Tag Archives: metal

This self-made engraved metal mouse is craftsmanship at its finest

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We’ve seen a few interesting takes on the computer mouse, most of them trying to put a more ergonomic spin on a device that has changed little in the past decades. There are some that do defy commonly held standards in order to create an artful masterpiece that probably wouldn’t pass usability tests. And then there are those that end up making our jaws drop in how they turn a utilitarian piece of technology into an elaborate luxury item. It might not be made out of gold, but this metal mouse puts those expensive mice to shame by the sheer amount of details and the fact that it was all crafted by hand at someone’s personal workshop.

Designer: Uri Tuchman

The basic design of the mouse hasn’t changed that much ever since the day it was first revealed to the public in 1968. You have a mostly rectangular piece of plastic with buttons on its head for clicking and some mechanism to actually map hand movements to the digital cursor on the screen. That mouse was never designed for comfort or efficiency, so designers and engineers have tried to refine that design over the years without completely throwing the mouse concept out the window.

There are also some that have instead tried to glorify the electronic rodent with a different form or representation. We’ve seen transparent or leather-encased mice, mice that look like whales, and mice that can be flat-packed when not in use. This handcrafted mouse definitely takes the cake, though, because every part is made from scratch from metal, except for the electronics, of course.

There’s almost something mesmerizing about seeing metal getting whittled down to size and shape, presuming you have your speakers muted. It’s even more mind-blowing when you learn that each piece of the mouse, other than the electronics where cut and shaped from raw pieces of metal. Not a single part, including the slots for the screws as well as the mouse wheel, was bought from stores. But that was only the tip of the iceberg.

Each visible side of the mouse except the bottom is filled with ornamental patterns. And all these patterns were drawn and then engraved by hand. Yes, each of the flowing curves and shapes was painstakingly chiseled manually, with no assistance from a computer or a robot. The time-lapsed video makes it look too easy, but the intricate details clearly took hours and days of work.

This beautifully engraved mouse does also work, though it’s hard to imagine it will be a comfortable experience in the long run. Of course, the project wasn’t made for ergonomics in the first place, so that’s not a fair point against it. It’s a handsome piece of art, without a doubt, and the fact that it actually works is just the icing on top.

The post This self-made engraved metal mouse is craftsmanship at its finest first appeared on Yanko Design.

Giant Metal Razor Blades: For the Quickest Shave

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Because art means different things to different people, Lance Barnett of Etsy shop BarnettPrototyping creates giant reproductions of double-sided razor blades. While typical razor blades measure about 1.5″ wide, these measure a respectable 5″ wide, 2.75″ tall, and 0.25″ thick – more than three times the size of a normal blade. Now I should be able to shave my entire face with only two or three strokes total!

Available in stainless steel ($50), brass ($74), and titanium ($125), the blades feature a beveled but unsharpened blade for safety purposes. I mean, you weren’t actually going to try shaving with one, were you? Because I was. Otherwise, what’s the point?!

Lance suggests the giant blade can be used as a scraper, paperweight, desk object, conversation piece, or even sharpened and used as a knife. He never explicitly suggests you use it as a weapon, but I’m great at reading between the lines. Or, should I say, misreading between the lines. Help post my bail?

Artist Crafts a Chicken Leg Knife: Cock-A-Doodle-Dagger

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Proving that art isn’t dead, it’s just gotten extremely esoteric, Berlin, Germany-based artist and inventor Uri Tuchman crafted a beautiful wood and metal dagger inspired by the shape of a chicken leg. Now you can carve your chicken with a chicken! What a time to be alive and not a chicken.

The video details the entire chicken dagger-making process from beginning to end, including meticulously cutting and carving the wooden thigh sheath, then shaping and grinding the leg bone dagger portion. I think it goes without saying, but KFC really missed out not asking Uri to make them a dagger to use in one of those weird Colonel Sanders commercials they’ve been producing lately.

I believe Uri has just created the perfect weapon for a king’s feast assassination! You just pretend you’re eating your chicken leg, then a little discreet king-stabbing action, then return to pretending to eat your chicken, and nobody will be the wiser! I mean, unless they weren’t serving chicken at the feast, in which case it’s dungeon time for you.

Metal Geometric Shark Chandelier: You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Room

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Crafted by maker of geometric metal art Martin Taylor of Etsy shop Chromaforms, this Hanging Geometric Low Poly Shark Sculpture with LED Lights “transforms any space into a sea-scape.” Obviously, I must have one for my Back to the Future Enchantment Under the Sea Dance party that’s coming up.

Measuring 4′ long and around 18″ tall and wide, the shark is entirely cut and welded by Martin and illuminated via LEDs inside. It’s safe for hanging outdoors provided it’s covered and costs $3,500. For reference, you could probably buy an actual shark for that, but you’d have to be an evil villain and threaten to throw James Bond in its tank all the time, and then it becomes a whole thing.

I like the light shapes it casts on the walls too – it really does give the room an underwater vibe. You know this would look perfect in my basement tiki bar. I mean once I build it. Well, after I get permission from my wife to build it, then build it. After that though, it would definitely look great in there.

[via DudeIWantThat]

Hand-cut Hand Saw Scenes: Cutting Edge Art

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You’re looking at a series of old hand saws that have been cut into various scenes of rural living (plus Bigfoot). Cindy Chinn (aka thesawlady) of Chester, Nebraska hand cuts these using a plasma torch. Note to self: buy yourself a plasma torch, you deserve it.

Available for sale through her Etsy shop from $90 to $150 depending on the size of the saw and complexity of the design, each saw is one-of-a-kind. Like people, but way more likely to transmit tetanus.

Obviously, these saws are not for cutting anymore. Their days of working as tools are long gone, now they can just sit back and enjoy their retirement as art. Am I jealous of these saws? Maybe just a little.

I can already imagine a few of these decorating the walls of my vacation cabin, which wasn’t easy because first I had to imagine owning a vacation cabin. Honestly, the daydreaming took a lot out of me, and now I could use a nap.

[via DudeIWantThat]

Motorcycle Beer Can Chicken Stands: Born to Be Barbecue

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Just when I thought you couldn’t make beer can chicken any better, Etsy seller Tom’s RiDICKulous Things (real mature, Tom!) starts manufacturing these motorcycle beer can chicken holders. I can already close my eyes and sense the jealousy of all my friends when I lift the grill lid and they see this easy rider.

Each dishwasher safe, stainless steel motorcycle costs $31.50 and holds a single can of beer and bird for grilling. Plus each comes with a pair of shades so everything else on the grill knows who the coolest bird in Grilltown is. Should you make motorcycle engine revving sounds every time you open the barbecue? I mean how could you not?

I’m not sure if you’re aware, but if you don’t have a can of beer but still want to make beer can chicken, I can tell you from personal experience that substituting a juice box is NOT a good idea. I know it sounds like one, but it’s not. Just trust me. Neither is a pint of chocolate milk.

[via DudeIWantThat]

Medieval Chain Mail Shirt And Coif: Squire, Ready My Mount!

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Battle: it can come at you in the blink of an eye. So why not be prepared for combat with this medieval chain mail shirt and coif available from the Medieval Warrior Store on Amazon (affiliate link). The original under armor is waist length and comes in three sizes: medium ($70), large ($90), and X-large ($100). Obviously, I plan on wearing all three sizes on top of each other for maximum protection.

I just bought an x-large because I don’t really have the funds to buy one of each size, but I’m wondering if it will really be able to withstand a sword attack. I’ve got the sneaking suspicious it might not, but I also have the sneaking suspicion that after one too many beers this weekend I’ll know for sure.

Could you imagine wearing this and actually besting a dragon and rescuing a beautiful princess from its clutches? I daydream about it often, but it always ends with my wife riding that same dragon to chase me down and burn me alive with its fire breath. C’est la vie.

[via ThisIsWhyImBroke]

Muzen Wild Mini Bluetooth Speaker Review: Small But Mighty Good

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There are countless Bluetooth speakers to choose from these days, so if audio companies want people to take notice, you have to do something pretty different. The Muzen Wild Mini speaker is just that. Measuring about 3″ high x 2.25″ wide x 1.375″ deep, this ultra-compact speaker is small enough to carry in the palm of your hand, but this tiny speaker punches way above its class in build and sound quality.

The Wild Mini comes packaged in a sturdy plastic case that’s substantially larger than the speaker itself. The rugged, foam-lined case is a nice touch but given the speaker’s own rugged look and feel, I’m not sure I’ll ever be putting it back in its packaging.

The speaker is the true star of the show, featuring a high-quality body made from high-density zinc alloy, and a design inspired by military radios. With the exception of a couple of trim pieces and buttons, everything on the Wild Mini is made from metal. Combined with the weight of a battery that can last up to six hours at full volume, the little speaker feels incredibly substantial and weighs in at over half a pound.

Despite being a pre-production model, my review unit feels really well built, with no gaps or rattly bits. The 5-watt amplifier and speaker produce a surprisingly big sound, without discernible distortion even at high volume levels. Physics prevent a speaker this small from ever producing booming bass, but it handles low end admirably for its size, and mids and highs are clean and pleasing to the ear. Overall sound quality is much better than I expected for a speaker this small, and I think the metal enclosure and rubber feet help to eliminate unwanted vibrations.

Every detail of the Wild Mini’s case and controls are smartly designed and engineered. There’s a satisfyingly clicky knurled metal thumbwheel for adjusting volume, a spring-loaded flip switch for powering the unit on and off and Bluetooth pairing, and a pushbutton surrounded by a bi-directional ring for pausing and changing tracks.

A MicroUSB charging connector hides beneath a hinged door that keeps moisture out. The speaker enclosure is IPX5-rated, which means it’s water-resistant, so it’s fine if it gets rained on or splashed at the beach, but you don’t want to submerge it.

In addition to its above par audio capabilities, the Wild Mini serves double duty as a flashlight. There are three modes – high, low, and SOS. It’s not an exceptionally bright light even at its highest setting, but it does provide enough light to guide your way on a pitch-black trail, or to find your keys in the dark. Plus, it can be operated at the same time as your music plays. The speaker’s case also has an “n”-shaped loop on its top, which lets you lash it to a backpack or belt loop with a piece of paracord or a small carabiner clip.

I absolutely love this little speaker. It’s got a unique look, is built really well and sounds very good considering its size. You can pre-order the Muzen Wild Mini Bluetooth speaker now over on Kickstarter. While the MSRP for the speaker is $99, there are still a number of Super Early Bird and Early Bird deals available, priced at $69 and $79, respectively.

This disease-repelling jacket made from a copper textile could be the new future of clothing

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Don’t worry, it’s still surprisingly comfortable though…

Metal may not really sound like an obvious candidate when it comes to textile options for clothing, but the guys at Vollebak make a pretty good point when they say that the next 100 years won’t quite be like the last. The climate’s changing, the ice caps are melting, and if Bill Gates is right, COVID-19 may just be the proverbial tip of the iceberg. It doesn’t mean we’re going to completely surrender fabrics like cotton, wool, or denim entirely, but it just means we need to start looking into future-fabrics that do much more than clad us.

Behold the Full Metal Jacket… No really, this jacket from Vollebak is actually made from a germ-repelling metallic textile. Quite unlike those space-foil jackets that astronauts wear, the Full Metal Jacket actually uses a fabric with woven strands of copper, so it’s entirely breathable, flexible, and doesn’t make a crinkly sound when you move around. With as much as 11 kilometers of copper in each jacket, the apparel relies on copper’s innate ability to kill off any bacteria or viruses that it comes in contact with.

Making clothes from metal yarn is more complex than you’d think. Sourcing metal strands is expensive, has no real precedent in clothing beyond suits of armor, and there’s no established supply chain… but I honestly can’t think of a set of constraints that have ever stopped the guys at Vollebak from pushing boundaries. I mean they’ve literally made clothes from a grade of ceramic used on the International Space Station. The Full Metal Jacket comes with three separate layers, the first of which is made from a lacquered copper yarn which is woven on rapier weaving looms before being scoured, heat-set, dyed, and dried – a process that alone takes roughly a week. This process gives the jacket its grungy denim look, but as time passes, the lacquer wears away to reveal the true copper tones in certain places, giving the jacket a uniquely appealing patina that’s comparable to the aging on a leather jacket. The outer layer gives the jacket its germ-repelling properties while also allowing it to be wind and water-proof, while a middle layer made from a laminated copper fabric allows the jacket to respond uniquely to external temperature. This middle fabric, dubbed c_change®, has a weave-pattern that expands during the heat to allow your skin to breathe and release perspiration, and contract during the cold to trap body heat and keep you warm. An inner protective fleece lining makes the jacket comfortable to wear, giving your skin the familiar touch of a soft yarn.

The Full Metal Jacket comes with four large waterproof pockets on the outside and three chest pockets for your belongings. Designed to be your everyday jacket, it can be worn in any sort of weather outdoors, and remains as comfortable and soft to touch as any sort of synthetic outerwear would… in fact, you really can’t even see the copper strands unless under a microscope. However, unlike most outerwear, synthetic or not, it possesses the ability to completely obliterate any sort of microorganism that comes in contact with it, a feature that makes it a standout product in our uncertain future. This brand of standout innovation doesn’t come cheap though. Each jacket retails for $1095, but that can be attributed to the jacket’s revolutionary medical-grade fabric, and the fact that it’s assembled in Switzerland, Italy, and in Romania. Besides, you probably won’t need to wash it either, given its ability to resist water, stains, germs, and even odor particles. Just leave it out in the sun for a bit and it should be as good as new.

Designer: Vollebak

The MESH seating combines colorful furniture design with brutalism

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The MESH seating is all about playing with contrasts to create something that’s useful yet beautiful to look at. Take for instance the fact that its base is voluminous and heavy, while the seat itself is a light wireframe, or that the base is dull and gray, while its seat exudes a sense of vibrance and color. The MESH seating comes with a wrought-metal upper that plugs onto a concrete block to combine (and contrast) two visual styles). Perfect for the outdoors, the MESH is equal parts tough-looking yet inviting – a perfect combination of fun playfulness and brutalism.

There’s a certain simplicity to how the MESH is constructed, with a powder-coated metal wireframe that plugs into a tapered-cylindrical concrete base. The unusual combination creates a contrasting visual, and casts a series of wonderful shadows are, in themselves, pieces of art. Designed with ergonomic considerations, the seating are actually pretty comfortable, although your eyes seem deceived by the use of metal and concrete. Besides, with those gorgeously eye-popping colors, who wouldn’t want to sit on them – even if it’s just for the ‘Gram!

Designer: Anurag Sharma