Snip, Burn, Solder Blog: Gallery Archive

The Flyest Single-String Electric Guitar I've Ever Seen

This is the diddley bow that Chris Lynas built last weekend, riffing off the "$10 Electric Guitar" in Snip, Burn, Solder, Shred (Project #13)--plus a sweet lil Dirt Cheap Amp (Project #12) to go with it:

And here it is in action:

I *love* this! Such a great fit for these lil hands!

Incidentally, Chris is one of several builders who have used a thicker gauge of wire to wind their pickups and still had good results. Quoth Chris:

I used 40 gauge wire because it was what I could find. Works ok and was easy to handle with 5yo assisting. In combination with the beefy magnet it's quite a hot pickup. Neck is ash (from past project), body from old pine shelf. Machine head and string cost about £4 total from local guitar shop. All other hardware from the bottom of the toolbox.

I.e., Chris stayed within the $10 budget, despite the strong pound sterling! Supercool!

Some folks may already be familiar with Chris Lynas from this project, where he 3D-printed new discs for an old-school Fisher-Price "record player" (which was actually technologically more of a music box):

(Worth checking out the link, as the code/CAD-based solution is pretty fascinating.)

*thx Chris!*

Posted by dave-o at 05:58 PM | Permalink

A Valentine's Day Sock Cthulhu

I received this email two days ago, but decided to sit on it so as not to inadvertently spoil any Valentine's surprises. Cirsten writes

Hi David: I found your sock Cthuhlu on ManMade and had to make it for my bf for Valentine's Day. Now I am a very crafty girl, but have never sewed anything in my entire life (27 years) but had to do it...so I am sending you the results. This vday sock monster was created in 4 hours (had to figure out how to sew it all together and find wire for the wings, used underwire from a bra lol)

Well hope you like and I made you proud.

Yes indeed! The underwire wing reinforcement is *genius*! And I *love* this fella's saucy little pose on the sofa:

Check out a couple other pics here (man, I *love* those wings!)

*thanks Cirsten!*

Posted by dave-o at 03:54 PM | Permalink

Boomerang Success Story!

Make A Simple Cardboard Boomerang | Apartment Therapy

I remember when my brother got a foam-rubber boomerang at the circus one year. We spent hours throwing it at each other in the backyard, desperately trying to get it to come back to us with little success. I figured I just didn't have the knack. As it turns out, it was the boomerang's fault (I knew it!), and I can make one in a few minutes that is guaranteed to work. Sign me up!

FACT: Hearing about folks' success with one of my projects is just *insanely* gratifying--and all the more so when it's a boomerang success story. My introduction to boomerangs as a kid was *also* a circus souvenir, and I had *exactly* the same experience as Richard; soured me on the damn things for ~15 years.

Do you have a boomerang success story? Send it my way; we need to push back against all the terrible boomerang karma drifting around out there.

Posted by dave-o at 12:02 PM | Permalink

My Favorite Sock Cthulhu Yet!

ink spot: Sock Cthulhu

Dear friend Corey Johnson made several improvements when building her Sock Cthulhu, all of which I heartily endorse. I *love* these wings! Check the link for details on her mods.