I have always wanted my own sandblasting cabinet, but they are very expensive. I was also never crazy about the idea of an outdoor one, because you lose all your sand. Then I discovered that home depot sells a sandblast gun for about $12. I decided to buy it, and build the cabinet myself. This would have been a very expensive and time consuming project had I built it completely from scratch with new materials, and if you are considering doing so it might be a better idea to just buy one. But, if you are resourceful you can probably find a way to jerryrig one for cheap. The main thing you should try to come up with is a metal box type of enclosure, preferably something with a door already on it. I used an old x-ray film copier I got from work. Other things that would work are dishwashers or a mini fridge. Here is a list of tools you will probably need:

1. Sawzall with metal cutting blade
2. Drill (and various drill bits)
3. Grinder
4. Tin snips
5. Hammer
6. Screwdrivers or Wrenches depending on the type fasteners you use
7. Hole saws (various sizes)

These are the materials I used:

1. Acrylic glass window
2. Vinyl gloves (the kind used for commercial fishing)
3. Dust collection vent (for gloves, see pic)
4. PVC drain
5. Bilge hose
6. 2 gallon bucket w/lid
7. Light bulb holder
8. Power strip
9. Sheet metal
10. Funnel
11. Hose clamps (various sizes)
12. Rubber grommets
13. Foam weatherstripping
14. Sealer (I used silicone)
15. Sandblasting gun

Here’s the step by step of how I built it:

I started with this

Mounted a light in it

Cut a hole in the bottom, to later be used for the sand collecting tub. I used a grinder to get a hole started, then cut the rest with a sawzall.

Cut a hole in the top for the acrylic window

Mounted the acrylic window. The lid of this unit has 2 layers of sheet metal. I bent back the first layer around each edge, put the window in, then bent it back. If you make one of these you will probably have to rig it differently.

This piece of aluminum was also part of the film copier. Worked great for the shape of the sand tub.

I used sheet metal to make the end caps. Pretty simple, I just made a template with cardboard, traced it on sheet metal with an extra inch or so on each side. Then used tin snips to cut it out. I used a hammer to bend the edges over, and bolted them on. I recommend using a sealer around all the edges to make sure it is airtight. I used silicone.

Making the armholes. Again used a grinder and sawzall to make the cuts. I found the black plastic pieces in the vent/dust collection area of a hardware store for 2 bucks. The inside has a round lip to attach the gloves to.

Getting close. The black tube coming through the back is for attaching a shopvac for dust removal.

I decided the tub wasn’t quite deep enough, so I put a pvc drain in the bottom, to be used to route the sand down to a bucket that holds the sand.

Used a hose clamp to attach the gloves. These are vinyl gloves typically used for commercial fishing.

I used simple foam weatherstripping to seal the lid. Also mounted a powerstrip for plugging in the light, shopvac, and anything else I feel like using.

I used a funnel and some bilge hose to route the sand down to the bucket. Still a completely closed system. I also have the air and sand hoses attached. I cut a hole in the side of the bucket and used bondo to secure the sand pick up tube. You may also notice I put a latch on it (at the top, between the armholes) to keep the lid down tight when in use. I got the cart its sitting on from work too. It put the sandblaster at a good working height. Just had to put a hole in it for the funnel and hose. I put a simple shelf on the bottom of the cart for the bucket and bag of sand to sit. On the sides of the sandblaster are some metal straps screwed down to the cart to secure it down. The whole thing is on casters, which makes it easy to move around.

Ready to blast. I used a sheet of expanded metal to make the work surface which was the most costly part of the project (about $20). You may also notice how I routed the air hose. Because of where the air hose attaches to the sandblasting gun, routing it like this allowed for the best maneuverability of the gun.

Here’s a simple way to make some non-slip traction paint. I know this is common knowledge to some out there, but to those who haven’t heard of it, it’s a good jerryrig. All you need is a good quality paint and some sand. Some companies sell a silicon oxide compound to mix into paint for the same purpose, but sand is cheaper and works fine. If you go find your own sand, try to make sure it is clean (i.e. free of organic materials like twigs). If you decide to buy it you can find it at a pet store, or home depot has a 50# bag of sand for 3 bucks and change. Either way, there are two methods for doing this:

1. Mix sand into paint, the ratio is up to you depending on the texture you’re going for, then just paint it on. Periodically agitate the paint container to make sure the sand stays suspended.
2. Paint surface, sprinkle sand on top of it. Once its dry, shake off the loose sand and apply another coat of paint.

In the picture, method 1 is on the left, 2 on the right. In general, the first method will be a bit less gritty, and the second very abrasive. But that also depends on how much sand you use with either. Both should help keep your feet under you.

For this demonstration I used POR 15 paint, because it is the strongest paint I know of. Leave a comment if you know of another paint that would be good for this application.

Instead of buying one of those off the shelf universal exhaust hangers that don’t work worth a damn, here is a cheap and easy way to make an exhaust hanger that works well. I made this for a Toyota pickup, but I’m sure you can make some variation of this work for your vehicle. You will need:

1. Exhaust u-bolt (size of your pipe)
2. Steel rod
3. Arc or Mig welder
4. Oxy/acetylene torch (optional)

Get yourself an exhaust u-bolt the size of your pipe, and a steel rod. It doesn’t have to be new or pretty or anything, just find some scrap lying around (nobody sees this stuff). As long as its not rusted to hell, it should work fine. Heat rod with a torch to bend a right angle about 2 inches in from one end. If you don’t have a torch, you can weld a short bead to heat it up, then bend it. Remember it doesn’t have to look good. Weld the short section lengthwise on the cap that goes on the u-bolt (see pic). Figure out how long the rod needs to be to fit in the rubber hanger, and put a bend in the other end. Hang it. Bolt it on. Done.

A friend of mine jerryrigged this tool for cutting through fiberglass. I’m sure you could fine all kinds of other applications for it.

You will need:

1. Angle Grinder
2. Saw wheel
3. Unibit

Pretty self explanatory. Use a unibit to drill out the center hole of the saw wheel, to fit the arbor of your grinder, and attach. The picture shows a grinder with the guard removed. I recommend leaving it on. Wear safety gear! At the very least safety glasses and welding gloves.

A cool project to replace those rubber non slip pedal covers with some diamond plate aluminum (instead of buying those expensive fast and the furious wanna-be pedals). My rubber ones were deteriorating anyway, and these look good, aren’t too flashy, and provide a good grip.

You will need:

1. Diamond plate aluminum (don’t get that expensive shiny kind, there’s no reason)
2. Propane torch
3. Bandsaw
4. Grinder
5. Drill (a right angle drill may be required)
6. Welding gloves

Pull the rubber cover off the pedal. Use it to make an outline on the aluminum. Cut it out. Clean up the job with a grinder. Since pedals usually have a bit of a curve to them, you will need to bend the aluminum. WEAR WELDING GLOVES. Heat with a torch in a vice, and hammer a curve into it. It will be trial and error until you have the curve right. When done, let it cool (or dunk it in water). Get some short counter-sink machine screws, drill some holes through them and the pedal , and attach.
Note: This worked for the clutch and brake pedals. The gas pedal I had to make completely different. Since all vehicles are probably different, you can figure out a way to jerryrig yours.

This is a simple project, if you have the tools, to make some badass custom speaker grills out of aluminum.

You will need:

1. A mig welder (set up for aluminum)
2. Some 1/4″ flat aluminum
3. 1/4″ round stock aluminum
4. Hole saws
5. A drill
6. A grinder
7. A torch (simple propane torch works just fine)

I made these grills for 4″ speakers, but you can do any size you want. The picture is pretty self explanatory. Use a hole saw to cut the diameter of your speaker. Then cut about 1/2″ around that to make a ring that will go around the speaker. I didn’t have a hole saw big enough for the outer diameter (and they’re spendy as hell) so I used a bandsaw to cut roughly around it, and a grinder to clean up the job and round off the edges. Drill holes through the ring where you want the bars to go, and measure the distance between them. Use a torch to heat up the round stock aluminum, and make right angle bends in the correct areas. Slip the bars through the holes, weld it on the backside, cut off the excess, and grind it flat. There you have it. Cool looking speaker grills, that are way stronger than those flimsy ass sheet metal covers.

HINT: Use a DA sander and about a 120-180 grit sandpaper to polish up the ring before you weld the bars on if you want it shiny. Or paint them if you want.

For a Sub
Here’s the larger version I built for my 12″ sub. I made 2 crescent shaped pieces of aluminum, and used 1/2″ round stock. Built essentially the same. Note: You can bend 1/2″ round stock aluminum with a propane torch, but you have to heat it for several minutes.

This is an article about how to easily bend PVC pipe into a desired shape. We made a steering wheel for a wii, but you can make anything you want with this method.

Things you will need (besides basic tools):

1. pvc pipe
2. sand (keeps pipe from collapsing)
3. some wood (for a jig)
4. welding gloves
5. heating device (we used a propane crab cooker)
6. metal funnel
7. metal pot (not a nice one) - coffee can would probably work
8. Thermometer (cooking type, must go up to at least 300 degrees)

First build a jig in the desired shape of what you’re making. Heat up the sand in a metal pot on your heating device to about 300 degrees F. Plug one end of the pvc pipe with a material that won’t melt (we used aluminum foil tape). WEAR WELDING GLOVES. Funnel the sand into the opposite end and wait about 30 seconds, the pipe will become very malleable. Bend it into the desired shape in your jig, and screw in some wood blocks to hold it in place. Leave it in jig for about 10-15 minutes while it cools. After cool, empty the sand, your pvc pipe will now retain this shape.

WARNING: Attempt this at your own risk. Always use open flame devices outside. Use welding gloves when handling hot materials.

Our setup

Building a jig

Make sure it fits snug

Pipe will be hot!

Now holding its shape
Finished product is at a the top

What you’ll need

1. 12v battery charger
2. Wire
3. 2 eyebolts
4. 2 L-Brackets
5. Duct tape and a few wood screws
6. 2×4 and 6×4
7. 14g wire to act as resistor
8. AC powered fan (optional)

Start by removing the cover to the 12v charger.  You need to bypass the circuit breaker on the negative side and wire directly.  Doing so allows the wire to heat up and not trip the breaker every few seconds. 

 Using whatever  methods you choose, build a stand.  We used a few pieces of 2×4, 6×2 and part of a hockey stick.  Mount the L Brackets along the vertical part of the stand, be sure they don’t touch.  Drill a hole on either end and attach eye bolts and suspend a wire between them.  Now attach the positive part of the charger to the top and the negative to the bottom.  We put a resistor wire coiled on the top which seems to help.  

We also built a bandsaw style platform and drilled a hole out to run the wire.  This gave us a platform to steady pieces on.  We also attached a heave duty fan to pull away fumes, though wearing a respirator is not a bad idea. 

We’ve used this to cut heavy duty foam to medium thickness plastic, they key is to work with the plastic quickly.  Its great for intricate designs.  Plus, it’s cheap and easy.  Just like we are.

 Talk about this project here.

Use a cherry picker to drop a transmission.

Most of us backyard mechanics don’t own a transmission jack, but some of us do have a cherry picker or at least a buddy with one. And if you need to change a clutch but don’t look forward to a good ol’ fashioned round of transmission wrestling, here’s a simpler approach. Get your hands on a cherry picker and a nylon strap. Do what you see in the picture. Arm of the cherry picker in the cab, nylon strap wrapped around the transmission and hooked to the cherry picker. Cinch it up tight, then once you’re removed the last tranny bolt, break it loose and lower it on down. When it goes back in, as seen in the pic, a floor jack may also be used to match the tranny angle with the engine for easy reassembly. Work smart, not hard. That’s my motto.

It’s also a good way to move the tranny around easily.

So, I could have paid $250 for a nice Burton bluetooth setup that requires certain Burton Accessories to make it work. Instead, I used a nice GYRO helmet already setup with headphones, ripped the old earpieces out, and jerryrigged my Logitech Bluetooth headphones into their place..

Undoing the Logitech Headphones was a task. The shell on the headphones was tough to get through, and after I disassembled them I had to solder a few wires back together. I used electrical tape to cover the wires and make the setup more sturdy. In the helmet earpieces, I sewed the headphones in place to keep them secure. The setup, compared to the speakers my helmet came with, sounds better and not to mention, isn’t connected to me via wires.