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I like making things (engineering student), and have been trawling the web for little projects, but not a lot has floated my boat so far. What have you made that's good fun, out of normal items you have lying around?
Just built a coke can stove, using some DE shaving blades to hack a coke can to pieces. Not ideal equipment but good fun, and I made some coffee with the burner when done. Will be making an improved mk II after drinking more beer for cans.
This was us in the summer with something a little more dangerous:
Ah yes, a mate and I used to call this "backyard ballistics."
We always meant to make a spud cannon. Fortunately we discovered model rocketry before we lost any fingers or depth perception.
water ram pump
2l coke bottle, some ex motorbike bits, a metal rod, and some bulk car boot plumbing bits.
using only a drop of 3ft on the source water (and no other power source) managed to get water above roof of a two storey house
apparently invented by Montgolfier(as in balloon) brothers
(and as a young child I was allowed to shoot televison tubes with a .22 rifle, now that was a predrugs drugs experience)
My log splitter may fall just outside your brief. Mostly a scrapheap challenge project. The only new parts were the hoses and operating lever.
https://picasaweb.google.com/mcmoonter/20110226LogSplitter#
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@mcmoonter- looks like you'll be cutting your own hydraulics in that picture!
The video is worth watching. If you ever need to spilt logs, or large diamonds, or the atom, he's your man.
That is slightly outside the scope of what you can/would want to achieve from the digs of a london university! Although, it is fantastic. I'm assuming the hydraulic power is coming from a reservoir or pump on the tractor?
Water ram pump looks like a good one to try, and quite feasible. I wonder what you could do with the pressure head from a 4th story room. That potato cannon is an example of an inter-family competition we always have when meeting up. In the past we've had rockets, water rockets, spud guns, french bangers (destruction competition!), balloon power races etc etc.
Any more for any more?
The log splitter is powered from a seperate hydraulic power pack. I merely wrapped the hoses around the post to transport them.
oh how I wish:
That merry go round is excellent.
*wants*
My Barbeque: -
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It will be lit tomorrow for the 1st time in 2011, and probably not turned off until 2012 😀
Dear Mother of Dog!
Fukushima!!