Hot Glue

Back in 2007, YouTube user HouseholdHacker posted a parody video on how to make a high-def speaker for under a buck. MythBusters took on the challenge and busted it. Although that particular method doesn't seem to work, that doesn't mean you can't make your own speaker for le ...more

This week, I've been working on a project that sort of takes a spin off an old-style potato gun. Using PVC pipe and the rapid combustion of hairspray, we can launch a rocket hundreds of feet into the sky. As usual for my projects, I tried to use only materials and parts that a ...more

In a previous article, I showed how to make a powerful airsoft BB machine gun with a portable air supply using about $50 worth of PVC and air fittings. For this project, I have simplified the design to make a machine gun out of only 4 parts totaling about $15 that runs directl ...more

In my recent article, How to Make a Mini Cannon with a Lighter, I demonstrated how to make a powerful combustion cannon out of parts salvaged from a standard BBQ lighter. The mini cannon was originally made to fire airsoft pellets, but I felt it was time to revive the project ...more

I love this project. It involves fire, projectiles, electricity, and is easy to put together from commonly available parts. This mini cannon fires airsoft pellets, is fueled by alcohol, and is made almost entirely from parts found in a standard BBQ lighter. The total cost is u ...more

Unbeknownst to the general public, picking a lock can be a very easy process once you get the hang of it (yes, surprising AND frightening). A vibrating lock pick set takes the general ease of picking even further by speeding up the process. Now, with the help of Invent Geek, y ...more

Another example of outstanding resourcefulness and ingenuity in the medical community (see earlier this week: Blood Sucking Plunger Could Heal Millions). Rice undergraduate students Lila Kerr and Lauren Theis use a salad spinner, plastic lids, cut-up combs, yogurt containers, ...more

Small containers are useful for many things. They're good for storing snacks if you have children, as well as holding coins or odds and ends. But those regular store-bought containers are lame—who wants to keep their stuff in a Tupperware dish or old butter container? If you' ...more

While the heyday of the Slinky may have been a few decades ago, I still think it's one of the coolest toys to ever go to market. Not to mention it probably has the best commercial ever created. Video: . If you still have an old Slinky lying around, you can make this pretty coo ...more

As if Captain America: The First Avenger wasn't awesome enough, Marvel hit us with Captain America: The Winter Soldier this year, and it was even more spectacular than its predecessor. Grossing nearly $260 million in domestic sales, it's safe to say America loves Captain Ameri ...more

Ant-Man isn't one of the most famous Marvel superheroes. In fact, with the news of his individual movie came great doubt that the comic book legends could succeed in telling the tiny story of an oddball hero on the big screen. Yet with its humor and unique story, Ant-Man has b ...more

"I'm Rey." That's what a lot of people will be saying again this Halloween, as Rey costumes are sure to be another favorite of trick-or-treaters and cosplayers. Yes, on Oct. 31 we all have a chance to be the scavenger of Jakku who just so happens to be the "new hope" for a Jed ...more

"Dead or alive, you're coming with me!" That iconic quote from the 1987 movie RoboCop was repeated by kids like me for years. The 2014 reboot introduced the baddest robot-cop on the planet to new audiences worldwide. While it didn't live up to the amazingly high expectations s ...more

There are some pretty incredible camera techniques out there, but the biggest problem that amateur photographers run into is that they don't have the equipment to try them. You can still get some great shots, but there are some things that are really hard to do if you don't ha ...more

Instead of taking your car to the mechanic, save yourself some money by going MacGyver and creating your own suction-style car dent puller from objects you've got laying around at home. All you need is a pot (or bucket), a vacuum cleaner, and some tape and you're pretty much s ...more

Even if you're lucky enough to not be injured in a car accident, it's rare to escape without some sort of damage to your vehicle. It goes without saying that there are some things you shouldn't try to fix yourself, but if it's just a scratch or dent, DIY can be a cheaper way t ...more

Choosing the right tripod stand can be a difficult decision, but if you want to avoid the hassle and save some money, making your own easy to use tripod can be the best way to go. If this tennis ball tripod isn't right for you, then maybe this disposable razors one by Instruct ...more

Most of us have traded our desktop systems for laptops, tablets, and mobile devices, meaning there's a lot of outdated hardware sitting in attics. Want to give your old computer a new purpose? Matthew Chappee turned his iMac G4 into an HDTV using the guide by Dremel Junkie. On ...more

There seems to be a renewed interest of late in the great beyond that is space. After the Red Bull Space Jump and the retirement of space shuttle Endeavor, space is kind of cool again. The easiest way to get in on the astronomy action at home is to check out the starry skies ...more

There are many, many ways to open a beer. You can use a piece of paper, a water bottle, or, if you're feeling tough, you can even use your forearm. But why do that when you can make your own bottle opener for nothing? If you've got a piece of wood, a regular old nail, and two ...more

Night vision goggles are awesome, but the price? Not so much. Luckily, you can make your own pair that will have you sneaking up on your friends in just a few simple steps. For this project, you'll need to get your hands on an infrared LED array, on/off switch, 9.6 volt batte ...more

There are many NES mods on the internet, but this one is pretty awesome. From Ben Heck forum: "My nesP is basically a no-name china brand portable media player, with the advantage of being able to play nes roms, and a nes controller hacked to the controls. First off, the but ...more

Custom picture frames can be a fun and thoughtful way to display pictures in your home, but they can also cost a lot of money. Here's how you can create unique picture frames without spending a lot. What You Need Picture frame (The frame should be larger than the photo, as y ...more

Casting Angelina Jolie as Maleficent was a no-brainer on Disney's part. No one else could project beauty, elegance, and fear simultaneously just like the animated villain in Sleeping Beauty did. But what sets the character apart from other evil witches, or any other Disney cha ...more

For most people, the battery life on a DSLR is more than sufficient, but if you want to do a really long exposure or time-lapse, one charge might not last long enough to get the shot you want. You can always connect it to an extension cord to charge while you shoot, but that c ...more

The following are 10 simple yet effective pranks you can set up around the house, school or the office on April Fools' Day. You'll won't need any special tools or materials to pull these off. Video: . Step 1: 10 Simple Household Pranks For this first prank, head over to the r ...more

There are very, very few things better than a solid Hobbit songI mean, I was almost brought to tears when Pippin busted out this one in The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. Video: . Seriously, if that was on iTunes, I would definitely throw down a buck for it. Oh wait, ...more

Albert Einstein once said, "We know less than one thousandth of one percent of what nature has to reveal to us." While this still lies true, that fraction has inspired man since the beginning of human life. You can see the reflection of nature in the poems we read, the theatr ...more

When I was attending college, my friends had a phantom thief in their dormitory. Almost every night, a different item of food would go missing, never to be seen again. There was constant speculation as to whom the thief was and how to catch them. Security cameras were deemed t ...more

If you need a Halloween costume posthaste, you really can't go wrong with a LEGO man costume. And one made from cardboard that is fully functional, well, you'll probably win the "Best Costume" contest hands down. Not only will this mecha-esque costume wow everyone you meet, bu ...more

You can bet Thor costumes will be prominent among the superheroes seen this Oct. 31. Since the summer, there has been no shortage of coverage for Thor: Ragnarok, and the timing of its November release couldn't be better as a tie-in with the cosplaying holiday known as Hallowee ...more

Video: . For the first prank you're going to need an empty container, preferably black, a smoke bomb and a lighter. I gotta say though this prank is not for just anybody so prank at your own risk. Let me show you how its done, first apply some hot glue on the bottom of the smo ...more

Shark jumps Steampunk, experts unsure of the meaning. Cape Town -- In an unprecedented move today, a Shark have jumped a steampunk couple as they were attempting to work on their hobby steamboat. Two years ago, South African steam power and science fiction entusiasts, Werner ...more

Omniscience is not required to make some really cool shit happen. Yes, it took a while, but we can make fuel from the Sun! Solar panels are basically our answer to God. And now that we can make solar electricity, finding the most efficient way to harvest it is tricky. Some so ...more

What's the first thing you would do once you realized you were lost in, say, a desert? If you're like me, you would immediately pull out your cell phone and start dialing every number. But what if you have no service? What if your battery is dead? If you make this survival so ...more

If you've ever been inside of a real laboratory, you probably noticed how expensive the equipment is. You'd never be able to afford even just one of those ultra high-tech machines required to splice genes or split atoms. Even the lesser machines can be prohibitively costly, in ...more

The days of trundling hoops, hopscotch and painted wooden rocking horses are long since past. The latest trend in toys? Biofeedback. Electroencephalography. A decade into the 21st century, the toy market is awash in products that incorporate functional neural sensors. One suc ...more

More than a year after Harley Quinn made her splash in the summer of 2016, her popularity has not waned one bit. According to Google Trends, the Harley Quinn costume remains ever popular, trailing only Wonder Woman in searches. These two DC Comics characters provide a powerful ...more

Google Trends says that "unicorn" costumes are among the Top 5 searches for 2017, holding steady onto the no. 4 spot, trailing only Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, and clowns. Seeing as how this year, unicorns made the full leap back into our lives, its popularity when it comes to ...more

Halloween is only a few short weeks away, and most people are scrambling to get their costumes together before the big night. The secret to a great getup is all in the details, and including your pet in the fun can be exactly what you need to take your costume to the next leve ...more

A deck of cards may be a magician's best way to demonstrate his or her's sleight of hand, but for the prankster, it's the perfect way to deliver a shocking 300 volts of electricity! And that's exactly what I'm going to show you how to do today. Stuart Edge used it in his "Elec ...more

One of the more enjoyable parts of Christmas (other than opening gifts of course) is going out to find the perfect tree, struggle bringing it into the house, and decorating it. As the years went by, I realized that our tree looked exactly like every other tree in the neighborh ...more

The concept and structure of Christmas hasn't changed much since its inception. In its infancy, Christians recruited Roman pagans by associating Christmas with the Saturnalia, an ancient Roman festival in honor of the deity Saturn (also held in December). The pagans had long w ...more