Built using simple materials like bamboo and biodegradable plastic, Massoud Hassani’s Mine Kafons are kinetic sculptures that save lives. Carried by the wind, the tumbling dandelion-shaped orbs cover large swaths of land scattered with abandoned land mines. As the plastic pads that cover its outer surface detonates the ordnance, the device absorbs the impact of the blast with minimal damage.
It can be cocked, rendered safe, loaded, cycled, field-stripped, and even fired, so long as the load is no stronger than a bit of homemade primer. And though it’s clear that the coil springs, at least, are actually metal parts, the rest of it is nothing more than carefully cut, laminated, glued, shaped, and painted paper.
Youtube user TopCityGear had experimented with a nerf blowgun before, but decided he wanted a bit more capability. The result is an air-powered gun made from PVC, a gutted cordless drill, and a sprinkler valve.
Korehira Watanabe is one of the last remaining Japanese swordsmiths. He has spent 40 years honing his craft in an attempt to recreate Koto, a type of sword that dates back to the Heian and Kamakura periods (794-1333 AD). No documents remain to provide context for Watanabe’s quest, but he believes he has come close […]
I’d like to introduce what I hope will be a recurring feature here on Intern’s Corner: a peek at what we interns have in our cars. To kick things off, let’s have a look at Dan’s Jeep, shall we?
I have before identified Instructables user Mrballeng as a craftsman’s craftsman, and this latest offering only serves to reinforce that opinion. His work is not flashy or complex, but it’s always thought out with exacting detail and does amazing things with everyday materials. Here, he uses a mini-lathe to bore, swage, and align two .30-06 cartridge cases before soldering them together, at the joint, and fitting the guts of a refillable plastic click-pen inside. Cool stuff.
Slingshot artificer Jörge Sprave is at it again. This time he’s made a vicious slingshot (no surprise there), but with a second business end — a deadly counter-weighted spike, aka the Zombie Hammer.
