The latest DIY ideas, techniques and tools for bikes, rockets, R/C vehicles, toys and other diversions.
There was a lot of excitement over the Lego paper punch kits I posted about last month, as well as some upset that they aren’t currently available in the United States. Filth Wizardry took matters into her own hands and started experimenting with using a standard hole punch and paint chips. After a few tries, […]
Windmil of the future? The latest advancement in kite fighting? Kitesurfing robots? The Festo CyberKite deftly controls the graceful movements of a rather large kite with relative ease.
Spotted on the corner of 15th and P St., in Washington, DC, and posted on ReadysetDC. Bike of the Day: 15th + P
Over at NYCResistor, Devon shows off his handmade satchel of durability plus some of the unique pieces it holds therein. Perfect accessory for your next renaissance fair outing! Related: Chainmail chess set
James Yawn’s site Recrystallized Rocketry has lots of great information about DIY rocketry, including this great tutorial about mounting a video camera. This hot pink rocket is called the “sugar rush,” because it is powered by Yawn’s homemade potassium nitrate/sugar rocket fuel. [Thanks, Kenneth!]
The key to the process is that the metallic aluminum is present as a nano-scale powder, and its oxidation by water thus occurs over a huge surface area and therefore proceeds very quickly, releasing amazing amounts of energy. The video starts with the acoustic mixing of the nano-aluminum with water to make a gray paste which is frozen, in a mold, to make a tubular rocket motor. It then proceeds through various test-bench firings and culminates (at 4:00) in the launch of an actual rocket using the mixture.
From the MAKE Flickr pool Sean_st shares pics of his homegrown Settlers of Catan boardgame. He even carved his own buildings and roads from soapstone & alabaster! Have a closer look at his work on Flickr.
