Fake Padlock

This is a fun visual gag that you can use to make anything look like it is padlocked. This project uses a standard padlock and hasp. The only thing that we are changing is the screws. Cut off the threads of the screws and file down the cut end. Then glue the cut screw heads into the holes of the hasp. This will give the appearance that they are screwed into whatever surface that you mount it on. To hold everything in place put a piece of double sided tape on the back side of the hasp. Attach the padlock and have fun putting it on random things. A lot of people won’t look close enough to notice that it is fake. It is especially fun to confuse people by putting it on surfaces like glass that generally can’t have hardware mounted to it.

Reusable Party Poppers

With New Years Eve coming up, many people will be buying party poppers. These are a fun way of making noise and shooting confetti around the room at the same time. But some party poppers are extra fun because they can be reused over and over. These are usually the variety that activates by turning a dial at the base. They are reusable because they use a spring rather than a fire cracker to propel the contents. 

Here is how you reuse it. Line up the slot on the plunger with the holding key. Press the plunger down with a screw driver. Once the key fits through the slot, turn the dial to lock it in place.

                                                                                               

Then you have a mini launcher to shoot anything that will fit in the tube. You can load it with your own confetti. You can make a mini potato cannon. You can fill it with rice the next time you go to a wedding and launch it at the bride and groom. Use your imagination and have fun.

Christmas Present Shake Prank

We all know someone who shakes their presents to try to figure out what's inside. This project is the perfect thing to give someone who does this. It's a box that plays prerecorded sounds whenever an internal shake sensor is activated. So when they go to shake their present, they hear broken glass or a kitten crying or whatever you want to record to mess with them.




For step by step directions, check out my Instructables page: http://www.instructables.com/id/Christmas-Present-Shake-Prank/

Photoshop Cloning

 Photoshop cloning is a fun project to try if you are bored and want some practice at photoediting. Just set up a camera on a tripod and take a bunch of pictures of you in different locations. Then open them up in your photo editor and combine them.
 Here are a few examples of pictures that I have made. They are far from professional quality. But I had fun making them.

Automatic Dimming Nightlight

In this project, I designed a nightlight that automatically dims and turns itself off. A lot of people find it difficult to fall asleep when they suddenly transition from a brightly lit room to complete darkness. A dim source of light such as a nightlight helps them to adjust to a lower brightness and fall asleep more easily. But the down side of most nightlights is that they waste electricity because they are on all night when you really only need them to be on while you are falling asleep. So I designed a nightlight that will automatically dim and turn itself off after a certain period of time that is set by the user.

For step by step instructions check out my Instructables page: http://www.instructables.com/id/Automatic-Dimming-Nightlight/

 

Pen Ink Replacement Hack

If you have ever had to buy ink refills for a pen, you know that they can be expensive and finding refills for unique pens can be nearly impossible. But fortunately many of these pens can be refilled using the ink reservoir from cheap disposable pens that you have lying around the house. 

There are three main styles of refillable pens. There are non-retractable pens. There are retractable pens that extend and retract with a push button and there are retractable pens that extend and retract by twisting the base of the pen.  Before you do anything check to make sure that they refillable pen and the disposable pen have tips that are the same diameter. Otherwise this hack will not work. If you have a non-retractable pen, you may be able to replace by simply putting in the new reservoir from your disposable pen. You may have to trim off the spring tabs if it doesn’t fit.  If you are refilling a pen that extends and retracts by twisting the base, cut the ink reservoir from the disposable pen to the same length as the original tube. Then just fit the plastic end cap on the new reservoir and reassemble the pen. Again you may have to trim the spring tabs if it doesn’t fit back together. If you are refilling a pushbutton pen, first remove the plastic end cap from the ink reservoir and cut the ink reservoir from the disposable pen to the same length as the original assembly minus the length of the end cap. When reassembling the pen simply place the end cap back into the pen where it would normally sit and then place the new ink reservoir on top of it. This will allow the normal push button action to work. This hack should work for most medium tip ball point pens. But keep in mind that there are slight variations between brands and styles so it might not work 100% of the time.

Ballpoint Pen/Mechanical Pencil Hack

It’s always useful to have a pen or pencil nearby in case you need to write something down. Unfortunately, they aren’t always convenient to carry around with you. For instance, if you have shallow pockets, a standard pen or pencil is just too long. In this hack, I am going to show you a really simple way to take a ballpoint pen or a mechanical pencil and cut them to a more convenient size.

Pens that work best for this hack are the standard BIC ballpoint pens or anything in the same style. First disassemble the pen by twisting off the end cap (click/button end) and removing all the internal parts. Then, using a sharp knife cut the outer housing to the desired length. This will crimp in the edges of the plastic tube. So use another pen (or anything with a similar shape) to flare out the cut end. This will make it easier to fit the end cap back on. Then use the part of the tubing that you cut off to measure where to cut the ink reservoir. It is important that you cut both the outer tube and the ink reservoir by the same length. If you cut the ink reservoir below the ink line, clean off any ink from the end of the reservoir, and everywhere else. The ink in these pens is highly viscous so you shouldn’t have to worry about it spilling after you clean off the end. Then just reassemble your pen. 

This hack can also be done with mechanical pencils but with a few limitations. The pencil must be a style where the eraser end can be removed. PaperMate pencils work best for this because they can be completely disassembled. Mechanical pencils tend to be made from brittle plastic. So you will want to use a fine toothed saw to cut the outer housing. I had good luck using a scroll saw. Just be careful and go slowly, this plastic cracks easily. You are also limited in how short you can make a pencil without altering the lead inserts.

Since this hack works best with cheap pens and pencils you can make a variety of sizes for whatever application you want.