Adam Savage shows us around his amazing “hidden workshop of wonder” in San Francisco on Tested.
The workshop is filled with notable film props, costumes, specialized tools, collector items and more. He shows us how he made a relatively inexpensive display case into something fantastic for showing off a few of his many collectible items as well as giving us a peek into how he manages and organizes his many tools, bits, accessories and more.
Creating basic circuits by hand is the best way to learn about how electronics work and using a breadboard has traditionally been the best way to do this, at least until now. Circuit Scribe is a kickstarter project that features a cool new ball point pen that uses a conductive silver ink which is perfect for drawing simple circuits. Utilizing just a Circuit Scribe pen, piece of paper, and a few electronic components like a LED light or a small motor, you can create just about any small project that you can imagine. This catchy idea has already pulled in $260,000, which is far beyond the set goal of $85,000.
This pen would make a great tool for children to use in the classroom to learn about simple circuits and there’s even a Classroom kit that includes 10 basic kits and a activity book. You can also buy just one basic kit for yourself to see what you can come up with. You can also get two larger kits, the Maker Kit and Developer Kit.
Each kit includes the Circuit Scribe pen which can be purchased separately for $20.
Here’s what’s in the Basic Kit (Cost $30):
Maker Kit ( Cost $50):
Developer Kit ( Cost $100):
If you go into any craft store this time of year, they are starting to bring out all their Halloween decor. I came across some awesome potion and poison bottles (fake of course) but the price was a little high, so I thought I will just make my own.
For this project you will need:
Optional:
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LABELS:
For the labels, you can either make your own or find them on the internet. You can search ” free Halloween potion labels”, or I found a bunch of pre-made potion bottle labels on flickr.
Print out your labels then take your cup of coffee or tea (I used herbal tea, so it didn’t come out as dark) place your label inside and soak for a few minutes, or dab on with a paper towel until desired darkness.
You can either let the paper air dry, or use a blow dryer on low heat (careful not to burn yourself or the paper). While still a little damp I crunched the paper in my hand, opened it back up and continued drying. This seemed to keep the crumpled look in tact. After that you can cut, rip, tear, bend, whatever you want to do to “age” the paper.
BOTTLES:
First, wash your bottles and let dry completely.
Next, you will take your paint and poor a small amount right inside the bottle, start by slowly tilting and turning it so the paint starts to coat all the way around. Be careful around the opening that you don’t get any paint on the outside. Depending on the color you choose, you may have to use two coats.
Set upside-down on a few layers of paper towels to get the excess out.
Turn over to air dry. Acrylics will usually dry pretty quickly.
Once dry add your corks.
For tags skip this step! Take your double sided tape and center it on the bottle. Carefully place your label because it probably won’t come off after it’s on there.
Cut your string whatever length you desire, if using tags take your hole punch and make a hole where you want the string to go through, wrap around bottle neck and thats it! You’re done!
Now you have an awesome DIY decoration that looks even better then the ones in the store!
We all love our vintage electronics but the one inevitable part of collecting and using this stuff is that it starts to age. Sometimes we get lucky and things seem to hold up pretty well over the years, while others just look plain nasty. One of the most common issues is the yellowing of plastics on computers and other hardware like the Super Nintendo (SNES).
Ok, so the big question here is why is this happening at all? What’s causing my stuff to turn yellow?
Well, someone actually asked Nintendo this very question and this is the response that they got:
Hi!
Thank you for contacting us. That’s an interesting question! For the Super NES, this is a normal condition and no cause for alarm. Cleaning or handling the system will have minimal impact to change or revive the original color.
The Super NES, as well as our other systems, are made with a plastic containing flame-retardant chemicals to meet safety guidelines. Over time, the plastic will age and discolor both because of these chemicals as well as from the normal heat generated from the product or exposure to light. Because of the light color of the plastic of the SNES and NES, this discoloration is more easily seen than with other darker plastics such as on the N64 and the Nintendo GameCube.
Thanks for your email!
Nintendo of America Inc.
Casey Ludwig
That’s actually a fairly accurate answer as to what’s happening to our old electronics but it’s not just light and or heat that’s causing it, but also exposure to air itself. It’s pretty much unavoidable. The only time you may not have a yellowing piece of hardware is if you were lucky enough to get a balanced batch of plastic. To get a more detailed answer as to what’s going on you can get a Doctor’s official answer at VintageComputing.
Now that we know that’s causing it, let’s fix it!
There are many methods you can use to remove yellowing but the method that seems to be the most effective is the use of Hydrogen Peroxide. The big issue with using Hydrogen Peroxide is that it’s a liquid and it doesn’t stay in the area you apply it, it just runs off and makes a mess. Another problem is that the stuff you buy at the store is too diluted and therefore not strong enough to get the job done. The solution to this problem is to make a Hydrogen Peroxide gel that has a higher percentage of Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) in it. This will allow you to easily put the gel on the section of plastic that you’re trying to fix.
So how do you make the gel? Here’s the best part, you don’t need to. You can actually use hair developer cream, which you can get from SallyBeauty.
Here’s what you will need:
Depending on what your trying to clean up you may need a lot of developer, so make sure you get a larger bottle.
If you can, carefully take off the plastic parts that you are trying to clean to avoid damaging the electronics inside. If you can’t take things apart or don’t want to, then just be careful and be smart about where you place the developer.
Once the parts have a good coating of developer on them, place a piece of plastic wrap over them to avoid any evaporation and to keep things in place.
Turn on your UV light source and make sure that the affected area is getting plenty of light. For best results, wait for 24 to 36 hours before cleaning off the developer.
*Tip:
Once you have finished the process you should find that much of the yellowing has gone away. This doesn’t mean it’s gone for good though, the plastics are still composed of the same chemicals as before and will eventually begin to yellow again. Your best bet, if you want to avoid cleaning them again, is to slow down the process by applying a spray-on UV protectant coating.
**This project is something you can do at home, but you do so at your own risk!
As a geek, I spend a lot of time not only creating and compiling content for our site but also enjoying content from others as well and today I thought I would take a moment to share with you one of my favorite places to visit on the web.
Tested.com is a website that covers technology, science, art and basically just awesome and geeky stuff in general. Tested was created by Will Smith and Norman Chan and now features Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage from MythBusters. I am big fan of MythBusters and basically anything Adam and Jamie do in general. So you could only imagine that I would be extremely excited to see their involvement in the content of Tested.
The website isn’t the only content you can get from Tested, they also have a great YouTube page that is filled with great videos which range from getting a hands on look at the latest electronics, to going Inside Adam Savage’s Cave where you can witness the creative genius in action as he creates something amazing from nothing. Want to see the Hyneman in his natural habitat? Now you can by watching Inside Jaime’s Shop.
So, if you can’t seem to get enough geekery in your life ( and honestly, who couldn’t use a little more?) check out Tested.