A Bore Snake is “a one-piece cleaning rod, brush, patch, solvent and oil applicator in a flexible package one can fold up and carry in a pocket, ready for instant use”.
Apparently, the soldiers in Iraq are given cleaning tools that don’t work as well or as quickly as they should, despite being more expensive than the Bore Snake. Also, because of the types of terrain that they’re fighting on, gun cleaning has become a frequent occurrence (as often as a few times per day).
Thus, Project Bore Snake aims to send Bore Snakes over to the troops so that they can have the best possible tools at their disposal, and so that no lives are lost due to improper gun maintenance.
While feelings about the war are obviously mixed, I think that a project like this is a great way to support the troops themselves without supporting the cause that they’re fighting for, and it does a whole lot more than a yellow ribbon magnet ever did.
Pimping out your bar, but not sure what you should get? The Bachelor Guy asked Tony Abou-Ganim, creator of the cocktail program at the Bellagio in Vegas, and producer of the instructional DVD Modern Mixology, to come up with a list of what the average guy should have at a home bar.
The 15 essential tools that Tony came up with should have you shaking and stirring anything from a simple gin and tonic to a dreaded Cosmo, and everything can be bought for under $75 (if you skip the silver plating). It’s drinking time!
[The Bachelor Guy - 15 Essential Tools For Your Home Bar]
The Victorinox RescueTool, better known as the Knife of Life, is the winner of the 2007 Knife of the Year award. Features include:
- One-handed blade
- Phillips screwdriver
- Window breaker
- Strong 6mm screwdriver with:
- Cap lifter
- Wire stripper
- Punch and reamer
- Belt cutter
- Key ring
- Tweezers
- Toothpick
- Disc saw
- Luminescent grip shells
- Nylon cord
- Nylon case
This knife is designed to spell the difference between life and death. A collaboration with Swiss emergency medical and rescue teams, the Knife of Life is everything you need to quickly and safely remove a person from a wrecked vehicle. Could you ask for anything more?
[Via: bookofjoe]
The Hot Rod Mop Brush is designed for men (and the women who buy for them). Featuring flame etchings, a silicone flame mop to hold sauce, and a stainless steel handle with a bottle opener, this flavor spreader is the perfect accessory for any man that loves his BBQ more than life itself.
[Via: Uncrate]
If you think that excavators are only good for excavating, then it’s time to start thinking outside the box a little more. Check out these creative people using an excavator to unload itself:
And using an excavator to row a boat:
What will they think of next?
[Unload Via: Neatorama]
[Paddle Via: Spluch]
The Douglas Tool line of hammers makes me want to go out and build things. Each one features their patented “Head-Handle Interface Technology”, giving each hammer a “tremendous advantage in strength, durability and leverage. Features include a magnetized nail set, side nail-pull, side strike surface, and chisel-tip claw. Get “Wood where you want it – Steel where you need it”.
[Via: Acquire]
If you’re one of those people who believe that you don’t own it unless you can open it, the Access Pro Tool Kit has all of the tools you need to open (and void the warranty on) your Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft console. Never again will a strange screw get in the way of your modding.
[Via: Technabob]
Apparently there was a time when someone looked at a multi-tool and thought, “Man, I really wish that thing had a hammer”; and soon after the Ultimate Hammer Tool was born. Excess now has a spot in your pocket.
[Via: Acquire]
The Make: warranty voider is a Leatherman “Squirt” with the Make: logo laser etched on the side. It’s available in either pliers or electronics version, is small enough to fit on your key chain, and is perfect for “mobile fixing, hacking and MacGyvering”. The features are as follows:
Squirt P4 features
- Needlenose Pliers (spring loaded)
- Straight Knife
- Wire Cutters
- Extra Small Screwdriver
- Medium Screwdriver
- Small Flat Phillips Screwdriver
- Single-Cut File
- Cross-Cut File
- Opener
- Lanyard Attachment
- Awl
- Length: 2.25 in. / 5.5 cm closed
- Weight: 1.9 ounces / 55 grams
Squirt E4 features
- Electrical Wire Cutters (spring loaded)
- 20, 18, 16, 14, and 12 gauge wire strippers
- Straight Knife
- Tweezers
- Extra-Small Screwdriver
- Small Screwdriver
- Phillips Screwdriver
- Wood/Metal File
- Bottle Opener
- Lanyard Attachment
- Length: 2.25 in. / 5.5 cm closed
- Weight: 1.8 ounces / 52 grams
Each tool also includes a copy of the Maker’s Bill of Rights:
- Meaningful and specific parts lists shall be included.
- Cases shall be easy to open.
- Batteries should be replaceable.
- Special tools are allowed only for darn good reasons.
- Profiting by selling expensive special tools is wrong and not making special tools available is even worse.
- Torx is OK; tamperproof is rarely OK.
- Components, not entire sub-assemblies, shall be replaceable.
- Consumables, like fuses and filters, shall be easy to access.
- Circuit boards shall be commented.
- Power from USB is good; power from proprietary power adapters is bad.
- Standard connecters shall have pinouts defined.
- If it snaps shut, it shall snap open.
- Screws better than glues.
- Docs and drivers shall have permalinks and shall reside for all perpetuity at archive.org.
- Ease of repair shall be a design ideal, not an afterthought.
- Metric or standard, not both.
- Schematics shall be included.
But as one observant Boing Boing reader noted, the Make: warranty voider doesn’t exactly follow by the rules of its own Maker’s Bill of Rights.
- No parts list.
- Case is sealed by rivets — cannot be opened for repair.
- Need a drill to remove rivets and a riveter to replace them (i.e. ’special tools required’).
- Can’t get at components to replace them, thus entire assembly must be replaced, and proprietary parts are not available individually to the end user.
- Ease of repair not a consideration.
- No schematics included.
If you’re going to bundle two things together, it’s probably a good idea to make sure they agree with one another.
[Via: Boing Boing]
The problem with doing it yourself is that you often need quite a bit of space and a bunch of really expensive tools to get the job done right. Not everyone has a dynamometer in their backyard for measuring horsepower or a laser cutter for cranking out that prototype you’ve been working on. TechShop aims to fix all that with their open access public workshop. Described as “a fully-equipped open-access workshop and creative environment that lets you drop in any time and work on your own projects at your own pace. It is like a health club with tools and equipment instead of exercise equipment…a Kinko’s for geeks”; TechShop is open to everyone regardless of age or skill level. They’ve even got classes available if you’ve always been dying to try out airbrushing or building your own custom motorcycle. With an extensive equipment list and numerous available classes, TechShop is sure to be the in the dreams of techies everywhere.
[TechShop]
[Via: Popgadget]
Benny Benassi is well known for his music videos, probably more than he is for the music itself. In his video for Satisfaction, a few scantily clad well-endowed women are demoing power tools in a late night infomercial style setting. If you’re not a fan of techno, this may just be the best reason yet to start. Warning: Definitely NSFW
Something about this product just strikes me as “designed for the lazy”. I mean, come on, is it really that hard to roll out a dough line and fold a pretzel yourself? Designed as a quick and easy replacement for hand twisting, I think it takes too much fun out of making a pretzel. If you want a pretzel without all the work, just pick up a box of them in the frozen section of your local supermarket. Nothing says quick and easy like a box of pre-cut pretzels, but then nothing says “too lazy to move” like a box of pre-cut pretzels either, so choose your own adventure.
[Via: Kitchen Contraptions]
This automatic flyswatter is so simple yet so effective. It’s been dubbed “The Fruit Fly Flattener” by its creator. Just place something inside the device that will attract the flies, and turn it on. Every couple of seconds, the flies get an automatic swatting, and you get the satisfaction of hearing another one bite the dust.
[Via: Boing Boing]
The original creator of the tool belt over 10 years ago, 686 continues to design fashionable ways to play MacGyver and sneak through airport security. The buckle functions as a bottle opener, the detachable double prongs a #2 Phillips and #2 flat head screwdriver, and the detachable loop an 8, 10 and 11MM wrench. Though designed to serve as a skate/snowboard tool, I wouldn’t mind wearing this and playing Bob Villa in a pinch.
[686]
[Via: MAKE]
