One of my least favorite tasks is crouching in front of the kitchen oven or gas heater, and burning my fingers as I try to restart the pilot light with regular matches. I end up cursing the fact that I don't own extra-long matches or a stove lighter, but then I never go out an ...more
Magic is a wonderful thing. But so is science. So, which category does this mystifying candle trick fall in? Perhaps both. You only need three items to perform this magic trick: a lighter (or matches), a candle, and a candle holder (if your candle is not already in a containe ...more
Eating fire is a guaranteed method of not only impressing an entire room, but also instantly settling any questions as to whether or not you're a complete and total stone cold BAD ASS. When you can casually whip this trick out in a bar, you're not only going to get your drinks ...more
Fire. It’s everywhere— always has been. From the Ordovician Period where the first fossil record of fire appears to the present day everyday uses of the Holocene. Today, we abundantly create flames (intentionally or unintentionally) in power plants, extractive metallurgy, i ...more
It's that time a year when winter storms begin causing havoc across the United States, and when "rotating outages" are common to help sustain the electrical grid during intense cold periods. That means pretty much anybody with snow and ice in their backyard can succumb to powe ...more
This is a video tutorial in the Education category where you are going to learn how to make a miniature vortex cannon. For this you will need normal plastic drinking cup, punching bag type balloon, black electrical tape, lighter, candle, scissors and a drill. Drill a hole in t ...more
Forget the standard one-ended candle— this two-ended spinning candle beats even the biggest candle. It's a simple trick, which needs only a couple glasses (wine glasses used here), one nail, a long taper candle, and a lighter or pack of matches. To make this spinning candle t ...more
This is an exciting video for kids of all ages! Do you know what atmospheric pressure is? You will after watching this video. Know any fancy names for water? You will after viewing this fascinating experiment. Mr. G gives you a list a supplies you will need and then he shows y ...more
Lisa shows us how to clean up spilled candle wax using an iron and a paper towel, a trick from Japanese Urawaza. The household ingenuity captured herein really caught fire in the post-war period, when Occupied Japan's poor economy made a virtue out of frugal and clever homebr ...more
I am writing this quick post in response to the recent earthquakes and tsunamis that are affecting Japan. As soon as the news broke, and we began to hear of tsunami warning for our area, I immediately realized how under prepared I was for a natural disaster. The thing that dro ...more
Can't turn silver into gold? Don't worry, at least you can turn an ordinary ivory egg into silver. That's better than nothing, right? Check out this video tutorial to see how to do the silver egg trick. The supplies are simple; a candle, a lighter, an egg, and a glass of wate ...more
This video will teach you how to make a candle that is cheap, clean, and will last for hours. All you need is nail polish remover, water, a lighter and tempered glass. Make a long lasting candle. Click through to watch this video on tricklife.com
For on-the-go lighting of birthday candles (those surprise birthday parties really get you), homemade explosives (because making stuff explode is fun), and cigarettes, a cheapo BIC lighter is a totally awesome fix. But most BIC lighters run out pretty quickly and get tossed wi ...more
I finally got around to trying out another one of Will's mad science experiments and found out that this one was actually more satisfying (and less frustrating) than my slightly uncooperative jar jet. There's something very pleasing about making potassium nitrate at home in th ...more
Amazing how easy it is to make a homemade candy lollipop. Next time when you feel like you need a candy, make one yourself. It doesn't taste like sugar if thats what you are wondering. It tastes like caramel and is best to eat when its still a little bit warm. Watch this how t ...more
Scented candles don't have anything on this Moujan creation. The best part is that it's "Hella simple." Materials: * Orange, tangerine or another favorite citrus fruit * Cutting knife * Olive oil (other cooking oils work too) * Match/lighter Directions: 1. Pour 3/4th of an ...more
You must ONLY conduct this experiment if you are experienced in using combustibles and understand the risk. Fire is very dangerous and can seriously burn you. Seems harmless at first, but believe me, these are bubbles turned evil. When ignited, the bubbles pop almost instantly ...more
Sputnik was the very first man-made object to be sent into space. Though it was a truly epic accomplishment, all this Soviet sky surfer actually did was transmit a constant beeping noise back to the surface. Your young students can learn about the history of space travel whil ...more
Mr. G teaches us how to make bubbles from a CD in this episode of "Do Try This at Home". You will need: a CD, screwdriver, and lighter or candle. Procedure: Use the screwdriver to scrape the aluminum coating from the CD until you get a clear plastic (polycarbonate). Heat an ar ...more
We've featured Temporary Services before, but we thought they deserved a full spread. In this post, we've included some of their How-To drawings and examples of recreated prison art. Temporary Services is: "... a project in collaboration with Angelo, an incarcerated artist. ...more
Want to make your own glass drinking cups? You don't need to be a glassworker to get creative. Just recycle some of your old beer, soda, or wine bottles into stylish toothbrush holders or glass cups. You can tie a loop of string that was dipped in nail polish remover around a ...more
Convenience is a big deal these days. You can buy single-serving or single-use sizes of just about anything, from fruits and vegetables to sanitizing wipes, and, apparently, even bananas. Uhh, it already has a wrapper... Admittedly, we do have one of those espresso machines h ...more
Look on any bistro or pub menu in America and you'll likely find the term caramelized onions as an option for your burger. The word "caramel" may conjure up images of candy, which is somewhat correct. When high temperatures are applied to certain foods, the sugars within them ...more