Using a Wire Saw to Carve Pumpkins
Great pro tip for meticulous pumpkin-crafters who just can’t get the level of detail they need with knives. Courtesy of Instructables user Brna.
techniques
How-To: Anodize Aluminum Without Strong Acid
If you’ve ever wanted to experiment with aluminum anodizing but were put off by the conventional requirement for concentrated sulfuric acid, you will be very interested to read of Ken’s successes with an alternate process using the acidic sodium salt of sulfuric acid. This salt, sodium bisulfate (NaHSO4) is much safer to transport, handle, and dispose of than the strong acid, and appears to give anodizing results that are just as good or better.
Tape Up a Coffee Filter to Catch Drill Dust
Clever idea I first saw in a recent issue of The Family Handyman. The flat-folding “cone” style filters will be easier to handle. It’s similar to the Post-It note trick, but less likely to leak out the sides. See also, e.g., the coffee cup trick for catching debris while drilling overhead.
How To: Form-Fitting Drawer-Liners from T-Shirts and Canned Foam
Turn a T-shirt and foam into the perfect in-drawer tool storage.
How-To: Cast A Bowl Between Two Balloons
Interesting experimental process, thoroughly documented in photos and on video, from designer Maarten De Ceulaer. [via NOTCOT]
How-To: Make Your Own Damn Springs
Idahoan Dean Williams used to make a living by repairing vintage mechanical cameras. If you’ve ever pulled your hair out trying to replace a small spring that hasn’t been manufactured since the factory was bombed by Göring’s Luftwaffe, you may be interested in his well-documented DIY method. Dean’s trick for annealing them inside a wad of steel wool in a toaster oven is worth a click all by itself. His entire site, in fact, will likely be of interest to those who appreciate close mechanical work.
Engraved Plastic + Black Crayon = High Contrast Panels
Effective, easy, inexpensive process from Briton James Williamson. Well-documented, too. James starts with laser-engraved panels, rubs them with black crayon, and removes the excess with a buffing process using paper soaked in mineral spirits. Nice work, James! [via Hacked Gadgets]
