One of the Best Hobby Materials You May Have Never Heard of
In this Tabletop Alchemy video, Ignatius talks about the extruded, moderately-expanded closed-cell polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material known as Sintra. He argues that it is an underutilized material in...
View ArticleThe process of making chalk. A chalk factory in Japan that produces 600,000...
Another great manufacturing video from Process X on YouTube. Pressing the green start button on that giant mixer looks oh-so-satisfying.
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Solving the Riddle of Roman Concrete
The engineering wonders of ancient Rome are widely known and much of their impressive construction was held together with a formulation of concrete. Structures like the Pantheon, built in A.D. 128 and...
View ArticleHow Skateboard Wheels Are Made
Another great video from the Science Channel on YouTube as a part of its How It’s Made series. I particularly enjoyed watching the technicians operate the testing device use to gauge the wheel’s...
View ArticleRanking and Reviewing Various Structural Shapes
Everything you ever wanted to know about the structural characteristics of steel material in various shapes (e.g. I-beam, T-beam, Angle, etc.). There are many structural shapes and for the most part,...
View ArticleHow Gel Capsules & Playground Spring Riders Are Made
Because gel capsules and playground spring riders are both consistent fixtures in my life at the present moment (thanks to my kids and seasonal sinus headaches!), I especially enjoyed getting to see...
View ArticleWhy luxury train carriages had wheels made of actual paper – Allen Paper Wheels
Who knew that compressed paper was used to manufacture train wheels back in the late 19th century? Cool video from Train of Thought on YouTube that discusses the history of Allen Paper Wheels.
View ArticleThrough the Looking Glass: A History of Mirrors
From Narcissus, to Queen Grimhilde, to Lacan, humans have long had an obsession with mirrors. Mirrors are prevalent in both myths and metaphors as well as in our material, physical history. This video...
View ArticleDuck(t) Tape: the World’s Most Useful Tool
Neat video from The History Guy on YouTube that takes a detailed look at one of the handiest office/household/workshop items – duct tape.People really go wild for it! We all had that guy in high school...
View ArticleWhy is the 2 by 4 getting smaller and smaller?
This video made me realize I actually had no idea what a 2 by 4 was or how it got its name. And now I’ve learned what the term rough lumber means and I cannot wait to drop it into casual conversation...
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