How To Make Creepy Plaster Hand Casts for Halloween!

Posted on by Norman Chan

Kayte guides us through the step-by-step process of making creepy plaster hand casts for a wide range of Halloween decorations. Follow along to learn the tips and best practices for making the most out of an alginate mold kit and pull multiple castings of your own hand!

$15 Make-a-Mold Casting Kits: https://bit.ly/2TjmfmI
Plaster of Paris (for extra castings): https://bit.ly/3m8JM60
Pebeo Studio Gouache (for gray pallor wash): https://bit.ly/3miuyLN
Mixing Tub (2.5 quart): https://bit.ly/31yqbUW
Bolts (1/4-20 x 1-1/2”): https://amzn.to/3kqCx9d
Nuts (1/4″-20 stainless): https://amzn.to/34noKL0
Washers (1/4 x 5/8”): https://amzn.to/37DUAFz
Greeblie Molds: https://bit.ly/34jvc5Q
More Greeblie Molds: https://bit.ly/2Tglv1t
Rock Mold: https://amzn.to/34m7OEH

Find more of Kayte’s projects at http://kaytesabicer.com/

Shot and edited by Norman Chan

Jen’s Foam Wig Project – The Adam Savage Project – 10/22/20

Posted on by Norman Chan

Jen Schachter joins us this week to talk about her journey building her amazing EVA foam wig and how she adapted her past fabrication experience to a material that was new to her skillset. Plus, we talk about inspirations for designing and lighting our work spaces, and what Halloween looks like in this abnormal year.

Making an EVA Foam Wig for Cosplay and Halloween!

Posted on by Norman Chan

For Halloween this year, Jen Schachter takes on the ambitious project of making a larger-than-life foam wig and costume in the style of Marie Antoinette. It’s her first big EVA foam project, but Jen pulls it off wonderfully with a costume that’s equal parts period pouf and 80s glam rock. Follow along Jen’s journey patterning and fabricating this epic hairstyle and use it as a guide to make your own foam costuming wig!

Amazon shopping list for this project: https://amzn.to/3510IEO

Jen’s Etsy and digital designs for foam wigs: https://www.etsy.com/listing/887774329/marie-antoinette-foam-wig-digital

Foamsmith 3 by Bill Doran: https://amzn.to/3m6wJlE

Shot by Jen Schachter
Edited by Norman Chan

Adam Savage’s One Day Builds: Hellboy’s Samaritan Prop, Part 3!

Posted on by Norman Chan

As Adam nears the finish for his build of his scratch-built Hellboy Samaritan prop replica, he turns to the finer details of the grip and the bronze hammer. Along the way, there are decisions about the materials used that allow Adam to contribute to the mythology behind the prop, based on his interpretation of the reference sources. Adam also shows a big mistake he made in this build, and what it tooks to fix it. The Samaritan is getting close to completion!

Watch Part 1 of this build here: https://youtu.be/Pb1BpA7QN3U

Watch Part 2 of this build here: https://youtu.be/inQ16HamIWk

Shot by Adam Savage and edited by Gunther Kirsch

WELCOME TO THE NEW TESTED!

Posted on by Tested Staff

Hey Everyone!

If you caught our “Changes Are Coming” post last week, today’s new site design shouldn’t come as a surprise.

If you didn’t catch that post, then please allow this to serve as our announcement of some pretty significant changes here at Tested.com. First and foremost, this is technically a “soft launch” of the redesign, so we ask that you bear with us while we gather feedback and make updates or fixes over the next few weeks. Change can be difficult, even when it’s necessary, so we greatly appreciate your patience.

Please read the aforementioned post if you’d like more specifics on how these changes came about, but we’ll recap some things here:

  • This new look is all about making our content more discoverable and hopefully more enjoyable. You should be able to find what you’re looking for a little more easily with new site categories and an updated search. Our new homepage is designed so you can find content from the most recent weeks within a few clicks, rather than scrolling through pages in the old blogroll style.
  • Not ALL content from the previous site has been migrated to this one. There are numerous business decisions that went into our selection of content for this site. We did the best we could and let data be our guide. If you’re missing your favorite piece of older content, we apologize. Please don’t take it personally.
  • Tested.com no longer has user accounts. We’re eliminating usernames and the entire sign-in process. If you previously had an account, that data will be deleted from our old database in the coming weeks as we wind down our old infrastructure.
  • Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to the Forums. Without user accounts, it just didn’t make sense continuing with that aspect of the site. If you’d like to join our Discord for community chat, please click the Discord icon in the main nav above.
  • Commenting on posts is still allowed, but we don’t ask you to sign in. Right now, our moderation filters are fairly soft but if the spam kicks up again we’ll definitely move to “approved” comments only. All comments from the previous version of Tested.com have been ported over to this new site without the usernames. Thus the “anonymous” comments.
  • If you’re currently an active Premium member, you will no longer log into an account to view premium content. Each premium video now has a password on the video player. This password was distributed through a premium member newsletter on Wednesday, Oct. 21, to the email address we had on file. So please check any email you may have used to sign up as well as your spam folders. If you did not receive this password and you are eligible to view premium content, no problem! Please write to support@tested.com for account verification and your password. If you want to continue to watch exclusive content — both old and new — you can sign up for channel membership, which we moved to YouTube and talked about here.

That’s it for most of the major changes, but like we said, this is still a work in progress. We hope to use this as the starting point for a better future, with our continued efforts to bring you the content you love.

We’ll be in touch as we move through updates and changes. Many thanks for all of your support!

-Team Tested

Adam Savage’s Favorite Tools: Wire Twisting Pliers!

Posted on by Norman Chan

Adam loves discovering new tools by watching other craftspeople at work, even if there aren’t immediate projects or tasks in need of that tool. Having a unique tool like a pair of wire twisting pliers isn’t about having it handy all the time, but it’s part of understanding how things are put together in the world. In this case, the twisted safety wires you may find holding screws in place under aircraft or military hardware. Here’s how those are made!

Age of Mecha: Awesome 1/35th Scale Mech Figures!

Posted on by Norman Chan

With today’s 3D printers, designers are able to create their own line of figures and toys for proof of concept manufacturing. That’s what 3D modeler and animator Michael Herm has done with his Age of Mecha 1/35th scale collectibles–with prototypes he’s sent us to check out and review. We chat Michael about his prototyping and design process for creating posable mechs and how his modular approach allows for a variety of striking designs.

Adam Savage’s One Day Builds: Giant Swiss Army Knife Repair!

Posted on by Gunther Kirsch

Many viewers have asked about the giant Swiss Army Knife replica that lives above the lathe in Adam’s shop, and Adam takes this display down to the workbench to show you exactly what it is and how it works. And while it’s disassembled, Adam spends the day making a replacement blade to restore this prop to its full multi-bladed glory. Be prepared for some fun maths!

Changes Are Coming To Tested.com

Posted on by Tested Staff

Hey, Everyone!

If you read our previous posts regarding changes to our premium membership model, you may have noticed we mentioned some big updates coming to Tested.com. Well, that time is almost here, as a newly redesigned Tested will be launching in the next week or two! The new site is undergoing some QA and last-minute fixes, so a final launch plan is still being approved. That said, the earliest launch date will be Wednesday, Oct. 21, so we wanted to let you know as soon as we started to zero in on a target timeframe.

The primary focus of the new Tested.com is a better content experience and more logical content discovery. We’ll be making our pages easier to navigate, updating our search and changing our category structure so it makes more sense for the content we’re currently creating. We hope you will find it generally more intuitive and useful.

Aside from some pretty dramatic visual changes, the main reason we’re undertaking this effort is to move away from a proprietary CMS and an underlying site infrastructure that was no longer viable. This major infrastructure change will ultimately save us time and budget to focus on what you expect most from Tested — content.

However, these changes do come with some other adjustments that may seem abrupt. We know the changes are big, but they are in the best interest of pressing the reset button and establishing a new baseline for an adaptable future.

First and foremost, we will be deleting all user profile data. This means that after the “launch” you will no longer have a Tested account to sign in to. It also means that your site data will be removed. We will no longer be storing your email address and other personal data on the site (except for premium members’ email addresses in Mailchimp.) This includes your transaction history if you were a Tested premium member now or in the past.

Because user profile data is being removed, this also means that we are closing the forums and deleting all old posts. If you have information in forum posts you’d like to retain, we recommend copying that information before Oct. 21. We know this may be really tough for some of you to hear, but we also know the forum hasn’t received the love and attention required to really make it a worthwhile destination. We’ve found that our Discord community operates similarly to our forums of old (without the spam!), so please join us over there if so inclined. (It’ll also be the place we’ll solicit community contributions like podcast themes and outro pieces).

While forum posts will be removed and deleted, we are retaining old comments on posts. Since usernames and profiles are being deleted, old comments on the site will be posted as “anonymous” but the information contained within the comment will be retained.

If you are a current premium member, the way you access premium content is changing. Since there will no longer be a user account to log into to check your premium status, premium videos will have a password that is stored as browser cookie (so you won’t have to enter it every time you watch a video). We will be distributing this password via the Premium membership newsletter, so please stay tuned for a newsletter on launch day. If you have unsubscribed from the newsletter, our support team can help. After site launch, write to support@tested.com and ask for the password. They will verify your eligibility and send you a password.

These decisions didn’t come easily, but we think it’s best that we rip the band-aid off now. Just know that the initial update will be considered a “soft launch,” so expect to see minor content and UI tweaks as the weeks progress. We thank you in advance for your patience. In the end, please trust that our choices are only focused on continuing to do what we do best—bringing you the content you love.

-Team Tested

Adam Savage’s Favorite Tools: Folding Rulers!

Posted on by Norman Chan

One of the best places to find beautiful vintage tools is at antique malls, and Adam shares some of his favorite tools he’s picked up from his travels. One such tool is a elegant folding ruler–the kind that craftspeople used to carry around all the time. That classic design is renewed with a gorgeous folding ruler from Makers Cabinet, called the Stria. Adam checks out the steel and brass versions of the Stria, as well as the updated Iris drawing compass that improves on its unique design. Thanks to Makers Cabinet for sending these lovely tools to add to Adam’s shop collection!