My Favorite Projects from 2017

2017 was a  busy year!

Duct Tape Dummy / Make a Mannequin

Make a Mannequin

I'm making a costume for Halloween and needed a replica of my body so I wouldn't have to keep trying on the costume to check the fit. I'll show you a cheap and easy way to create a mannequin of yourself.

A Primer on LEDs - The What and the How Tutorial

LEDs, Resistors, Power Supply, & Breadboard

Where do you start with LEDs? I've always wanted to learn how to incorporate LEDs into props I make. It turns out, it's not difficult to get started.

DIY Metal Coil Springs

Make Your Own Springs

I needed a spring, but wanted a custom size and shape. I made my own extension and compression springs.

My Favorite Projects from 2016

2016 was a  busy year!

Luke Skywalker Costume Belt from Scraps & Metal Chain

Need a belt on the cheap? If you keep left over parts, you have everything you need.

Idle Projects

Starting projects is easy, finishing them is not. I've got a few projects that  I should finish, but I'd rather start a new project.

Everything I do gets modeled in Sketchup.

Make Prop Dynamite

You can make realistic looking prop dynamite in a couple of hours using hand tools with what you have lying around your house.

My Favorite Projects from 2015

2015 was a busy year!
I started a podcast, am planning for another, posted more videos to my youtube channel than ever before, made my 200th blog post, and even wrote a novel! I also built a few projects.
Here are my favorite projects from this year

Fallout Crosscut Table Saw Sled

I needed a cross cut table saw sled, but I wanted something different, and I wanted a challenge. Could I make a Fallout video game inspired sled that looks like it fits the aesthetic? You tell me!

Skyrim Dragon Priest Costume Build

For Halloween 2015 I was Morokei, a Dragon Priest from the video game The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim.
The costume consisted of the mask, robe, armor, and the daggers. How did I do it? Great question, here is the how to.

Make, Mold, and Cast a Skyrim Dragon Priest Dagger

I wanted to try to mold and cast a prop. For my first casting I decided to also try cold casting which uses metal powder to achieve a genuine metal finish. Building the dagger is relatively cheap, casting is where the project gets expensive.

I will walk you through the project step by step from building the dagger and then molding, casting, and cold casting the Dragon Priest dagger, while listing all the supplies I used.

If you've read my previous blog on Building a Skyrim Shield, you know I really like  the video game The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim,

My Collection of Halloween Costumes

Halloween is one of my favorite times of year. It provides an excuse to build something really cool related to my Halloween costume. I like making things and learning new skills.

Halloween costumes through the years.

The Best Tool for your Shop

What's the best tool?
There is no single end all, be all tool. It comes down to the best tool for the job or the best tool for your area of focus.

I can't tell you the one tool you need, but I will tell you about the power tools I've used and the power tools I absolutely need on certain projects. Though, if you want to be philosophical, I suppose you are the best tool.

Technique Does Not Make an Expert

"Nobody has a monopoly on being you... and if you think your technique is what makes you interesting, you are being ridiculous. Share your techniques."- Adam Savage

Simple Stencil for Tagging

I wanted to create a simple stencil to tag some of the things I have and will build. This is not high precision, but it gets the job done.

Build a Skyrim Shield

This shield is from the video game Skyrim. Each of the nine holds, or cities, has this shield with a unique symbol. I'll take you through my process of creating two shields. One I approximate as game accurate size at 24" with the Dawnstar symbol and another at 18", with the Windhelm symbol.

Dawnstar hold shield

Windhelm hold shield

Build a Star Wars Jedi Light Saber

Jedi Light Saber
In a couple of days, you could build your own Star Wars inspired light saber. All you need is a few items from a home improvement or hardware store.

Foam Proton Pack

I needed a lightweight pack built quickly. My solution was insulation foam. It's easy to cut and sand.

I did one foam pack at 50% scale for my son, and a true scale pack for my wife.

The mini-pack.

No Job is Too Big - A Proton Pack Build

No Ghostbusters costume would be complete without a proton pack build.
I have a month to build the pack, finish the rest of my costume, and finish my son's costume.
I'm cutting it a bit short and will have to shortcut some details (which I will fix after Halloween).

The pack on Halloween.

The wand on Halloween.