Tools

How-To: Car Battery Welding

How-To: Car Battery Welding

Welding! Welding is a glorious, mystery-infused, thoroughly bad-ass way to stick things together. Welders move in their own cloud of mythos and danger- they are dirtier, tougher, and sexier than any other kind of maker, and the things they build are big and strong and hold our world together. This positive stereotype permeates at all levels of pop culture: if a character is introduced while welding, you immediately know that they will be some kind of blue-collar superhero, or some kind of cliched contradiction- the welder quoting Hegel after winning the bar fight, or the classic trope of seeing a welder at work, and then they flip off the helmet and OMG IT IS A GIRL! A GIRL WELDING!

In the Maker Shed: Panavise #239 Handle Promotion!

Remember the new Panavise handle that resulted from Lee C’s wooden crank modification? It hasn’t been released for sale yet but we have them in the Maker Shed! As a way to say “thank you” to the MAKE community, Panavise has given us the handles in advance so that we can give them to you. For a limited time, with the purchase of every Panavise Jr. Model 201 we are including the #239 Speed Control Handle absolutely free!

Toolbox Review: Circuit Sidekick

Toolbox Review: Circuit Sidekick

My colleague Collin Cunningham has an iPad app called Circuit Sidekick which consists of several tools for assisting electronics aficionados with their work. Let’s start with the Resistor Values function, pictured above. It helps you determine the value of a resistor by selecting the color bands you see on the actual resistor. The image also […]

In the Maker Shed: Poulsen’s Wire Recoder Kit

Poulsen’s Wire Recoder Kit, from the Maker Shed, uses wire and magnetism to record sound. Danish engineer Valdemar Poulsen discovered that it was possible to record electrical signals in magnetic material and invented the magnetic wire recorder (telegraphone) in 1898. This simple yet fascinating kit lets you explore this phenomenon not just on wire but anything magnetic! Save your voice on scissors, chairs, or even an escalator!

Top 10: Knifemaking

Top 10: Knifemaking

Knives are a major “gateway drug” for many a young maker. They were for me, certainly. One of the first things I ever remember being proud of making was a cocobolo replacement handle (mounted with homemade “mosaic” pins) to repair my mother’s favorite paring knife. (Coincidentally, both skills are covered in this round-up.)