I have made and used a few pinhole cameras that used photo paper as “film” but I wanted to try m hand at using real, negative film. Recently, someone gave me a 35mm film developing jar and so I decided now was the time to try my hand at negative film. I have several old Canon 35mm SLR cameras which all take FD lenses so I decided to make a pinhole “lens” for them. Read on…
I got into pinhole photography recently because I like the idea of building my own camera, taking photographs with that camera, and developing my own film and prints. I was wandering the aisles at Ax-Man and came across some 1 quart metal cans. They looked like an ideal shape, material, and price to be made into pinhole cameras so, I bought half a dozen. It was quite easy to turn these cans into very usable pinhole cameras. Read on…
I needed a new belt and had an old bike tire laying around so I decided to turn that tire into a “new” belt. All I needed was a an old bicycle tire, a box cutter, a rubber mallet, a punch set, a rivet set, a belt buckle, and some rivets. The belt looks great, performs well, and ended up being very inexpensive. Plus, reusing materials is always a good thing. A win-win-win! Read on…
I acquired a large, odd shaped, glass jar that I thought would make a cool aquarium. Due to the strange shape, a traditional aquarium hood/light combo would not work on this aquarium. I decided that a cheap aluminum 8.5″ clamp light would work well but I needed a way to hang it over the tank so I designed and build this simple wooden stand. This lamp stand can be completed easily and cheaply. Read on…
Recently I used up all the lines in my check register for my checking account. You usually get a new one when you order new checks but I won’t need to order checks for a while and I didn’t have an extra register laying. I went to several stores trying to buy a new register but I could not find any. Then it dawned on me that I could easily make one from a spreadsheet. This is how I did it and I’ve also included the file for download. Read on…
In this project I am going to show you how to make a joule thief and put it in a jar. This joule thief is a simple circuit that will take an old “dead” AA or AAA battery and up the voltage enough to power an LED. I use these as decorations and to completely drain batteries that are too “dead” to work in other devices. Note: The only unique idea here is to stick one of these circuits into a plastic jar. The circuit is not mine. Read on…
I was bored one day and did not want to pay $7 on a fishing lure that looks just like every other lure out there so, I decided to make my own. All you need is some wire, some beads, a clevis, a hook, a spinner blade, and some creativity. It is not hard to make a variety of different colored, shaped, and sized lures. I can attest that these lures actually catch fish! Read on…
