In this TronicsFix video, Steve buys 7 broken NES game cartridges, priced from $5 – $30, to see how hard it is to fix them. Most of the repairs come down to cleaning the “golden finger” contacts on the edge of the circuit boards and Steve finds that a combo of pink eraser, IPA on a Q-tip, and a metal polishing cloth does the trick. One game had badly corroded pins on a chip and was therefore DOA, another had a short in one of the chips (same), a few required jumping wires to repair broken copper traces. But, in the end, only a couple of the games were beyond basic repairs.
Awesome Woodworking Tips from Lloyd Khan
When I was a teen, I was obsessed with the Whole Earth Catalogs and completely enamored with the work of often-featured designer-builders like Jay Baldwin, Greg Baer, Malcolm Wells, and Lloyd Khan. Khan was responsible for the very WEC-like outsized Shelter publications, featuring crazy, cool, and arty owner-built dwellings. Lloyd is still around, still doing his thing. His Instagram is worth a follow. This particular post is loaded with a number of high-quality construction tips.
Getting to Know the 555 Timer Chip
In this DroneBot Workshop they provide a clear and concise 42-minute introduction to the ubiquitous and versatile 555 timer chip. They discuss how the 555 works, its various modes, and some of the basic projects you can use it in.
A Chemist Explains How Super Glue Works
Brent, of the excellent game crafting and miniature painting channel, Goobertown Hobbies, also has a Ph.D. in chemistry. In this video on his channel, he explains the chemistry behind cyanoacrylate (aka Super Glue) and how the glue actually works.
Electroplating 3D Prints
Via Donald Bell’sMaker Update comes a recommendation for this article on Makezine about how to create faux chrome finishes on 3D prints. The process involves lots of sanding and smoothing of the print, a spray with a copper conductive paint, then an electroplating bath. The results are pretty spectacular.
Testing and Ranking Heavy-Duty Staplers
In this Project Farm video, Todd tests out 14 different brands of heavy-duty staplers. He looks at units from Makita, Milwaukee, Ryobi, Arrow, DeWalt, WorkPro, Bauer, Neu Master, Ework, Bielmeier, Stanley, and Citadel. The staplers were compared for resistance to jams, stapling speed, capability to drive staples into spruce, oak, and composite decking. Bottom line? The Ryobi performed very well and offers the best value, at $84 (at time of testing). The stapler that tested best overall was the Makita, at a whopping $210 at time of testing.
Shop Talk
Newsletter reader Paul Cryan asks:“How do you know if a tip you’ve come across is original enough to report?”Good question, Paul. A lot of it comes down to experience and intuition. I’ve been writing in the DIY space for over 30 years, so I have some sense of the saturation of tips and techniques that are shared. But ultimately, I don’t sweat “originality” as much as I do practicality. If it’s a great tip, even if it’s been around for a while, even a very long while, it’s worth sharing with those for whom it’s new and as a reminder to those who may already know it. I see tips all the time that serve as a reminder for me to finally break down and try it out (or bring it back into my work flow).
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I got a lot of responses to my “Shop Talk” post about areas of DIY where you say “Hell, no, get me a pro.” Everyone seemed to be on the same page. Reader Craig best summarized the responses I received:“My dad did almost no home or auto repairs. Not because he didn’t know how, but because he freakin’ hated doing them. Mom, however, might have been able to build a house with a pocketknife and a pair of vise grips. She just had skills…lots of them.”I have done a wide spectrum of things but as I’ve gotten older, I triage everything:If I want to try something, I do.If I don’t want to, I don’t.If it absolutely must be done and I don’t want to do it, I hire it out.No guilt, just a depleted treasury.”
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A cool tool can be any book, gadget, software, video, map, hardware, material, or website that is tried and true. All reviews on this site are written by readers who have actually used the tool and others like it. Items can be either old or new as long as they are wonderful. We post things we like and ignore the rest. Suggestions for tools much better than what is recommended here are always wanted.
I got especially excited about a package that arrived this week because I was finally able to read my preorder of the new book from Austin Kleon: Don’t Call It Art! The subtitle is 10 ways to create like a kid again and it lives up to that promise. The core idea is to let your inner child loose and make things with joy, as a form of play instead of something you’ll be judged on. As always with his titles, the hardback is full of fun illustrations. This time they’re joined by drawings from his two young sons, which brings the whole message home. It is a fun read and would be a great gift for someone who is stuck in a rut creatively or just starting a new job or business. The author of Show Your Work is on Substack as well.
Where Americans are Moving
For the first time since the Great Depression 90 years ago, more people moved out of the USA last year than moved in. That was widely reported around the world, but if you’re wondering where they ended up, most studies I’ve seen peg Mexico, Portugal, Spain, Ireland, and Colombia in the top 5, though sometimes the order is a bit different after the clear winner south of the border. This site lists 10 countries and a reason for each, like a truly useful digital nomad visa in Thailand and Italy’s remote worker visa. I expect #10 Bali to drop off after recent actions. (See the previous issue.)
Living in Bulgaria, Post-euro
Bulgaria has gone from unknown to undeniable hotspot in the past 15 years, thanks in part to great conditions for nomads in Bansko and a cost of living advantage that’s hard to beat in Europe. They adopted the euro and became part of the Schengen Zone recently though, so I tapped native Bulgarian Maria Stoynova from Sofia Expats to give me a rundown on how things stand now with prices. See the current results here: The Cost of Living in Bulgaria.
Where the Summer Flight Bargains Are
Dollar Flight Club crunched some data and named the destinations that are still a good deal this summer for flights. In general, the most popular cities are up 15-20% over last year, but others have barely budged. In Europe, they point to 10 destinations going for $570 or less round-trip from U.S. gateways. The ten ranged from expensive (Stockholm and Bergen) to bargains (Krakow and Budapest), but in general were secondary cities except for Dublin. Heading south, check Guatemala, Costa Rica, and a few different spots in Mexico and the Caribbean.
A weekly newsletter with four quick bites, edited by Tim Leffel, author of A Better Life for Half the Price and The World’s Cheapest Destinations. See past editions here, where your like-minded friends can subscribe and join you.
