Tools

Custom branding irons clip onto lighter

Custom branding irons clip onto lighter

I branded myself, about 8 years ago, with a cookie cutter and a blowtorch. The first time my dad saw it, he asked if someone had held me down and mutilated me in some kind of gangland reprisal. Dad thinks my life is a lot more exciting than it actually is.

Anyhoo, Cory just boinged this link to the Shapeways blog, wherein is described a nifty little 3D-printed metal branding iron they’ve developed, which clicks onto a standard disposable butane lighter and is fully customizable with your own logo/gang sign/frat house letters. Click the iron in place, flick the Bic for 30 seconds, and you’re ready to burn some skin!

If you don’t enjoy the smell of your own curdled flesh, this could be a great tool for hallmarking those little handmade wooden widgets you sell on Etsy, or whatever.

[via Boing Boing]

LED Christmas tree card

LED Christmas tree card

Ian Lesnet, who used to write for Hack A Day, did the Bus Pirate project, and now runs Dangerous Prototypes, has this cool little hackable LED holiday card/ornament (don’t tell Adafruit). The ATtiny13A-driven card comes in two flavors, an already-assembled version, for $15, and a not-for-the-weak-of-heart surface-mount soldering kit, for $12. The cards are currently […]

New in the Maker Shed: Physics workshop kit

New in the Maker Shed: Physics workshop kit

Almost everyone has heard of a chemistry set. But until the Physics workshop kit was introduced, a physics set was almost unheard of. Physics is an essential science for everyone, and this kit provides a comprehensive explanation of mechanical physics. Through building 36 models and conducting subsequent experiments with the models, you will learn the fundamental laws of mechanical physics.

Peggy 2LE, “Mini Peggy”

Peggy 2LE, “Mini Peggy”

Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories has released Peggy 2LE: Peggy 2LE (“little edition”) is a diminutive version of our popular Peggy 2 LED “pegboard” an open-source LED matrix display. Peggy 2 is big, designed to fit a 25×25 grid of 10 mm LEDs. Peggy 2LE is mostly the same, just smaller: it’s designed to fit 5 […]