On this week’s show, Adam, Will, and Norm discuss Adam’s origin story, the benefits of building with cardboard, Jungian philosophy, and an early making tragedy for Adam. Enjoy!
One Day Builds
Adam embarks on one of his most ambitious builds yet: fulfil…
Show And Tell
Adam recently completed a build of the royal St. Edwards cro…
Making
Viewers often ask to see Adam working in real-time, so this …
One Day Builds
Adam and Norm assemble a beautifully machined replica prop k…
One Day Builds
One of the ways Adam has been getting through lockdown has b…
Making
Adam unboxes and performs a quick test of this novel new hel…
Making
When Adam visited Weta Workshop early last year, he stopped …
One Day Builds
Adam tackles a shop shelf build that he's been putting off f…
Show And Tell
Time for a model kit build! This steampunk-inspired mechanic…
One Day Builds
Adam reveals his surprise Christmas present for his wife--a …
The GIF Will mentions http://imgur.com/cWUzHEH
Will and Norm seem to have survived their 24 hour ordeal rather unscathed…
That was great! But I thought there was going to discussion about Gravity. Next time hopefully 🙂
It’s actually hilarious when kids curse.
Hey Guys,
This was one of my favorite episodes yet along with a great octoberkast. I did 20 hours of the Kast with you guys. I had a question about the inventern home project that was on my mind being a maker myself. Are the contestants allowed to use water to turn their cardboard into mash and then mold with it? Staying in the cardboard area, I thought this would be an interesting way to use it, but in another thought it might be cheating.
Also I really relate to this contest. When I was in High School, I took robotics and building/mechanical physics. Once a year we would have a box challenge, where everyone would get the same materials to work with and told to build a robot, or a building, or like one year a working trebuchet. It was always interesting seeing what different people did with the same materials.
Easily my favorite Still Untitled to date…
Never underestimate the effect of the Precision F-Bomb Strike or the three second delay. Yippie ki yay, motherfu- *Technical Difficulties* … and we’re back.
I remember reading somewhere that Humphrey Bogart showed up absolutely plastered to a day of shooting, and worried the whole crew that they would have to reschedule but when the camera was rolling he acted as if he was completely sober.
Just had an idea on the name of this podcast, I know its about 6 months too late but how about
“Adam On…” Podcast
Just noticing how each episode is labelled that waym it would make sense, and I know Norm hates the Still Untitled name.
Dear Adam
I was wondering how do you stay motivated to keep doing projects? When ever I try to do a project I just get lazy. I’ll start but I won’t finish it.
James
He’s talked about this subject in numerous podcasts. About how he might start a project, and then stop it in the middle or toward the end of the project for one reason or another. Only to get around to finishing it years later..
I wish I could point to a specific podcast, and tell you to listen to it. But after listening to all of these podcasts over the past year and a half, it’s all become one giant blur…
Boy you guys really ran the whole gamut on this one!
Hearing Adam talk about his art class really took me back to grade school when I made a Vader helmet and King Tut headdress from cardboard in art class. I didn’t study art in high school but when I went to college I started out in mechanical engineering but somehow ended up in the art department, where I took a class in metalsmithing. This was definitely my “peeking above the clouds” moment. This is a bit of a long story so bear with me….
At the time I was working as a bike mechanic in order to pay my way through school and I became very interested in bicycle frame building and had built a few frames. My first few frames were structurally sound but they weren’t very pretty and a frame builder I knew told me “You can make the best riding bike in the world, but if it isn’t pretty nobody is going to buy it.” So in order to improve my metal working skills I took a metalsmithing class. The instructor for the class was fantastic- and an absolute perfectionist. One of the first things he had me do was cut out a pattern of my choice on a small copper square using a jeweler’s saw and then clean up all of the rough edges using needle files. Of course I drew out this ridiculously complex pattern and when I was done cutting and filing he turned out the lights and dropped the copper square into a slide projector. He projected the pattern onto the wall so it was about 8 ft. square and then pointed out every single rough edge and file mark. He said “A lot of people at this university think art is kind of a joke or maybe an easy A. This is not a joke and I promise you this will be one of the hardest classes you will ever take at this school.” He was right and I loved every minute of it.
A later project involved hammer forming a bowl from a sheet of brass. I was given a 6 inch square sheet of brass and from this was told to make a bowl and a support base using only that material. I made a candy dish that was about 5 inch diameter with around 1 1/2″ depth with a really delicate curved tapered ribbon shape spring base. I opted for a high polish finish- I think I was the only person in the class that did as most everyone else did a rough finish or a patina. When everyone turned their bowls in the very first thing he did was flip them over on a sheet of glass to look for a gap in the rim- and there wasn’t one in mine. When he rotated the bowl around his reflection didn’t ripple. After class he pulled me aside to tell me how floored he was with the quality of the piece. I later went on to make a few items like cylindrical boxes that opened by twisting one end as well as a really complex hollow silver bracelet for my mom. He was a fantastic instructor and it was one of the best classes ever.
I did continue to build bike frames and later went on to become a designer in the bike industry, mostly designing components for mountain bikes. After I left the bike business I started making jewelry and everything I learned in that metalsmithing class came right back to me. Nearly sixteen years later as a professional jeweler I still remember those first lessons learned and boy have they served me well. I often stop and think about how one or two exceptional teachers can really change your life. My mom still has that candy dish too.
I thought the cardboard challenge was great- it was a lot of fun and made me realize how much I missed model building. I hope you guys post a gallery so we can see what everyone made.
Temple Grandin is brilliant. One of my boys is autistic and my wife was able to attend a conference and hear her speak- she said it was an amazing talk.
A: … I wanted to thank you for communicating with your followers. It is really great of you. I have had a number of my questions and comments replied by you or the staff.
B: I have to say how much I love the podcasts on this site. This is the 5th time I have listened to this episode and I have no problems listening to other older podcasts, especially if I am cleaning around the house, working in my shop, or as back ground in the Kitchen for my day job. The content is intriguing, interesting, educational, and just makes myself and the people around me smile. Thank you guys for all your work over the years.
I wonder if it’s only a creative who can understand just what it feels like to lose something like that.
Great podcast guys. I enjoyed it with a cup of coffee and my web browser ready per usual!
speaking of autographs, has the tested team (you, Norm, Joey, etc.) ever been asked by a random person for your autograph?
Every time Adam talks about his love of working with cardboard as a child it makes me think of Caine’s Arcade.
Loved this episode! Have you guys considered a one day build where you give Adam a stack of cardboard, some single edged razors and a glue gun and give him the chance to re-create one of his lost high school builds? It might give the man some closure 🙂
Plus i’d love to see in details some of his techniques for building in cardboard.