Recent content on Grathio Labs
In September 2008 I made my first post to this blog. It was titled "And so it goes" . I said, "This is a place to keep the stuff that I create separate from my professional portfolio." It was an experiment to encourage me to make stuff, to create and share more. Maybe even finish a personal project from time to time. Social media was still upcoming, so a personal blog was the ideal solution. (It…
Fifty years is a long time, particularly in the life of consumer good. Fifty years ago transistor radios were trendy, color TV (showing three national TV networks!) cost as much as a car, and the portable gadget to wow your friends was a Kodak Instamatic camera with a flashcube. The few things I have that have passed a half-century or more come in two categories. Either keepsakes like photos of my…
I walk a lot, but I'm pretty easy on shoes and a pair typically lasts two years or more. So when my new pair of shoes started falling apart after just a few weeks (and right after the 30-day return period) I had to make a choice between replacing them and fixing them. The eyelets had started pulling apart from main body of the shoe. Each time I tightened the laces, the rip grew. The shoes were…
Earbud tangling is a known problem, and there are endless solutions. I’ve found better ones are more trouble than they’re worth and the worst aren’t worth anything. I won’t say I’ve perfectly solved this problem, but I use earbuds daily and I deal with a tangle about once a season. This project shares both parts necessary for this recipe. It’s half good wrapping technique, and half a good place to…
I've had enough of my neatly packed groceries ending up all over the trunk by the time I get home, apples, and potatoes rolling into unreachable dark corners, and the bread and eggs somehow ending up under the milk. And heavy stuff can slide around and actually cause damage. Happily the solution is pretty simple, thanks to the fact that the carpet in my trunk (and the trunk of most cars) sticks…
This is a make-it-yourself version of a pair of popular products that add magnetic keyholding to a common light switch plate. Keyholders are pretty utilitarian, so they're a common target for designers who want to add a bit of flair . And magnets have a bit of natural magic about them. Since keychains usually have at least a bit of ferromagnetic metal in them, magnetic keyholders are common and…
Even casual readers have noticed that updates have been sparse around here. The main reason is that I've spent much of the last several years writing novels. Which, as it turned out, took more energy and effort than I expected. But now, with three novels complete and a fourth on the way. If you look in my project archives you'll see me doing lots of things with books. Some of you know I originally…
Ever been baffled by all those different drill bits at the hardware store? What could they possibly all be for? I answer that over at Boing Boing with my Beginner’s Guide to Drill And Bits . And if that wasn’t enough, I’m going to be on Wisconsin Public Radio’s Central Time talking about what I know about drills and bits. I’ll be on Tuesday, September 2nd 2014 at 4:45 pm Central time. If you want…
My original hardback reading light project is beautiful, but it's a bit finicky to make. So I've created an alternate version of the project for people without table saws. Or saws of any kind, really. A craft knife, hot glue gun, and a soldering iron are about all you need to take an old unwanted book and turn it into something illuminating. Visit Boing Boing for the full instructions.
The current issue of MAKE Magazine (The one with Mythbuster Grant Imahara on the cover) is mostly about robots, and as always there are a ton of projects for you to build your own. Near the back, right between how to make your own thermite and a ballistic camera housing is my fun Toothy Toothbrush timer project. It takes a set of chattering teeth and turns them into timer that helps you (or your…