Toolsday

The Lost Art of Aztec Prismatic Blades

Start talking about flintknapping, and most people probably think of arrowheads or other projectile points. Though made using essentially the same fundamental techniques, a “prismatic blade” is a very different animal. In the archaeological record, prismatic blades appear as long, thin flakes of stone, usually having two parallel cutting edges and a trapezoidal or triangular cross-section. A few modern flintknappers make prismatic blades, but the leading light (online, at least) is probably Californian Jim Winn, aka paleomanjim.

Continue Reading March 26th, 2013 Sean Michael Ragan12

11 From 11: Apollo Moonshot Tools

In 1969, human beings first set foot on the moon. The mission was Apollo 11. Here are eleven tools that helped us do it. These are not rockets, spaceships, or robots–though those are certainly “tools,” in their own way–but humbler implements, having more in common with the bone club (to use the 2001 metaphor) than the satellite. But that is precisely why they are remarkable.

Continue Reading March 19th, 2013 Sean Michael Ragan6

How-To: ShapeLock Sanding Blocks

Inspired by the Sandables concept that recently made the rounds, we’ve been experimenting with adding abrasive grit to polycaprolactone (aka ShapeLock) thermoplastic to make rigid sanding blocks that can be reformed, with mild heating, to fit into hard-to-reach nooks and crannies on your work.

Continue Reading March 5th, 2013 Sean Michael Ragan8

Tool Tales: The Pump Drill

A pump drill is an ancient tool traditionally been used to generate friction heat for starting fires, as well as for boring holes. The principle of a pump drill’s operation is similar to the button spinner or whirligig, in which rotational momentum is built and maintained by repeated twisting and untwisting of a cord. After reading about them in a book about primitive technology, I got interested in the idea of a “modern” pump drill, operating on the same principle as the ancient tool but manufactured from industrial-age materials instead of wood, stone, and bone.

Continue Reading February 26th, 2013August 31st, 2015 Sean Michael Ragan8

Tool Tales: A Pivotal Piece of History

Recently, I’ve been learning how to repair antique clocks under the guidance of clock expert Bob Frishman. When assembling a clock, there are many axles with pivots on the end that must be fitted within the holes in the clock’s plates. It is one of those jobs that seems to require ten hands. A pivot locator is a long, thin tool used to gently nudge the pivots into place. You can buy them, but I’ve come to love the one shown here. It’s handmade, but not by me.

Continue Reading February 19th, 2013 Dug North18

Tool Review: Barch Designs Raspberry PiHolder

I’ll admit it: I’m an enclosure geek. From the sleek, brushed-metal case I got for my first Mini-ITX computer, to the sheet steel box I wrapped around the electronics in my Nerf Sentry Gun build, I put a lot of thought into selecting the right case for the job. For my new Raspberry Pi Model B computer, however, I didn’t have to think very long. Not after I first laid eyes on the Barch Designs Raspberry PiHolder.

Continue Reading February 12th, 2013 John Edgar Park2

Tool Tales: The Case of the Rattling Awl

The first car I remember my parents owning was a 1977 Chevrolet station wagon—blue, with fake wood paneling on the sides. A few months after buying the car, Dad reports, something within the passenger-side rear compartment wall, near the spare tire stowage, began to rattle. Soon, the noise irritated him enough that he disassembled the interior paneling to find and silence it.

Continue Reading February 5th, 2013 Sean Michael Ragan48