Milton Jones, technician, showcases his invention, which calibrates carburettors. - Photo by Rasbert Turner

It took only a Volkswagen engine and an iron frame to turn Milton Jones, a self-made auto-electronics specialist in Gordon Pen, St Catherine, into the hottest thing since the proverbial sliced bread.

His board-structure workshop proudly boasts the sign, 'C and A Plus Carburettor Actuator'. The grandiloquent pronouncement declares a passion for inventiveness that has piqued the interest of passers-by and elicited praise from residents and clients.

Inside his humble workshop on Marl Road is a veritable metallic behemoth - a mass of nuts, bolts, wires and gauges - that hums with hope.

Mr Fix-it

Jones, community Mr Fix-it and a big dreamer, beams with pride as he views his work-in-progress.

"Yes, man, a me dem call 'Carny' and a my little place dis and a me build this," he said, pointing to the multicoloured machine.

Jones, a carburettor technician, said that his hunger to experiment and boost his business potential spurred him to put heart and hands into action. He said it took him about three months to put the material together.

"The machine was born out of necessity, as we had a smaller one. However, it could not take the volume of work, so the Volkswagen engine and a battery started this one you're looking at." Jones told The Gleaner.

Makeshift treasure

He said his makeshift treasure is able to calibrate carburettors, especially twin-cams.

If Jones is proud, Gordon Pen is ecstatic. One of many low-income neigbourhoods near to Spanish Town, the community's reputation has been marred by crime and violence, which too often hog the headlines. But now, Gordon Pen might just have received the public relations polish it needs.

The esteem boost has spread to residents and patrons.

"You can see that the man is a genius, as he built the machine from the frame. Him only need to get the carburettors, as it work like a dream," remarked Edward Russell, a visitor to the shop.

"More of this type of development we want to see around here, instead of the bad vibes."

Another man, Guy Laing, was equally effusive.

"If the work was not impressive, then I would not be here. The carburettor in my Nissan stop working and the machine have it fixed without mi driving come here," said Guy Laing.

So pleased is Jones with his invention that he has even tried to have it patented, he said. However, those efforts crashed, because the core material was not built by him.

Further upgrades

While Jones continues to repair carburettors, he still has eyes on further upgrades to his calibrator. That sense of self-belief has not been lost on folks like his assistant, Glen Williams, who thinks the 'invention' could blow a wind of positive change through the community.

'Carny' the carburettor man could just be the man to rev up Gordon Pen.