Rigging the Counterweight
Bending steel requires torque I cannot produce with one hand alone. I wedge the paperclip into the seam between the floorboard and the desk leg, then lean my full torso forward against the wire. It yields. Through three controlled cycles of foot pressure and leverage, I form a tight loop around the brass nut. Hooking the straightened end over my left shoulder socket takes five attempts, but the ballast now rests firmly against my flank. Walking a test grid along the baseboard confirms a zero-degree lateral tilt. The assembly holds.

