How-To: DIY-chic hi-hat stand
I’ve been a drummer since I was 15, and I can tell you: Sturdy drum hardware is expensive. Sturdy drum hardware that looks this cool is priceless.
Oh, wait…no it’s not. Turns out it costs $23.
tutorials
How-To: Make a piece of translucent concrete
This tutorial by Instructables user nepheron shows you how to embed ordered optical fibers in cast cement to produce a small lump of concrete that will transmit light. It’s based on Litracon, a commercial architectural material that, I believe, invented the concept. I’ve been considering a very similar “cast your own translucent cinder-block” type tutorial for the Make: Projects series for some time.
How-To: Make a wax seal from a piece of closet rod
I’m having a hard time figuring out how to affix these things to my outgoing e-mails, but this tutorial from Derek & Kim at Ragehaus on how to make a monogram signet from a piece of closet-rod is pretty cool, anyway. It’s well-written, has great photography, and the process it describes is inexpensive, easy, and produces good-looking results. [Thanks, Billy Baque!]
Learning Objects for Electronics, a free electronics tutorials website
MAKE subscriber Matt writs in to share this comprehensive electronics tutorial site, Learning Objects for Electronics:
How-To: Elegantly simple squirrel-proof bird feeder
I love this bird-feeder tutorial from Instructables user me13lake. It’s not flashy (indeed, with a title like “Small simple horizontally mounted squirrel resistant/proof bird feeder that requires no specialist tools to make,” I’m guessing it was written by a scientist or engineer) but it’s well thought-out, easy and inexpensive to make, and it looks like it would work very well. The clear squirrel-guard rotates freely so they can’t get a grip, and can be made from a 2-liter plastic bottle. Or you could try cutting one from a glass bottle.
