BuffaloFeeds » Toolmonger » August 3, 2011

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  Top Gear: The Brits Are Coming

  Posted: August 3rd, 2011, 12:06pm MDT by Sean O'Hara

  

  The gap between airing on the BBC and BBCA has shrunk again this year for Top Gear. If you’re a fan, and many are, you don’t have the uber-long year- or six-month wait for your UK automotive fix. The first episode of the newest season is airing on this side of the pond Monday, August 22 @ 8 p.m. Central.

  Say what you like, but the show has been nothing short of stellar since its reboot a few years ago. The on-air interplay between Clarkson, May, and Hammond is sparkling, and the show’s segments such as the secondhand car challenges are some of the best spots around.

  I’m a fan of the U.S. version of Top Gear, but it was the Brit TG that revived the automotive section of my brain and got me back into car shows and cars in general. And that is more than worth the wait as far as I can tell.

  Top Gear UK [Website]

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  Where There’s Fire, There’s Fun

  Posted: August 3rd, 2011, 10:12am MDT by Sean O'Hara

  

  Every year, long-time reader Tmib_Seattle posts up his fine work with the local scout troop, where he teaches lads how to wrangle fire and form steel. I remember my own scout days very well, except they involve wood, not metal.

  It’s pretty rare that young men are exposed to this kind of workmanship anymore. Just look around in the shots on the Flickr pool and you’ll see why. Had it not been for scoutmaster Tmib and his vast array of ironworking goodness, they’d be out of luck as well. But as it sits, the boys get experience with a craft that has been disappearing over the last few decades.

  We are glad to see Tmib and the lads stoking some coals and bending metal in the name of learning. We’re not quite sure from the pics what they’re making, but it looks like fun.

  Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]

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  Long-Lasting Color For PVC Projects

  Posted: August 3rd, 2011, 9:45am MDT by Chuck Cage

  

  I’ve chosen PVC pipe for lots of projects because it’s easy to work with — and easy to modify. But the only finish option I ever attempted was paint, which really doesn’t hold up that well. One of the readers over at Make posted a how-to, though, on dying PVC. And it sounds like a much better solution, penetrating below the surface of the PVC and creating a lasting hue.

  The article specifically works with cables — a power cord, for example — but the technique should work equally well with pipe or other PVC coatings. The trick here is blending various oil-soluble chemical dyes with “clear cleaner” to create a penetrating oil. Check the article — plus the link in the first paragraph – -to see what specific products the author selected as well as some suggested volumes.

  As the author points out, this method not only produces a more durable color, it’s also more customizable and (most importantly) doesn’t change the diameter of the pipe, which means you can use it in precision applications (like, say, camera stabilizers and such).

  Technique: Cable Dying [Make]
  Technique: Stain PVC Any Color You Like [Make]

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