William Gurstelle's Blog, page 2

How to Make a Leyden Jar and Electrostatic Generator

When the cold weather makes the air so dry, it's impossible to touch stuff in the house without getting a little shock. If you want to take that making a spark thing to the next level, then check out the next issue of Make Magazine (Make 21.) I show to how to create some really big-ass sparks by building a friction based static electricity generator and a Leyden jar.

The longer I worked on this project, the more excited I became with it. It took me a while to figure out how to best fabricate t...

Well, I'm glad that's over

It's been a challenging couple of weeks in the Technology Underground.

In mid December I was diagnosed with testicular cancer and a week later the surgeon removed a fairly sizable tumor. The doctors tell me that the kind of cancer I had is among the most treatable types there is. In fact my GP (one of the best in town) said this to me: "well, if you have to get cancer, this is the one to get."

I feel lucky and unlucky at the same time. I did have to cancel my speaking trip to South America, but...

England's Daily Telegraph's take on Absinthe and Flamethrowers

America's DIY ballistics king Bill Gurstelle shoots from the hip about health and safety Tom Leonard meets the DIY artillery king at his 'barrage garage'.

The above headline is from today's (Dec 3, 2009) Daily Telegraph, England's largest daily newspaper. There's an in-depth article on Absinthe and Flamethrowers and goes into depth about the importance of reasonable risk taking. The reporter, Tom Leonard, is a terrific writer and the photographer took some very interesting pictures.

I'm...

How to Build a Potato Cannon Wall Poster

Here's another poster that looks great on the wall of just about any workshop, classroom, or bedroom: How to Build a Flamethrower. I developed this poster with my professional graphic designer colleague, Jon. Huge: 3' X 2', full color. Great to have, great to give.

The poster covers the design and construction of a powerful spud gun, and covers a variety of ignition methods including taser-powered, piezo-electric, and good ole fashioned flint and steel. I've made *lots* of these and my best...

How to Build a Flamethrower Poster

I'm excited to say my new poster: How to Build a Flamethrower is ready to go! I developed this poster with a professional graphic designer. It's full color and measures 36-inches high X 24-inches wide. Everything you need to know (with a bit of web support) to build a kick-butt, working flamethrower! A flame 15 feet high!

It's the perfect holiday gift for the person who loves stuff like this.




It looks cool on the wall of your workshop, bedroom, or classroom.

Find out more at www.ballisticom.com

Car Launching

I often head to northwestern Wisconsin because my brother has a lake cabin there. Interesting place, rural Wisconsin. Go into any of the bars or taverns up there (believe me, there are a whole lot) and you immediately get the sense that the level of cultural sophistication is not what it is in say, Manhattan or West Palm Beach. Or Omaha, Peoria or Wilkes Barre either.


But that's not a bad thing. The locals are a quite creative lot. Here's an example. It's a pastime called "car launching."

It...

Marshmallow Shooter Video on Kare -11

Today on KARE-11's Showcase Minnesota show, Rob Hudson and I build a marshmallow shooter, one of the safer projects from the many available in Whoosh Boom Splat, the enthusiasts guide to making projectile shooters.

Here's a link to a video of the segment - It's pretty good; we had fun nailing the camera man! Easy and fun to make, and costs about $3 to make.

http://www.showcaseminnesota.com/show/client_article.aspx?storyid=827311