I’ve always been fascinated by “night thoughts,” those weird, often nonsensical thought fragments that float into your conscious mind on your way to Slumberland, when you wake up in the middle of the night from a dream, or when you arise in the morning. I’ve been writing my night thoughts down in a notebook (or my phone notes app) for decades. I have books filled with them. Recently, I’ve been having another kind of night thought: A “big idea” that seems to arrive, fully formed, as I get up to go to the bathroom. Some of them seem useful at the time, but not so much in the morning, some are real gems. I’ve taken to calling these “nightbulbs.” When I first started recording my night thoughts, I realized that the act of recording them seemed to produce more. Same with nightbulbs. If you’ve never done this, give it a try. You might find them useful—or at least entertaining. Two of my all-time favorite night thoughts: “The next thing you know, it’s Adolf and Eva in a bunker” and “Amoeba-shaped power clowns.” For nightbulbs, the name itself is one.

Tin Can Steam Engine

In this wonderful Dug North video, he turns a can of evaporated milk into a steam engine. The design is based on Hero of Alexandria’s Aeolipile and the scant instructions Dug used came from a 62-year-old issue of Mechanix Illustrated. Unlike Hero’s design, this version of the Aeolipile is vertically rather than horizontally aligned. Most of the build is straightforward, using common tools. After Dug builds his engine, he struggles to troubleshoot and tune it properly, but with a number of tweaks, he finally gets it going—and man, does it go.

Fire Bricks

Seeing Dug’s video reminded me that I need to get a few fire bricks. Besides their use as refractory bricks for kilns, forges, and ovens, they’re great for any sort of bench work (soldering, small casting, brazing) where you want to shield your work area from heat.

Dan Gelbart’s “Unusual” Shop Tips

I’ve raved about Dan Gelbart’s channel before. Dan is a Vancouver-based machinist and technology entrepreneur. Although I’m not a machinist and have very little experience in a machine shop, I love watching his videos and seeing the high-level tips and tricks he shares. Some of them are basic enough for me to incorporate into my work, such as how to center-drill a hole on a curved surface (e.g. pipe) without having to use a center punch and creating left-hand thread with right-hand tap.

The really amazing tip here is how you can spot weld aluminum using stainless steel pieces as a heat assist. Dan’s is one of those channels that always makes you feel smarter for watching.

Making DIY Control Panels

Cool-looking control panels have always been an attraction for me. On Accidental Science, they present two methods for achieving near-factory-grade results with tools you probably already have on hand. In the first video, he shows how to design your layout in Inkscape (or similar), print it, laminate, and glue it down with epoxy. You can then drill right through the laminated sheet. The results are shop-hardened, grease-resistant, and tough enough for robots, test gear, or any project that might take a beating. The second method result in more of a sleek, satin finish. Instead of laminating, you coat your printed design with spray varnish, back it with opaque white paint, and glue it directly onto aluminum. A final spray coat seals it, or if you’re feeling fancy, you can roll on a thin layer of liquid epoxy for seriously pro-looking results.

Both approaches are CNC-free, budget-friendly, and scale well from one-offs to short production runs

Maker Slang

Jargon, slang, and technical terms for the many realms of making things

Galling — When two metal surfaces slide against each other under pressure and start to stick, tear, or seize instead of moving smoothly. A form of wear caused by friction that can quickly damage bolts, nuts, or other fasteners, especially if they aren’t properly lubricated.

Tattooing — Slang for etching a design onto a knife blade. Usually done with acids, electricity (electro-etching), or fine abrasives to create designs, logos, or patterns without damaging the blade’s strength or performance.

Témoin — A French word meaning witness. In book printing, it refers to a piece of paper that was accidentally folded into the book’s body during production, leaving an unintended crease or extra flap between the pages.

Wallowed out — Describes something worn down, hollowed, or enlarged from repeated use, pressure, or motion. Often used to refer to a hole, groove, or opening that has become misshapen through friction, erosion, or continual movement.

Almost 200 Issues!

It’s hard to believe that we’re at issue #199 of Gar’s Tips & Tools (and closing in on 10,000 subscribers!). This newsletter, launched all the way back in May of 2019, has been one of the most gratifying projects I’ve ever worked on. And readers seem to agree as I’ve gotten more positive feedback on this newsletter than pretty much anything I’ve done. Thank you so much for your support, contributions, and encouragement.

For the 200th issue, I’d love for you, dear reader, to share something that you’ve learned from the newsletter: a tool recommendation, a tip you now regularly use, a YouTube channel you heard about here and now regularly follow. Anything! Tell me a story!

Paid Subscribers: Get Me Through the Next 200 Issues?

Paid-subscriber support has been a great addition to the bottom line of this project. Not only does it help justify the time I put into it, it also fuels my motivation to create even better content.

If you find value in Gar’s Tips & Tools and are able to contribute with a paid subscription, I’d greatly appreciate it. Every bit helps!

Special thanks to Hero of the Realm Jim Coraci for your generous support.

Gar’s Tips, Tools, and Shop Tales is published by Cool Tools Lab. To receive the newsletter a week early, sign up here.