The Do-it-Yourself Thread: A Home for Handymen and Artisans - General

[QUOTE=Garb;39915969]Started making some grips for my 1911 handgun: [IMG]http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab255/Yournameisinvalid21/photo_zps0e60670a.jpg[/IMG] they are like 40% done[/QUOTE] I made about 3 sets for a 1911 so far. People will buy them off you if you do a nice job. I made the first set for my own weapon, and the next two for people that saw them. I take a piece of maple and bleach it, then put Mahogany over it and sand the grip down. You can easily net $50 or more for them with very little effort. [editline]17th March 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=DarkOps;39940313]Okay I've got a load of bamboo in my back yard. [thumb]https://photos-4.dropbox.com/t/0/AAC488j0r9RnbKzDTNfuTdTeyq7pEvd2pVXVk076TbAMBA/12/108263985/jpeg/32x32/3/_/1/2/20130316_223214.jpg/_2vhiBypYGXBxyK0Sj3_vjfDcP-QvDSz9hycXl4dj-Y?size=1024x768[/thumb] So, what do I do with it? Give me some ideas.[/QUOTE] Patio Furniture.

I was bored and decided to rewind a transformer I broke (secondaries internal arcing to case) and sadly a broken primary. [url=http://postimage.org/][img]http://s7.postimage.org/8ydt4ykrv/rewound1.jpg[/img][/url] 14 volts at 115v input, gives over 60A short circuit.. of course with proper current limiting you could easily use this in a DC supply, which I would but the primaries are cut a bit and draws too much current without a load. I'm hoping to rewind a larger transformer with nice large magnet cable capable of handling a fair amount of amps at 50v, with multiple taps etc. All for less than 20 dollars, which is why I'm doing it. Transformers are expensive!

Has anyone ever tried to make a cannon using sulfurless gunpowder? I have about half a jar of the stuff sitting behind me using a mortar and pestle and come charcoal, sugar, and kno3 that I just made and it burns pretty well. I was thinking of making a hand held musket or maybe a small cannon to use it with that would shoot loads of metal bb's.

[QUOTE=ultra_bright;39963742]Has anyone ever tried to make a cannon using sulfurless gunpowder? I have about half a jar of the stuff sitting behind me using a mortar and pestle and come charcoal, sugar, and kno3 that I just made and it burns pretty well. I was thinking of making a hand held musket or maybe a small cannon to use it with that would shoot loads of metal bb's.[/QUOTE] Hand held musket? Sounds like a bad idea. I'd advise not firing experimental weapons in your hands. That's a short trip to the ER.

[QUOTE=woolio1;39964689]Hand held musket? Sounds like a bad idea. I'd advise not firing experimental weapons in your hands. That's a short trip to the ER.[/QUOTE] True. I was planning on just making a small cannon I can shoot from 20 feet away. I tested some of my black powder out just now in my iron wood oven. I had a 6 inch copper tube that was capped at one end and had a tiny hole in the top of that end. The other end was open. I poured about a table spoon of gunpowder down it and then some tissue paper, packing it down tight, then pouring about 30 metal bb's down it again, then some more tissue paper and packing that down tight again. I put it inside the wood oven and poured a tiny bit of gunpowder over the small hole at the top of the back of the pipe. Lit it, then slammed the iron door shut then BOOM. I could even hear the floor vibrate as that thing went off and could hear all the bb's ricocheting off the stone fire bricks inside. Opened it up to take a look, turns out the little thing split a fire brick in half. Hehe, Im going to make a 3 foot long version out of thick hardened steel next.

In short you made a really fucking dangerous shrapnel bomb. [editline]19th March 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=DarkOps;39940313]Okay I've got a load of bamboo in my back yard. [thumb]https://photos-4.dropbox.com/t/0/AAC488j0r9RnbKzDTNfuTdTeyq7pEvd2pVXVk076TbAMBA/12/108263985/jpeg/32x32/3/_/1/2/20130316_223214.jpg/_2vhiBypYGXBxyK0Sj3_vjfDcP-QvDSz9hycXl4dj-Y?size=1024x768[/thumb] So, what do I do with it? Give me some ideas.[/QUOTE] Acquire a Panda of course. Joke aside, make a chair. Also your picture is not working.

[QUOTE=ultra_bright;39965059]Hehe, Im going to make a 3 foot long version out of thick hardened steel next.[/QUOTE] I wouldn't

[img]http://i.imgur.com/SBY4kLll.jpg[/img] my old fork for cooking broke so I made a new one

Is it whittled or carved with power tools? Wood type and finish?

Uuh, well, it's wood. Probably birch. I really don't know. Anyway, first I cut out the forks with and then the shape with a bandsaw. Then I carved out the handle shape and whatnot with a knife. After that I used a dremel and refined the shapes and then to finish it off some sandpaper. I oiled it in with oilve oil.

Nice job, be careful though as olive oil turns rancid, could make you sick if you use it.

Really? D:

[QUOTE=KillerTele;40012526][img]http://i.imgur.com/SBY4kLll.jpg[/img] my old fork for cooking broke so I made a new one[/QUOTE] I thought that was a butt scratcher for a second :D [video=youtube;uFgyg7ezM6k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFgyg7ezM6k[/video]

[QUOTE=KillerTele;40020865]Really? D:[/QUOTE] It could... Since it's all organic fats. I'd find yourself a bottle of mineral oil, wash the fork with soap, and then use that. Of course, if you only oil it before you use it, I'm sure olive oil would be fine.

[QUOTE=woolio1;40023498]It could... Since it's all organic fats. I'd find yourself a bottle of mineral oil, wash the fork with soap, and then use that. Of course, if you only oil it before you use it, I'm sure olive oil would be fine.[/QUOTE] Well I use it often and oil is gonna get on it when cooking and then it's gonna get washed with soap after so I don't think the oil going rancid will be a problem.

Can somebody take a look at the original xbox 360 design and (godawful) airflow and tell me where the best place to put an exhaust fan would be? I've been given one to fix, and I've already planned on doing a fan shroud mod, but I don't think it'll be enough also sorry, this is the only place I can think to ask, seeing as everybody in here seems so great at DIY and such

[QUOTE=Flash_Fire;40052286]Can somebody take a look at the original xbox 360 design and (godawful) airflow and tell me where the best place to put an exhaust fan would be? I've been given one to fix, and I've already planned on doing a fan shroud mod, but I don't think it'll be enough also sorry, this is the only place I can think to ask, seeing as everybody in here seems so great at DIY and such[/QUOTE] My first three xbox360s died of the RRoD. I took the third and did the x clamp washer thing and put pennies on the little pocessor dealies, then left the case off , and used it like that. It worked 2 years like that, so my advice would be to remove the case completely.

If you put an exhaust fan on it, I think it'd be better than just having the case off, since it'd blow the hot air out. As for where to put it, I'd say, take of the case, get it running, do some gaming or whatever, and check with a thermometer where it gets hotter. Or the best would really be to put a thermometer in it in different places with the case on, and it running.

[QUOTE=Serj22;40052595]My first three xbox360s died of the RRoD. I took the third and did the x clamp washer thing and put pennies on the little pocessor dealies, then left the case off , and used it like that. It worked 2 years like that, so my advice would be to remove the case completely.[/QUOTE] wait you removed the entire heatsink and placed a penny on the processor? :v: and as to gulen, I'd try that but I need to get it working first, but by running it for about a minute with the E74 error on screen it became painful to touch the heatsinks The hot air just slowly blows in through the back of the system over the heatsinks then hits the front of the xbox and does nothing whatsoever (good one MS) so my plan is two external USB exhaust fans on the top and bottom, or left and right side depending on what orientation it's in THE SHIT DRAWING: [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/mblqxJO.png[/IMG] [editline]27th March 2013[/editline] I wonder if it'd be worth replace the rear fans with some standard fans that spin at a higher speed (if you convert the rear ones to run at 12v all the time they sound like the xbox is about to take off)

[img]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a345/ajackss/victorian_mid_zpsa734751c.jpg?t=1364445629[/img] Had a brain flash this afternoon when talking to my girl about Victorian furniture (her thing) and when I got home I had to do a quick 3D mockup so I wouldn't forget the particulars. Actually looks pretty successful for a freak hybrid of mid century and Victorian. It'd be a bitch to fab those legs but I bet I could simplify the design down a bit and still get the same effect.

[QUOTE=Ajacks;40068077][img]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a345/ajackss/victorian_mid_zpsa734751c.jpg?t=1364445629[/img] Had a brain flash this afternoon when talking to my girl about Victorian furniture (her thing) and when I got home I had to do a quick 3D mockup so I wouldn't forget the particulars. Actually looks pretty successful for a freak hybrid of mid century and Victorian. It'd be a bitch to fab those legs but I bet I could simplify the design down a bit and still get the same effect.[/QUOTE] The wire used in those legs looks really too thin. If you where to actually make this, double the thickness at least.

So I've had a breakthrough on my keyboard project. Not only has everything moved over to a new microcontroller (ran out of pins on the old one), but I also soldered up a little board as a replacement for the breadboard it was wired up on previously. Now there's 100% less ribbon cables, making the whole thing [b]much[/b] smaller and I can easily unplug components from the board for transport or replacement. [t]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/62766551/Norseboard/P3280076-2.jpg[/t] Still no 3d printer, so a case for it is a while off, but once I get that I'll have a lot going on in the way of making it look awesome (ie way more pics hopefully).

[QUOTE=chipset;40069322]The wire used in those legs looks really too thin. If you where to actually make this, double the thickness at least.[/QUOTE] It's 1/4" rod in the render, it'd be sturdy as is, but going with 3/8" rod would make it more robust but make the manipulations of the bends nearly impossible. It's just one of those things you need to make first and see.

Ajacks, you might even get the same effect if you were to use wires on the legs like that, but fill in the gaps on the legs with glass/clear plastic to improve the sturdiness. :D

I added the headers for the other side of pins and added the mode light, which currently changes when pressing the coloured mode keys. This will toggle the keyboard between keyboard, synth and some other mode in the future. [t]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/62766551/Norseboard/P3290080.jpg[/t]

[QUOTE=Flash_Fire;40057095]wait you removed the entire heatsink and placed a penny on the processor? :v: [/QUOTE] Yup - lemme explain: It was 3 pennies on each one wrapped in electrical tape. Then I taped them all to the board. The original heat sinks looked like bandaids or something, and someone online posted using pennies as a heat sink. It worked. It was stupid, but my xbox came back from the error and RRoD. Then I never put the case back on - perfect heat dissapation.

Hey guys, I'm making a gift for my girlfriend as her birthday is the 8th. She loves fallout and collecting shiny things in it so I'm making her a few Nukacola Quantums. Now, for those who don't know, tonic water glows blue when exposed to a blacklight. My problem is that tonic water is completely clear so it doesn't really take the light very well. Can anyone think of something I can mix into the tonic water to make it a little opaque so that the light can still shine all the way through it but will pick up the light better? It doesn't really need to be edible as I doubt she'd want to drink it rather than keep it on display. My friend had no idea either but threw the idea of powdered chalk to me. It sounds like a somewhat good idea or a good place to start at least but it'd sink to the bottom eventually, wouldn't it?

[QUOTE=Waffle Boxes;40102979]Hey guys, I'm making a gift for my girlfriend as her birthday is the 8th. She loves fallout and collecting shiny things in it so I'm making her a few Nukacola Quantums. Now, for those who don't know, tonic water glows blue when exposed to a blacklight. My problem is that tonic water is completely clear so it doesn't really take the light very well. Can anyone think of something I can mix into the tonic water to make it a little opaque so that the light can still shine all the way through it but will pick up the light better? It doesn't really need to be edible as I doubt she'd want to drink it rather than keep it on display. My friend had no idea either but threw the idea of powdered chalk to me. It sounds like a somewhat good idea or a good place to start at least but it'd sink to the bottom eventually, wouldn't it?[/QUOTE] If it doesn't need to be consumable (and make sure she doesn't as it is mildly toxic) mix in some copper sulphate crystals as they'll give it a blue hue even when it's bot lit by a blacklight and will amke it slightly cloudy to help catch the light? You can vary the opacity by the amount of copper sulphate you put in.

One video I saw on how to make NukaCola said to use a tap light, where you click on the light surface to turn it on, along with some blue food coloring, so if you just want it to sit on a shelf and look cool, without any toxic stuff, you could do that. I've also seen some more elaborate ones, where they have a black light built into it and stuff. Pretty cool, but that doesn't seem to be what you want.

[QUOTE=metallics;40104486](and make sure she doesn't as it is mildly toxic)[/QUOTE] For this just superglue the cap onto the bottle.