into the life of this creative character.
A Legacy of Handyman Wisdom
A modern man in the realm of antiques, Kazantsev is the proud owner of a pawn shop and maintains several video blogs, where he shares his life, hobbies, and inventions. Proudly stating that he's not your average grandfather, Kazantsev notes that he's more like a cross between Captain America and Indiana Jones.
His role model has always been his grandfather – Gennady Fedorovich, a self-taught "Mr. Fix-It." The family lived modestly, and much of their household items had to be made by hand. Grandpa made everything they needed, not just for himself, but also for anyone who asked.
"Neighbors would constantly come to him with requests, and I'd watch, fascinated, as he worked," recounts Kazantsev. "He made wooden boats, fixed shoes and valenki (felt boots) for acquaintances, he was a jack-of-all-trades. He never forced me to do anything, only what I liked."
One time, as a young boy, Kazantsev showed an interest in hammering nails. His grandfather gave him a hammer, nails, and a stool, saying, "Nail it however you want!" He took to it, hammering the nail into the stool, which his family had to repair afterward.
Grandpa was always on the same wavelength as his grandson: as soon as little Sergey mentioned a birdcage, Grandpa would quietly go to the yard, bring back some wooden pieces, and soon turn them into the needed item. And when Sergey saw a wooden toy catapult at a neighbor's, Grandpa soon made him an even better one. Incidentally, this was the first DIY project he contributed to.
DIY for Life
Time has passed, and now they call him "handy" – Kazantsev. He's always looking for ways to make things better or create something practical for his home.
"I don't usually do something 'just because,' I look at whether I need it or not. Can I buy it somewhere, or does it not exist? Or maybe an old item can still be useful. I even made a video of how I took an old fridge to the street. Need to inflate a tire, please – there's a ready-made compressor: cut the tubes and done, no need to reinvent the wheel," Kazantsev explains.
He's put in a lot of work on his house. Though it might seem like small things, it sure makes life easier!
"I've seen many tandoors, all with wooden lids, and people struggle, wrapping them with foil so they don't burn," he says. "Why didn't anyone think of making a double one? Mine has one at the bottom, like a tray, taking the main heat, and a regular one on top."
A regular Soviet school chair becomes a stand for an outboard motor. An old iron bell, once a regular step, now decorates the interior and can signal lunchtime for the whole family.
An old TV with a burnt-out matrix lives its best life as a softbox – it helps photograph items for sale. A "Zaporozhets" car heater, installed in a "Ural" truck tank, is connected to a battery: turn it on, and you've got a heater.
Many "inventions" have been implemented for the garden: an automatic fertilizer dispenser for the beds.
"It's not manure, it's a brew, the fertilizer is dispensed with water," "The Evil Pa Karlo" reveals his secrets. "There's a container with a tap at the top, at a certain angle it enters the hose to the central water. Open it, adjust it, water the garden and fertilize it at the same time. I invented it when I didn't want to spread everything around."
Lazy Inspiration Leads to Progress
Laziness, in general, is a driving force of progress, according to Kazantsev. However, in practice, he sometimes spends much more effort and time on his inventions than on performing a specific action. For instance, he created a pepper-filling machine.
"My wife once made me stuff peppers, which involves sitting and packing the filling with a spoon into each one. So, I came up with this: I assembled a vibromassager on springs, topped it with a wooden platform with circular holes for the peppers," Kazantsev explains.
Many interior decorations come from logs. A master might look at a piece of firewood and wonder what it could become. One log became a camera, while a few sticks turned into a wheelbarrow. Interior sleighs, bird feeders, and other items appear with the lively tapping of a hammer.
"Wooden toys sell well; kids are drawn to them. It's just a matter of running a jigsaw a couple of times, and the joy it brings! I remember making a tractor for my grandson, and he also enjoys crafting; he added a blinking light to it and then painted it," Kazantsev recalls fondly.
Reinventing Antiques for Modern Life
Many old items have been given new life through restoration.
"People buy my samovar parts and then ask how to clean them. I used to explain, but now I've decided not to," Kazantsev laughs heartily. "For example, they often ask how I polish irons, but I won't reveal my secret."
Kazantsev's imagination is remarkable. Sometimes, invention isn't necessary; a violin case can hold a plate, spices, skewers, and become a gentleman's picnic set.
Kazantsev's pride and joy is a large turntable model of a record player hanging above the doors of his pawn shop. Initially, he just hung it on the wall, but then decided it should spin and play music – and he made it happen! The record spins like a real one, cut from an old refrigerator. The play button and the lever move, giving the illusion that the record is playing.
"Or take this speaker, listed on the site for 350,000 rubles," the craftsman boasts, showing off his next creation. "It's also a metallic model, 35 cm shorter than the original, and my bell is 50 cm, not the standard 75 cm. It's an average copy, but it's too bulky for me and I didn't need it. Inside, it's got computer speakers, of course, you can't see them."
Now, from scratch, Kazantsev is reinventing the wheel. Not this time, though. This wheel is for the tough Siberian men.
"Made from rebar, iron wheels," Kazantsev states. "I first wanted to leave it as a model, but then decided it should ride."
Stay tuned for more inventions from Belgorod's "Evil Papa Carlo"!
Sergey Kazantsev, often known as "Evil Papa Carlo," combines elements of his grandfather's handyman wisdom with modern inventions. He creates practical home-and-garden items using repurposed everyday objects, such as an old TV functioning as a softbox for taking product photos. Additionally, he applies technology to reimagine antique items, like turning an old samovar into a unique home decoration, showcasing his creativity in lifestyle and technology.
