Pedal powered computer
The OLPC Afghanistan team rigged up this pedal-powered generator for the OLPC.
Month: October 2009
Help me write my next Toolbox column
The theme for my next Make: Online Toolbox column is “Maker Sartorial,” looking at clothing and accessories as tools for makers. In other words, what shirts, pants, shoes, belt pouches/holsters, pocket-contents, etc. do you carry, either when you’re at work, engaged in your hobbies, or otherwise doing makery type stuff, whether for work or pleasure. […]
How-To: Hitchcock Halloween Decor
Meg on Decor it Yourself shows us how to turn your house into a haunted Hitchcock-inspired abode, great for that spooky Halloween party you’ve been planning!
How-To: Embroidered Corner Bookmark
Here’s a brilliant way to incorporate a little embroidery into your reading routine. Kirsty of Kootoyoo shares how to make a corner bookmark from scrap cardboard and muslin. I love this alternative to the standard rectangle bookmark, and even more clever is the way she’s used the “X Marks The Spot” motif! [via @SisterDiane]
Very small hollow metal spheres
Tiny metal spheres are needed for tiny ball valves and tiny ball bearings, which are needed for all kinds of miniaturized machines. Hollow spheres are lighter, and thus have less inertia, and thus can be made to move faster in these very small applications, where response time is often critical. But how do you make a hollow metal sphere 2mm across? Turns out you can do it with one of the lost foam processes I’m always going on about. Tiny styrofoam beads are first coated with fine metal powder and a binder, then heat-treated to evaporate both binder and bead, leaving only a fragile hollow metal powder shell, which is then sintered into a continuous shell at higher temperature. The sintered shells can then be polished in a tumbler to the same exterior finish as regular ball bearings.
How-To: Dog as Grapes Costume
If your dog is docile enough (or even not?), you could try dressing it up as a bunch of grapes for Halloween. Might be good for just the photo-op, even.
In my day, we didn’t have oscilloscopes … we used fire!
If you should have the opportunity to visit Paris’ Musée des arts et métiers, you’d be wise to clear your schedule for the day. Even after reading Brian Jepson’s recent post covering this maker’s museum, I was unprepared for the sheer size, depth and general awesomeness of the collection. From early astrolabes and handmade scientific […]