B.Light Design

This guy built a jet pack, and the first two people he sent up in it were his wife and his son.

This is my favorite part:

I can’t think of a better secret,” he said, but added that it was not a hard one to keep. “Basically, for my whole life I’ve had a jetpack in the garage,” said Harrison, now 16, with a shrug, “so it’s just one of those things you don’t talk about.”

Awesome.

Last time I was at my parent’s house, I “liberated” a few logs from the neighbors firewood pile. Freshly cut maple logs, perfect for some thin-walled turnings. I turned a test piece for a lamp shade. Well, it only became a test piece after the wood cracked.

I drilled the through hole and oiled it up Friday morning.

I might be making a few more trips to the neighbors.

I attached a nut to the papercraft skull, threaded it onto a bolt and dipped it into some white Plasti Dip. It looks a little thick, I might have to thin it out and try again.

I cut open a ping pong ball, glued a magnet into it, dipped it in white Plasti Dip, and drew an eyeball on it (I was out of black Plasti Dip). The idea was to create eyeballs that can be attached to metal objects that sort of look like faces. Weird, I know.

B.Y.O. Toys

This morning I started two projects I’ve had in mind for quite sometime. I have this idea for Build Your Own Toys (B.Y.O. Toys). Hopefully this will make more sense tomorrow.

The one is a prototype for a build your own action figure. I took the papercraft skull from Skull-A-Day and shrank it 50% in Photoshop. I plan on dipping it in Plasti Dip like my birds, I hope to get similar results.

The other one is a bit stranger, and I don’t think I could explain it without sounding like a crazy person. Tomorrow’s picture should clear things up.

Watching paint dry.

Second coat of paint on my tool case (3 coats always seems to be the magic number) and more work on the sky of a painting I’m working on. I have weird thing for water towers.

Finally put the first coat of paint on a tool case I made. Eventually there will be a chalkboard cabinet door on it as well. I have high hopes for this one.

Also put a coat of furniture wax on some sculptural oak spheres I made a while back. So before someone else says it, yes, I was waxing my balls this morning (groan).

I’m trying something new this week. I’m going to see if I can work for 20 to 30 minutes every morning on a project. Maybe something will get accomplished this week.

I think everyone should have their own logo.

When I finally came up with one, I bought a rubber stamp at the aptly named rubberstamps.net. It cost me about $17, and I’ve been stamping ever since.

Next up, a branding iron.

My sister asked me to make 60 rubber origami birds for her wedding. She used them as place settings. I’ve never made more than 4 of anything before, so I figured I’d give mass production a shot.

Aside from breathing Plasti Dip fumes for two weeks, it went pretty well.

Is this a new contender for the girliest thing I’ve ever made? Thanks Kels for the pic.

Hi, I’m Ben, and I’m a lathe lover. Hi Ben.

My lathe is a dinky little guy, but I love what it can do. I love that you can actually make something in a few hours. I love that you can sand and finish a piece in minutes. I love that you can turn a log into a lamp. A log.

I took a wooden bowl turning class at the YWCA years ago, it was taught by Michael Brolly. I’ve been hooked ever since. I highly recommend you getting yourself a lathe or taking a turning class. Or you could always just learn from the man himself.