Hot MacGyverisms Posts
How To: Recycle Your Junk Cardboard Boxes into a Super Simple & Stylish Cube Lamp
The problem with a lot of DIY projects is that they can require a lot of materials. You still end up with the satisfaction of something you built with your own hands, but the shopping trips can get pricey.
How To: Stop Squashing Bananas—Make Your Fruit Indestructible with This DIY Banana Case!
I've had a thing against bananas ever since Mario Kart; not only do I believe it's the worst weapon in the game, but it's also a very funny-looking food. Nevertheless, bananas are a great source of potassium, and I can't overlook that.
How To: Make a MacGyver-Style, Emergency Butter Candle That Burns for Hours
Most people wouldn't think of butter as a flammable substance, but in this project—it definitely is! We're making emergency candles that burn for hours using just some toilet paper and a bit of butter!
How To: Turn a Cardboard Box into a Cheap DIY Smartphone Projector
Smartphones and tablets are great for watching movies and videos while you're out, but at home, the screen is just too tiny. There are quite a few projectors on the market that work with mobile devices, but they can get pricey.
How To: Build a Tiny LED Flashlight Out of Nuts, Bolts, and Washers
A flashlight is one of those things you rarely need, but hardly ever have when you do. The normal-sized ones are unwieldy to carry around, and the small ones that you keep in a purse or car are easy to lose.
How To: Make a DIY Magnetic Hammer
So simple yet so brilliant: Designer Jung Soo Park found a way to improve a “run of the mill” hammer by incorporating a magnet at the end of the handle. It holds a few nails while you’re working and if you drop a few on the floor, the magnet makes it easier to pick them up.
How To: Make DIY Decorative Shell Dresser Knobs
A quick way to revamp an old dresser is to change out the knobs for some new decorative ones. Here’s an easy and budget-friendly way to make your very own DIY dresser knobs using shells – perfect if you’re looking to add a little bit of the beach to your decor: What you’ll need: shells (I got mine from the Dollar Store), nuts & washers, bolts (about 1 to 1.5 inches longer than the thickness of the shell), scrap rigid cardboard, rubber bands and epoxy glue.
How To: Make Your Own Single-Use Packs of Antibiotic Ointment (Or Any Other Substance)
Convenience is a big deal these days. You can buy single-serving or single-use sizes of just about anything, from fruits and vegetables to sanitizing wipes, and, apparently, even bananas. Uhh, it already has a wrapper...
How To: Turn an Old Metal Slinky and Coat Hanger into a Bird Feeder
While the heyday of the Slinky may have been a few decades ago, I still think it's one of the coolest toys to ever go to market. Not to mention it probably has the best commercial ever created.
How To: Turn Leftover Cardboard Boxes into Sturdy Chairs and Stylish Nightstands
Contrary to popular belief, IKEA can get pretty expensive. You find something that comes pretty cheap, but then, you decide that your GORF will look good with the BLERGH, and you really need the SPLOOF to tie it all together. Pretty soon, your living room looks like an IKEA magazine ad, and your bank account has seen better days. Instead of spending so much money at IKEA, why not build your own pieces of furniture?
How To: Make a Picture Frame Jewelry Organizer
Frustrated with how to organize your jewelry? Why not make your own jewelry organizer! In this episode, learn how to make a frame to transform an ordinary picture frame into a DIY jewelry organizer, using easy to find materials and simple tools. You will be able to store your jewelry on the wall, out of sight, while at the same time displaying a beautiful photo. Having decorative items like this DIY jewelry holder that also function as storage is perfect for small space decorating.
How To: Make a Tiki Torch from a Bottle of Jack Daniels
There are tons of ways to make simple DIY lamps out of things you have lying around at home. If you've got an empty container, (even an orange or tuna can), there's probably a way to upcycle it into a lamp of some sort, and they can come in handy if you ever lose power.
How To: Make a Pendant Lamp
Not sure how or what kind of lights to add to a room in your rental? Consider making your own pendant lamps from materials you can recycle from your closet and kitchen. This is a do it yourself lighting project on a budget that's perfect for renters and anyone needing to add light to a room. You'll see how easy it is to make customized pendant lamps that will add that extra touch of style to any room, no electrical wiring needed!
How To: Boost Up Your Smartphone Tunes with One of These MacGyver-Style Speaker Amplifiers
There's nothing worst than throwing a party without any music. That's like having watching the Super Bowl without any chips or beers...lame.
How To: Turn an Old Gooseneck Lamp into a Flexible Smartphone Stand
Need a good way to hold your iPhone up? There are a ton of smartphone stands out on the market, but they can be pricey or just downright ugly—and potentially phone damaging. But like the Une Bobine above, they do have their perks, like movability at almost any angle. But to alleviate pressure off of the connection port, Sharon Vaknin from CNET developed her own flexible iPhone stand—from an old desk lamp and suction cup.
How To: Fix a Camera's Broken Lens Hood Using Peanut Butter (Sort Of)
One of the most disappointing experiences ever is when you save all your money for a really expensive gadget—and then break it. Whether it happens the day you buy it, or years later, it's always frustrating.
How To: Turn Your Smokes into an iPad Stylus, Plus 4 More Super Simple DIY Styli
Fingers are very useful for many things in life—but fingers get dirty. With most smartphone and tablets using touchscreen technology, our fingers have become our greatest technological asset. But if you want to keep your phone or tablet from looking like this: Then you can try some of these awesome and easy DIY styluses.
How To: Next Time You Fly, Hack Your Barf Bag into a Smartphone Holder and Watch Your Own Movies
There are so many unpleasant things about flying. You have to wait in line after line, take off your shoes, belt, and jewelry, and somehow make sure your luggage stays intact. And then, once you've made it onto the plane, there are the awful movies that most airlines play—if you even get a movie.
How To: Make a Dry Erase Board That'll Fold Up to Fit in Your Pocket
There's so much you can do with packing tape (besides packing). You can use it to seal art designs, turn everyday objects into sculptures, and even transfer photos. Or, if you have some index cards, you can turn them into a DIY dry-erase board that folds up and fits in your pocket like Redditor robertgfthomas did.
How To: Turn Your Old NES Controller into a Wireless Light Switch Remote
The original NES controller has become one of the most recognizable symbols of the Nintendo gaming culture, thanks to its perfectly rectangular shape and simple button design. But despite its popular appeal, people just don't game with them anymore. So, what do they do with them? They savor the memories and turn it into something more useful, like a light switch.
How To: Make Your New Apple EarPods Fit Better in Your Ear with Sugru
Along with the release of the new iPhone 5, Apple has introduced EarPods, which now replace the soon-to-be-defunct EarBuds. For three years, Apple has been testing the EarPods with users to try and find the most secure fitting, best sounding headphones for that price range. Loose Fit?
How To: Make Toast Cooler by Modding a VHS Player into a Working Toaster
Toasters can do so much more than toast bread. A toaster oven can make your Halloween jack-o'-lanterns look pretty creepy, and you can even mod one into a reflow oven. But what about a regular ol' toaster? Well, you can turn one into a working NES console—or you can keep its bread-toasting functionality by just making it look cooler, like Instructables user lemonie did with his VHS player toaster mod.
How To: Strut Your Stuff—Build This Super Cheap Multi-Monitor Rig for Three-Screen Gaming
Want to take your gaming to the next level? If you're going to do it, why not go big—by building a multi-monitor setup with not two, but three screens like Redditor optec did. Most multi-monitor setups are pretty pricey, but he built this using simple parts that ended up costing him about 30 bucks. The frame is made of four pieces of Unistrut, bent to 45-degree angles. He used a couple of brackets to attach them and made the mounts out of medium-density fibreboard. Finally, he added some more...
How To: Make a Foldable, Wallet-Sized Paper Amplifier for Your Smartphone
Are your smartphone's built-in speakers not loud enough? Don't want to fork out the cash for some additional speakers? Instructables user urant's got you covered. He created the Whirlwind—a portable paper stand and speaker that folds up to fit in your pocket or wallet so you can take it with you on the go. The best part about this amplifier is that it's free to make. You can use regular old printer paper, but urant suggests using something a little sturdier for the stand.
How To: Turn Dried Out Markers into DIY Alcohol Ink That Works on Glass, Metal, and Plastic
Dried out markers are the worst. They take up space, and for some reason, even though they're totally useless, most of us have at least a few lying around just for the sake of not throwing them out. Luckily, Julie Finn over at Crafting a Green World has come up with a way to repurpose them into alcohol ink, a versatile type of ink that can be used on non-porous materials like plastic, glass, and metal. This is truly a tutorial for the pack rat in all of us. First, a little primer on what you ...
How To: Build Your Own Projector Screen at Home for Less Than Fifty Bucks
A few weeks ago, we saw a simple 128 inch DIY Projector Screen that looked like a pro built it—and it only cost $200. But this one is even cheaper, and looks just as good. It's also simpler because it's painted right onto the wall. In the video below, How To Lou shows us how to make it with just some white or silverscreen paint, a few pieces of casement molding, and some black velvet for the trim.
How To: Save Money on Your Home Theater with This Pro-Looking DIY Projector Screen
Projector screens can be pretty expensive, depending on the size and quality you're looking for. If you're thinking of installing one and want to save some money, you can build a pretty decent one yourself with just a few simple materials. Redditor dodgeboy made this 128" DIY projector screen for only $200, and I have to say it looks pretty impressive. Poplar 1x4s make up the frame, with pine 1x3s as supports. Once the frame was assembled and painted black, he installed mounting blocks on bot...
How To: Use a Drop of Water to Take Extreme Closeups with Your iPhone (Or Make a DIY Macro Lens!)
It can be incredibly frustrating to take closeup shots with an iPhone camera—or any smartphone camera for that matter. Even if your phone's camera is top of the line, you'll still get a fuzzy picture if you get to close to your subject.
How To: Keep Your Dog Entertained All Day Long with the Fetch-O-Matic Ball Launcher
Dogs make great best friends, but anyone who's had one knows they can be the most high-maintenance friend you've ever had. Bathroom breaks, feeding schedules and walks are only the beginning. Even if you make your dog organic treats and teach it neat tricks, it still needs to play. And after that fifth game of fetch, your arm can get pretty tired.
How To: DIY Impossible Light Bulb, Plus 6 More Ways to Repurpose Burned Out Bulbs
The next time a light bulb burns out in your house, don't throw it out. Believe it or not, burned out light bulbs aren't entirely useless. Besides creating an extra task on your to-do list, they can be hollowed out and used for a variety of different things from home decorations to miniature indoor gardens.
How To: This Simple DIY Rain Cover Will Keep Your Camera Dry During Stormy Shoots
Rain can make for an amazing photograph, but it can do disastrous things to your equipment. This super simple DIY cover from Purple Summit Photography will keep out the rain so you can capture beautiful shots no matter the weather, and it's made using things you probably have lying around. Photo by Jon Shave
How To: This DIY Pneumatic "Mauler" Fires 300 Ping Pong Balls Per Minute
Here's an awesome weekend project that could leave you with a fearsome "Ping Pong Ball Mauler" capable of firing hundreds of balls a minute at your unsuspecting neighbors. Christian Reed built it out of a poly drum and a homemade pneumatic device. He turned a standard shop vacuum into a high volume, low pressure system that allows his contraption to continually fire a constant stream of ping pong balls at a rate of hundreds of balls a minute. Best of all, all of the parts he used can be bough...
How To: 10 Creative Ways to Upcycle Your Junk into Usable DIY Chairs
With the upcycling revolution, folks are turning their otherwise useless junk into something functional for the home. Practically anything that you would normally toss or recycle can be reused for a bigger and better purpose. Your milk jugs, chopsticks, toilet paper cardboard, glass jars, and even your old junk computer keyboards can be upcycled into something totally useful around (or away from) the home.
How To: Make a Cheap and Reliable Suction-Based Bike Rack for Your Car
A bike rack that's lightweight, small enough to store in your car, easy to build at home, and only costs 50 dollars sounds to good to be true, right? It's not. This guy built a suction-based bike rack in just two hours with only his jigsaw and a drill. He built the contraption using off-the-shelf suction handles, plastic cutting boards, and a commercial fork mount. All-in-all, it cost him just $44 for one mount and less than $100 to add in a second mount and a rear holder. You can find his fu...
How To: Save Money Barbecuing This Summer with One of These Inventive DIY Grills
Sometimes you just want to grill. It doesn't matter where you are, what you have, or whom you're with—you just want a delicious burger and you don't care what it takes.
How To: DIY iPad Stand and Stylus, Plus 8 More Ways to Recycle Old Chopsticks
Chopsticks are very easily reusable, yet they always get thrown away. You use them when you get Chinese takeout, then toss them out without even a backwards glance.
How To: DIY Stormtrooper Helmet, Plus 10 More Ways to Reuse Old Milk Jugs
When it comes to milk, my family consumes anywhere between two and four gallons every two weeks. That's about four to eight gallons every month. That's a lot of milk—and a lot of empty milk jugs! Instead of simply tossing them in the recycling bin, why not get creative and make something useful out of them yourself?
How To: 10 Creative and Unique DIY Planters to Inspire Your Home Garden
Summer is in full swing! Everywhere you look, plants are in full bloom and green is a way of life. Gardeners are clearly living up to their full potential. I cannot think of anything else that personifies summer better than gardening.
News: How to Combat Achey Hands During PC Gaming
I don't know about you, but one of the main reasons I don't play very many PC games is because it hurts my hands to move with the WASD key combo.
How To: A/C Broke? Keep Your Car Cool with This DIY Solar-Powered Air Conditioner
If a solar-powered air conditioner that requires no electricity or moving parts sounds to good to be true, well, then you're not as ambitious as this clever high school student. Instructables user Fozzy13 put together an awesome DIY tutorial on how he built his own air conditioning unit in his car that works using the principles of evaporation, convection, and capillary action. This air conditioner works by using sunlight to heat air at the bottom of the unit. The hot air rises, allowing the ...