This video sequence demonstrates the process of building a rather professional looking skimboard with a foam core and wood spine. All the materials are readily available at home improvement stores. While this build might seem a bit laborious, it's a great way to customize your ...more
Sarah and Katrina show you how to use a Foam Roller and the different to increase stability and flexibility, by really working your core muscles. Katrina shows you how to do a pushup and works your abs in this video.
This is a complex process, but the guys at Graffiti Research Lab have armed you with detailed written instructions and this video on how to create a night writer. This is a more complicated version of their LED throwies that allows you to catch a tag in lights. You'll never ne ...more
Tons of freezers have built-in ice dispensers, but a lot of people never use them. But it turns out, all it takes to give it a new purpose is some duct tape, an X-Acto knife, and a piece of foam core. Endo over on Foodinese wanted to do something different for his wife for Va ...more
If you thought the last post on Two Circle Wobblers was wild, then wait until you see what happens when you build wobblers out of two half circles or two ellipses. In both of these cases, the center of gravity still remains constant in the vertical direction, allowing them to ...more
In this video, Tony Reale describes some cinematography tips for video lighting. He focuses mainly on different ways to capture the look of video. The lighting style he's using in this video is a 2-light setup. One light is reflecting off a foam core and is placed at the right ...more
The garage is the largest uninsulated part of the home. Make your garage energy efficient and help cut heating and cooling bills with a little insulation. Watch this how to video and learn how easy it is to use reflective foil or foam core to keep the effects of the weather ou ...more
If you've recently joined the ever-growing ranks of the cable cutters, you're far from alone. More and more people (myself included) are getting fed up with service providers' outdated subscription models and absurd pricing—and canceling their service. And why not? There are ...more
Using guns in your independent films is risky business, and expensive to boot. Since you probably don't need to actually shoot anything, you can probably get by with a replica prop gun. If you're gonna do that, why not make it yourself? This video will show you how to make a r ...more
"Easy gingerbread house" may sound like an oxymoron, but our step-by-step guide turns this daunting holiday project into a cakewalk. You will need: at least 3 days to prepare gingerbread cookie dough plastic wrap poster board or cardboard wax paper rolling pin flour 2 cookie ...more
If you're in the mood to make a horror movie, complete with creepy creatures and all, then you could make your dreams come true. Just check out this video tutorial on how to make a creature puppet that bites and wags when held. You can make this mechanism using string, craft w ...more
Bring a little bit of super technology into your indie film with a prop robot dog. This is not a real robot dog, but a fake robot dog made from foam core poster board and a few other household materials. Think Lost in Space and The Jetson, only the robot is a dog. Watch this v ...more
Unfortunately, no one seems to have, or willing to share, the science of making a real teleportation chamber. That doesn't mean you can't make a prop one though. Parker put together this video to show us how. You will need foam core poster board, a hot glue gun, duct tape, a p ...more
In the following video, I demonstrate how to build a simple device to increase the inertia of the wearers fist, allowing the easy destruction of concrete blocks. Video: . For this project, you'll need the following parts: 10" strap hinge 1' x 3" foam core PVC 4" x 1/2" PVC On ...more
Why does the world work the way it does? Linda Dong takes basic scientific principles and translates them into beautifully simple, explanatory images. The narrower the light source, the more sharp an object's shadow becomes. (Foam core, light). A battery is anything that conv ...more
All you LARPers out there, watch and see how you can make a blue boffer sword for LARPing. This weapon passes all weapons specs as of Ragnarok XXI War Council for Eryndor. To start making this Eryndor blue sword, you'll need some PVC pipe, DAP, electrical tape, duct tape, blu ...more
If you're looking to play a samurai or other Japanese inspired character at your next boffer larp, this tutorial is for you. You're shown how to build a foam katana using duct tape, a razor blade, measuring tape, cloth athletic tape, DAP contact cement, liquid craft latex, fab ...more
New techniques may improve a swimming pool workout from Masters coach Nancy Kirkpatrick Reno. Before sticking a toe in the water, consider this advice: * Swim in a pool that's at least 20 to 25 yards long; those pools can usually be found at high schools and some gyms. A 50-me ...more
This four-part video tutorial will show you how to make a basic boffer sword for full contact padded weapons fighting and live action role-playing. This is inexpensive, easy to make, safe to fight with, and they work well for awesome LARPing. Padded weapons built to these spe ...more
Have a bunch of old magazines sitting around the house you'd like to recycle? Use old magazines to make a cool basket that suits your more eco-friendly side. Learn how to make a coiled basket out of magazines with help from this how-to video. What you will need: • Old magazi ...more
This tutorial shows you how to make a very safe short sword with a stabbing tip that will pass safety inspection for most games. You'll need filament tape, cloth tape, glues and adhesives, a fiberglass or graphite core and foam coating. Part 1 of 3 - How to Make a short sword ...more
Watch this video tutorial to see how to build a fun foam boffer sword! These boffer swords for any of your larping needs! You will need: 2½ feat of ½ inch PVC 2½ feet of Pipe insulation that can cover ½ inch piping 2½ feet of Pipe insulation to cover that pipe insulation 1 r ...more
Most boffer LARPs insist that you add a safe 'stabbing tip' at the end of your foam sword or dagger. This tutorial shows you how you can make a safe stabbing tip using kevlar and foam, which you add to the core of your sword.
Better your posture and relieve tension with the foam roller routine demonstrated in this Pilates lesson. With Pilates, as with any physical fitness system, a basic mastery of proper technique is essential for both maximizing the effectiveness of your workouts and avoiding acc ...more
An online class on how to build your own boffer sword! Every combat group is different, so make sure this sword is safe by the rules of your boffer larp. This method goes beyond the simple foam and PVC method and teaches you how to use latex to make an awesome looking sword. P ...more
Ron Hazelton shows you how to fix a hole in a hollow core door in less than an hour. 1) Make a bevel around the hole. 2) Shove a piece of crumpled paper into the hole. 3) Fill the hole in with expanding insulated foam. When it's dry cut the extra off. 4) Cover the hole with p ...more
Have a foam roller? This clip offers up a demonstration of a simple lower-body foam roller routine. With Pilates, as with any physical fitness system, a basic mastery of proper technique is essential for both maximizing the effectiveness of your workouts and avoiding accidenta ...more
Have a foam roller? This clip offers up a demonstration of a simple upper-body foam roller routine. With Pilates, as with any physical fitness system, a basic mastery of proper technique is essential for both maximizing the effectiveness of your workouts and avoiding accidenta ...more
Maintaining a strong, healthy physique can be time consuming. If you're looking to stay in shape without committing a large chunk of time, this workout might the one for you. It only takes 15 minutes to build strong muscle and stay in shape! Fast 15 Minute Muscle Building Wor ...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
So after being teased last Christmas with an email promising that the Meta 2 was shipping, nearly a year later, we finally have one of the units that we ordered. Without a moment's hesitation, I tore the package open, set the device up, and started working with it. To me, the ...more
I own two aprons—a cute one for company, and another for the hard-core cooking duties, like cutting up chicken and making stock. The sad truth is that I almost never remember to wear either of them. So, much of my clothing ends up spattered with grease, liquid, and bits of fru ...more