Hackett shows you how to build a bike charger for a deep cycle battery so you can power your life during the next natural disaster.

Mike Davis’ 555 chip charging circuit

Hackett describes the projector tripod he’s building for the pedicab version of The Illuminator, and discusses what he refers to as the “transmission problem” when building things from obtanium.

Hackett demonstrates an acid bath method to remove toxic galvanization from steel in order to prepare it for welding. Galvanized electrical conduit is a readily-obtainable building material, but welding it releases gaseous heavy metals. Removing galv from the areas you wish to weld is easy with a little muriatic acid, water, and baking soda.

Hackett wrote a how-to for making your own welding rod from coathangers, newspaper, and common household chemicals for MAKE volume 33. The full tutorial is available online, and you can download the article PDF!

In only a week we will be blowing shit up  in Washington Square Park, and WE WILL GET AWAY WITH IT- we have permits, permission, and even a budget. There will be rockets and geysers and a guy screaming in German while cracking a bull whip, strobes and balloons and lasers, did we mention the lasers?

It will be the best event ever, with good intentions and dangerously misguided sincerity that goes horribly, horribly wrong, with awesome tech hacks, clever work used to subvert gravity, and Diet Coke used for evil.

Or, it will be Mark and Ben wet, crying and alone, and the event the coolest thing that could have been but did not come off because YOU did not step up and help. A ton of people have been working like Japanese mules for weeks but the event will not happen unless you step up and get to work. It will be fun, rewarding work with almost instant results, both in the week leading up to the event and esp. on Friday night when it all goes down.Fireless fireworks needs monkeys skilled and not so-skilled to build props, assemble cannons, rig lighting, and run the show on Friday night.

Also, we need a ton of people to document it.

Following is Mark’s exacting lists of tasks (before and during) and
things the project needs.

Before the event, people are needed to :

– Wire solenoids and switches
– Put together PVC for launchers
– Art up the fake rocket
– Make flags
– Help do some experiments with the diet coke fountains and concussions
– Help us scavenge some soda bottles
– make some platforms and stands for the rocket, lasers and photo board
– set up lighting and lasers
– pull a gig bag
– twist a  – small marching band / noise band / accordion players –
collective arm into playing during the show…
– make biting and sarcastic remarks

We also need

– soda bottles and water bottles
– high pressure containers: broken compressors, long dead fire
extinguishers, out of date
– canvas bags or sacks

DURING THE EVENT
– People to load and fire the rockets
– People to fire the water cannons
– People to help with the concussions
– People to unleash the awesome power of Soda
– Flag people
– People to do laser effects

Last Saturday saw the first steps of the Madagascar Institute volcano,
the centerpiece of the upcoming luau to take place Jan 13th. So far, it
stands fourteen feet high, looming over the rosebushes and spent crack
vials in the back yard. It is impressive. I’m not sure how high it will
eventually be, but if anyone knows the specs for aircraft warning lights
let me know. Personally, I want the fucking thing to be so big that when
it is ignited astronauts on the space shuttle will scream like little
girls and soil their space suits. I want a plume of home made lava to
punch right through the ozone layer and surgically obliterate San
Francisco when it lands. I want massive climatic destruction, tetonic
plate shifts, left-handed people gaining superpowers and monkeys driving
mopeds, and after all this happens you can turn to your cowering loved
ones and say: “Hey- I helped out on that.” So, if you want the type of
bragging rights that come with building a really big volcano please show
up at the Madagascar Institute or e-mail me.

Note: This list goes out to like 100 people now, and like the same two
dozen keep showing up. If you have not shown up don’t be shy. Last week
had a good number of new people show up, and their skills and enthusiasm
were appreciated. If you have always wanted to come but feel like you
have missed the boat don’t worry- you haven’t. The Madagascar Institute
is always looking for good (or at least good-looking) people.
Note2: The Surveillance camera project is postponed. It will happen in
January. You will be informed.
Note3: The Madagascar Institute is looking for web geeks and Flash-heads
of all skill levels to work on the Madagascar Institute web site, which
has like directions for an event we did a year and a half ago. We have
shitloads of text, video, and pictures that need to be put together into
a good site. After all, how can you tell if something is fun unless it
has a web site?
If you want to work on www.madagascarinstitute.com contact me.

Anyway- this week we bid good-bye to Hans, our master welder and
coverall enthusiast, who is off for a few month sojourn to Notamerica.
He will be missed, but he will be back. Until then we can content
ourselves with his Oxy/Acetylene torch. Good bye Hans, and take
advantage of those liberal foreign prescription drug laws for us.

-Welding with Fire: Using the new Oxy-Acetylene torch; or:
New ways to horribly maim yourself, just in time for the holidays.

As stated above, Hans donated his fancy gas welder to the Madagascar
Institute. (Or long-term loaned it- whatever. It is ours now.) For those
of you that do not know, Oxy-Acetylene is the type of welding that uses
actual flame instead of electrical current to melt metal. It is
considerably more difficult to master than arc welding, but is a great
skill to know and if useful in a wide range of applications where arc
can not or should not be used.
It can also be incredibly, awesomely, dangerous. A common use of this
type of rig is in cutting steel. A fire hot enough to rend steel is a
vulgar display of power- I once say one of these things rip a man hole
cover in half in about a minute. I still have a neat pair of scars from
a run-in with the molten steel that flies when a cutting torch is being
used, and I thought I was being careful. Learn how to use this beautiful
thing this Thursday and Saturday.

Bring:
-Welding goggles- the arc welding helmets are too dark for this type of
welding. You need those cool little welding goggles like you see stupid
fucking ravers who don’t know what metal is wearing- the roundish ones.
You can get them at good hardware stores.
-Good, long gloves/welding gauntlets. This is where you really, really
need them.
-extra torch tips- we need some. Contact me if you live or work near a
welding supply place and want to pick some up.
-a health respect for anything this powerful. Remember- if it can slice
inch-thick steel in half, imagine what it can do to you.

-Practice, practice, practice.
Remember, just because you know how to strike an arc and draw a bead
does not make you an artstar. Practice your skills and you will get
good. Otherwise, you will suck. Being half-assed at something does not
impress people. Projects will be selected for those who want something
to practice on. Also, if you have not been able to weld yet you will
this week, promise.

Bring:
Scrap metal
Obtanium
Ideas

-Cheap and crappy but very hazardous holiday gifts, part whatever.
This is basically the same thing as above, only with a holiday slant to
it. Write your own blurb. I need to get back to work.

Thursdays at the Madagascar Institute run from 7 pm until around 10:30
pm. If you get there late or too early the ice weasels will get you. Big
thanks to Albert for getting the tanks filled and Hans for the welding
rig.

As always, to be removed from this list eat glass

Hackett

The Madagascar Institute is located at 217 Butler Street, between Nevins

and Bond, ground floor.

Directions:
Take the F or G train to the Bergen Street stop (3rd stop in Brooklyn on
the F) Exit at Bergen and Smith Street. Walk up Bergen, against the flow
of traffic, 2 blocks to Bond. Take a right on Bond, walk 4 or so blocks
to Butler. Take a left on Butler, walk 1/2 block to 217. Ring buzzer #1.
You can get there from the N/R train at Union (about 8 blocks) and the
Atlantic/Pacific street stop for everything, but I don’t know how to do
that.

Car/cab from Manhattan:
Go over the Manhattan Bridge. Once on the Brooklyn side, you will be on
Flatbush. Follow Flatbush a few (like 6) blocks and take a right on
Nevins (right after Fulton, with its bright lights and disturbing amount
of wig shops). Go down Nevins like 6 blocks, watching the neighborhood
get progressively more industrial, until you get to Butler. Take a right
on Butler. 217 is halfway down the block.

Car/cab from Williamsburg (Thanks to Tara Ball)
easy driving directions to Madagascar Inst by Tara

get off BQE Manhattan bridge exit, drive down very big street of
Flushing Ave. Make right on Nevins which is just after Juniors (stop buy
me cheese cake for doing you this favor) 2 or 3 blocks. Drive a little
ways keep eyes open and brain working look for BUTLER. then find 217
Butler (btwn Nevins & Bond.) If you see 3rd Ave you are going wrong way,
turn around. Across street from brick structure.
Easy and remember cheese cake.