In this tutorial, we learn how to build spinning tops with everyday objects. You will need: round recyclable plastic lids, skewers, hot glue gun, and washers or pennies. First, take your plastic lid and weight it with a penny, then poke a skewer through the middle of it. After ...more
Do you like playing with those little popper things that you throw on the ground and they make a loud popping noise? The ones that come in the box full of sawdust? Well those are for noobs. This video will show you how to make a similar, but louder, device out of a penny, some ...more
Adam from Chemical Reaction wants to show you a little movie magic. This video tutorial will show you how to create the Matrix stop bullet effect for your homemade film. To recreate the bullet stop effect from the Matrix without a lot of money, this is how you're going to do i ...more
Last week, I introduced a project that demonstrated how a BB machine gun could be made out of a soda bottle using only a handful of readily available parts. If you missed it, you can check out that project here before reading on. While the first version of this machine gun re ...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
Do you have a problem with flies and you're not sure how to get rid of them? In this video, learn how to make a homemade fly trap to get rid of those pesky insects with wings! If you have too many flies buzzing around your house, here's a quick way to make an inexpensive fly t ...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
Buttermilk is yummy, but did you know it also makes a nifty treatment for your hair and scalp? Buttermilk will make your hair more manageable, smooth and dandruff free. Follow this tutorial and learn the quick and easy recipe for this concoction so you can make it at home. You ...more
Watch this video from This Old House to learn how to replace your exterior columns. Steps: 1. Cut cedar to width and length to create proper size column. 2. Apply two coats of exterior-grade primer to the interior surfaces of the boards. 3. Join together the cedar boards to f ...more
Welcome to Microwave Energy—the next part of my Making Electromagnetic Weapons series. For the Electromagnetic Pulse Generator, check out the last three articles (One, Two and Three). I'm sure almost all of you have used a microwave at some point in your lives. As a child, I ...more
Alas, today we continue on the journey to a more environmentally conscious way of being with part 2 of How to make your beauty routine more eco-friendly. Check out part 1 here. Greening your beauty routine is not actually a selfless decision. In fact, when you cut back on pla ...more
WonderHowTo is made up of niche communities called Worlds. If you've yet to join one (or create your own), get a taste below of what's going on in the community. Check in every Wednesday for a roundup of new activities and projects. Thanks to all of our active moderators and ...more
WonderHowTo is made up of niche communities called Worlds. If you've yet to join one (or create your own), get a taste below of what's going on in the community. Check in every Wednesday for a roundup of new activities and projects. This week has been an exciting one. The com ...more
WonderHowTo is made up niche communities called Worlds. If you've yet to join one (or create your own), get a taste below of what's going on in the community. Check in every Wednesday for a roundup of new activities and projects. This week: A nostalgia-themed cell phone photo ...more
I have an absolutely wonderful time making projects and writing articles for all of you mad scientists! Today, I will bring you behind the scenes for a look at the workbench, tools, and software that make the Mad Science World possible. Above is my beautiful workbench! My who ...more
I love making my own printed circuit boards. It really gives a professional look to a finished project, and having all the design files means I can whip up another batch whenever I need to. However, when I need to make, say, three thousand swarmbots or fill an order for a doze ...more
Remember the Wonder Twins from DC Comics? If you're familiar with the extraterrestrial superheroes, then you know all about those rings they wore. They would touch rings and says "Wonder Twin powers, activate!" to ready their superpowers. This homemade set of rings is reminis ...more
This is a clever video that teaches you how to make a craft that is both fun to make, and also a useful item to have around the house- soap! This is from Living a Simple Life Blog and details how to make soap, just like the pioneers. To do this, you will need some equipment, a ...more
It's a trick that never fails to amaze. You're placed in handcuffs, but with a flick of the wrist, you're free! Kick off your career as a daring escape artist with these simple tips. You Will Need *A pair of handcuffs *A handcuff key *A bobby pin or paper clip *An assistant ...more
If you can think of a piece of junk, someone has probably found a way to turn it into a lamp. Granted, sometimes the result is more functional than beautiful, but DIY lighting is probably one of the most versatile projects you can take on. From string to a can of tuna, the li ...more
Kylo Ren, conflicted villain of the new Star Wars trilogy, will surely be a major presence again this Halloween, with The Last Jedi fast approaching. His costume, all black and layered, complete with dark-side helmet and crossguard lightsaber, seems quite perfect for Oct. 31 — ...more
The following video is the result of months of viewer requests to create a single-shot airsoft rifle. The design I decided to film the video around ended up being quite durable, and very capable of being loaded with single pellets, or multiple pellets to operate as a shotgun. ...more
Via Jeff's Arduino Blog, the Princess and the Pea Alarm Clock: "No ordinary alarm clock: the Princess and the Pea Alarm Clock ('PPAC') leaves no room for snoozing, inflating a green 'pea' between the mattress and box spring, making it impossible to stay in bed. In the tin can ...more
You can do a lot with liquid nitrogen, including freeze and shatter gummy bears, make homemade Dippin' Dots, and scare the crap out of your friends by dipping your hand in it! If you can't get your hands on any, you can even make it yourself. Or, if you want to try something a ...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 learned the hard way that boxed dyes just don't work well for me. A few months ago, I tried one that had a pretty name like "soft violet black." Sounds nice, right? What I ended up with was brown hair and hot pink roots. Trust me, it wasn't cute. Unfortunately, I had to liv ...more
Taking photos in the dark or in low-light settings can be tricky. Just using your normal flash can make your subject look washed out, but not using it can result in a totally dark photo with no subject at all. This DIY light by professional photographer Simon Ellingsworth of ...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
This homemade hairspray-powered PVC rocket takes less than an hour to construct and only costs about 20 dollars to make. Check out my video below for the step-by-step instructions on building your own backyard rocket, and follow the written guide below for reference. Video: . ...more
Just last month, Microsoft announced plans to take away a huge chunk of storage from the free tier of their OneDrive cloud service, and users are understandably quite upset. At the same time, they reneged on an offer to give Office365 users unlimited OneDrive storage, and inst ...more
Flavored oils are amazing. They add a new flavor and depth to dishes not possible with plain oil. Most unfortunately, however, flavored oils almost always come with a hefty price tag to reflect their deliciousness and to capitalize on the general cluelessness of the public. Y ...more
You're in the middle of cooking and a car alarm, cute kitten, or neighborhood brawl made you step away from the stove for a few minutes longer that you should have. It happens to almost every home cook. Most of the time, nothing dramatic happens, but every now and then, you en ...more
The Dark Knight Rises. The Amazing Spider-Man. The Avengers. Halloween is a few weeks away and all we're going to see are these same ol' superhero costumes. It's like that every year, due to the immense popularity of comic book films by DC and Marvel. So, if you want to skip ...more
You may or may not have heard of alt-rock band Panic! at the Disco, but a year and a half ago they released a single called "The Ballad of Mona Lisa", which had an accompanying music video that was Steampunk-themed. In fact, here's the video: Video: . Well, I'm going to give y ...more
There's nothing worse than holding an ice cold brewski on a hot summer day and having no way to open it. If you're a Bud fan, you'll have no problem opening the bottle because most mass-market beers have twist-off caps. But if you have a taste for finer, more expensive brews, ...more
WonderHowTo is a how-to website made up of niche communities called Worlds, with topics ranging from Minecraft to science experiments to Scrabble and everything in-between. Check in every Wednesday evening for a roundup of user-run activities and how-to projects from the commu ...more
As exciting as it can be to crack open a beer, there's nothing fun about wandering around a party and asking other partygoers for a bottle opener. Don't worry, we've got you covered: here are 10 crazy ways to get to drinking while impressing your friends with your ingenuity. ...more
When you're using vacuum power, moving water, or compressing air, it's more than likely being done with some sort of pump. I'll be needing a pump for some of my future projects, so in this tutorial, I'll be showing you how to make your own customizable PVC hand pump that will ...more
Here's how to make dry-ice at home, or wherever you feel like it! All you need is a pillow case, and a CO2 fire extinguisher. Video: . WARNING: Dry Ice is extremely cold! (-78C/-109F) and can cause instant frost-bite to exposed skin. This project should not be attempted withou ...more
Wonder Woman has always been a Halloween and cosplay staple. It's a costume that's both dependable and stylish — just like the Amazon who wears it. This year's reprise with Gal Gadot offers a fresh take on the old standby, with more muted colors, a tougher demeanor, and a deci ...more
Just because a problem is small or superficial doesn't mean it can't annoy the living crap out of you. Others may think you're overreacting, or even have the audacity to roll their eyes, but you're in your own personal hell. First-world problems, white whines—call it whatever ...more