Tag Archives: DIY + Hacks

Whack-It: A Handle-less Hammer for Hard to Reach Nails

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Because nails often need to be driven in hard-to-reach places at inopportune angles, the Whack-It makes it possible thanks to its compact, handle-less design. Made of solid brass, the Whack-It is available in two sizes (1.5″ x .75″ small and 2″ x 1″ large) and is capable of whacking whatever, whenever.

Currently an already-funded Kickstarter project, small Whack-Its cost $22 and large ones $32, with a combo available for $54. That’s a savings of $0 – what a steal! I just bought a whole bunch of them for stocking stuffers this holiday season. I imagine they’ll be perfect for cracking nuts or threatening a relative that starts talking politics at Christmas dinner.

You can either use your own striking force to hit things by swinging the Whack-It or smacking the back of it with something else (I’m thinking a hammer). My wife just suggested I buy one to knock some sense into myself. I think she was kidding. I take that back; I don’t actually think she was kidding; I only hope she was kidding.

[via DudeIWantThat]

Guys Successfully 3D Print a Functional Wheel Rim

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Because 3D printing offers a glimpse into the future, Jón Schone of YouTube channel Proper Printing used the technology to print a car rim that can successfully be driven on without failing and causing a horrific accident. And, after some trial and error (the first prototype failed due to layer separation caused by the tire pressure stretching the rim), he was finally able to produce a functional rim. Still, would I trust my life to it? Absolutely not.

You know, in the future, we won’t even have spare tires; we’ll have onboard robots that can manufacture any broken car part in a matter of minutes so we can quickly be on our way without getting a tow truck or shifty backwoods mechanic involved. Will I live to see that future? Probably not, but maybe my grandchildren would if I had any.

Last weekend, I actually told my wife I was thinking about buying a 3D printer, and she immediately asked what I need one for. It took some time to explain that it wasn’t so much a need as it was a desire, and that’s when she shut down the idea. Now I’m left with no choice but to buy one behind her back and set it up in the guest bedroom closet without her knowledge.

[via TechEBlog]

3D Printed R/C Ice Vehicle Is Triple Axel Ready

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The brainchild of Simon Sörensen of YouTube channel RCLifeOn, this R/C vehicle was designed specifically with traversing ice in mind. Inspired by the one-wheeled motorcycle from 2003’s Spy Kids 3 (I must have missed that), the vehicle was constructed using 3D printed parts and features a brushless motor powering a spiked rear wheel via a chain drive with steering provided by two repurposed ice skating blades. I’m sure his younger sibling won’t miss those.

After an initial driving test, Simon had to tweak the steering to tighten an unacceptably wide turning radius, but after that, the vehicle appears to perform fairly well. That’s good too because you’re not going to take home the gold model in figure skating if you have to use the entire width of the rink just to perform a 360°.

Simon says he’s pleased with the result but plans on making an even better version sometime in the future. And I, for one, can’t wait to strap two of those suckers to my feet and terrorize everyone at the ice skating rink Wile E. Coyote style.

[via TechEBlog]

RC Shrek The Swamp Engine: Move Over, Thomas!

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Inspired by the DreamWorks movies (and presumably at least one fever dream), YouTube channel Studson Studio decided to build a Shrek-themed R/C tank engine. In the video, Studson takes us all aboard for the entire locomotive journey, steaming along from concept to the very last stop. Those were a bunch of train references in case you didn’t notice.

The train’s powerhouse is a small R/C car, and its Shrek head is from a PEZ dispenser, but the rest of the train is constructed almost entirely out of found objects, including a toilet paper holder for the boiler, wooden coffee stirrers, Pogs for the wheels, thumbtacks for the bumpers, and broken sticks. The final result is most impressive, and would undoubtedly give Thomas the Tank Engine a run for his money hauling terrified train cars.

Some people are just so talented. It’s a shame I didn’t get any of that talent. I’m only really good at starting projects, getting frustrated with the way they’re going, and abandoning them half-finished. Oh — and breaking things. I’m also great at breaking things.

[via SolidSmack]

Denture Shaped Hex Bit Holder: Open Wide!

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Because nightmares come in all shapes and sizes, this particular bad dream happens to come in the shape and size of a drill and screwdriver bit holder that looks like a pair of dentures. 3D printed by Etsy seller MacGyverDood, $50 will get you a pair of empty dentures, and $70 will get you the dentures with a 100-piece screwdriver and drill bit set so you can fill it with your most frequently used “teeth.” I don’t even own a pair yet, and I’m already afraid to go anywhere near my tool chest.

Available in a variety of different colors, the dentures hold bits in each of their 28 tooth holes (plus an extra in the floor of the mouth because why not?) thanks to embedded neodymium magnet magnets, so your bits won’t fall out when you don’t want them to. Of course, if you ever catch your dentist reaching for a full-size drill bit from their denture bit holder, it’s time to swing that spotlight at them and make a run for the door.

Am I going to buy one just so I can put the drill and screwdriver bits under my pillow to see if the tooth fairy will bring me a dollar? Yes. Will it work? I suppose that depends on how poor the tooth fairy’s vision is. She doesn’t fall for pebbles or pieces of chalk, though; I do know that.

[via DudeIWantThat]

The World’s Smallest Power Tools Are Impossibly Tiny

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Dream it, and you can achieve it. And apparently, YouTuber Enos Camare dreamed of the world’s smallest power tools – a 1/12 scale cordless Makita impact driver and circular saw and made them a reality. Clearly, these are an absolute must for any dollhouse home improvement projects you may have, and my dolls are finally going to get the finished basement they deserve.

He created the miniature tool using 3D-printed parts designed in SolidWorks 3D CAD software, and the corded circular saw includes a carry case and instruction manual and changeable blades. The impact driver also comes with a carrying case and instruction manual but features a functional battery charging station and battery pack for cordless operation and is trigger-operated with changeable bits. Wow, that is impressive. Now do a tiny chainsaw next so I can clear the trees around my dollhouse and install a pool!

The great thing about this is if Enos ever gets shrunk like in Honey I Shrunk The Kids, he’ll be able to use his miniature power tools to build himself a tiny home to live in until he’s discovered and restored to regular size. Or, should I say, if he’s restored to regular size. Unshrinking people isn’t as easy as they made it look in the movie.

[via BoingBoing]

BAGO Glovebox Clip Keeps Bags Standing Upright While Driving

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Filed under products I didn’t know I needed but am now questioning how I ever lived without, the BAGO keeps bags standing upright in your car while driving to help prevent spills or damage to their contents. The product consists of a plastic anchor that can be closed in your car’s glovebox and a seatbelt-like strap with a metal spring clamp at the end that can be attached to bags sitting in the passenger side footwell to keep them standing upright. What a time to be alive!

Currently an already-funded Kickstarter project and now on Indiegogo, $22 will get you a BAGO when they’re shipped around May. Will you be purchasing one? Or will you continue to put your groceries in the trunk like a caveperson? Get with the times! Alternatively, you can accidentally leave a grocery bag on the roof of your car, as I did a few weeks ago, and spill everything as you’re backing out of the parking spot. I’ve never seen bananas so bruised before.

And to think, just 30 years ago, human passengers didn’t even have to wear seatbelts. Now even our shopping bags are wearing them! And while this certainly is a problem solver if you’re traveling with an open can of paint or nuclear material, what I really need is something that prevents me from locking my keys in the car because I’m really not sure how I’m getting home from work today.

The Santasizer: 11 Synchronized Synthesized Dancing Santas

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Crafted by musical mad scientist Sam Battle of Youtube channel Look Mum No Computer, the Santasizer isn’t an antibacterial hand gel to help keep the coronavirus at bay, but eleven dancing Santa toys from the 90’s connected to a synthesizer that reacts to the input being played through them. Fingers crossed, my company booked them for this year’s holiday party!

In the video, Sam and the Santas perform a funky rendition of the Christmas classic ‘God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,’ complete with all the Santas’ sunglasses moving up and down as they bob to the beat. I only wish I could dance that well, then maybe people wouldn’t point and laugh so much when I hit the dance floor, usually with my head or face.

Now Sam just needs to install lasers in all of Santa’s eyes, so whenever they lift their sunglasses, they produce a laser light show, and he’s got himself a Christmas concert I would pay to go see! Not that I’m not excited to go see my nieces and nephews sing a bunch of carols off-key, there’s just always a very noticeable lack of laser beams.

[via Laughing Squid]

Real Cracked Log Lamps: For That Campfire Feeling Indoors

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There’s nothing quite like telling stories around a campfire. But what if you’re inside? And what if you don’t have a fireplace like me? Enter Tasmanian artist Duncan Meerding’s beautifully crafted Cracked Log Lamps, salvaged pieces of wood that he’s outfitted with a lightbulb socket inside so they glow warmly through the cracks. Quick, you turn the log on, I’ll run out and get the ingredients to make s’mores!

Duncan is legally blind with only 5% of his sight remaining, so he works in the medium of light and shadow because they’re still elements he can perceive and harness with his limited visibility. Work with what you’ve got – my dad always used to tell me that, but I never knew what it meant until now. A much more profound message than I gave it credit for at the time.

The logs are available with a natural or charred finish and cost around $270 apiece, meaning I’ll probably try making my own for cheaper and failing miserably before deciding to buy one professionally crafted by Duncan. I only hope I don’t accidentally burn the house down during my little learning experience.

[via DudeIWantThat]

Animatronic Alien Xenomorph Rocks out on Guitar

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Xenomorphs: they’re just misunderstood aliens that want to rock out, not kill. Case in point: this small animatronic xenomorph built by Danny Huynh that jams out on guitar. Free Bird! Admittedly, I would still have a hard time feeling comfortable being a groupie.

The animatronic’s basic tempo is controlled via knobbed servos, with its finer movements operated via radio controls so Danny can make the xenomorph’s motion correspond to the song it’s performing. Most impressive. Still, when reached for comment whether she’d ever attend a live concert, Ellen Ripley replied, “Only in an exoskeletal P-5000 Powered Work Loader.” Smart thinking.

Below is a video of an earlier iteration of the rocking alien performing Metallica’s ‘The Unforgiven,’ an appropriate song considering I doubt all those Colonial Marines have forgiven and forgotten what the aliens did to them. Now Danny just needs to build a Predator that can play drums and this duo can take their music on tour!

[via The Awesomer]