Ask Adam Anything #6: Being Messy

47 thoughts on “Ask Adam Anything #6: Being Messy”

1. Hi Adam!

   I have always loved building and making things. Growing up I played with legos and K’nex. Now I am a freshman in High School. I enjoy watching the one day builds and just ordered a Mini Strandbeest kit. What would you recommend for a beginner maker?

   Reply

2. Does anybody have an idea what the jetpack looking things on the table behind Adam are? They look very interesting.

   Reply

3. Wonderful Triple A segment gents! And Adam, I loved the high five-ing yourself. That was good.

   Alright on to my question.

   I work very closely with some CTE (Career and Technical Education) students, possibly the student below my comment haha. These programs encompass a ton of different skills, from wood shop, to welding, to CNC machining, to drafting, to 3D printing…… Adam, how does one get students interested in programs like these, that could teach or give students the foundation of skills they might use when they have careers of their own? Or that might spark energy and excitement into a world that these students might not have ever been aware of?

   Thanks!

   Reply

4. brwainer,

   The backpack is from the movie “The Rocketeer” It’s great Dieselpunk with racing airplanes, late 1930’s atmosphere, the Hollywood film scene and NAZIs, lots of NAZIs. If you haven’t seen it check Netflicks.

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi0Et31E7s4

   Reply

5. I have always been intrigued by your documentation of certain tasks or builds. I work in a wood shop, albeit in a design and engineering position. I often find myself tasked with creating and then documenting various tasks or methods to achieve assembly. Perhaps it is my nature, but I find it hard to decide what is relevant documentation and what is relevant.

   How do you recommend acheiving thorough, precise and yet lean methods of documentation?

   -adam a.

   Reply

6. thats a really nice question. I am in the same situation and i would really like to know how to become a miniadam!!!!!

   Reply

7. hi Adam now you have a mill, and i remember you saying on a podacast i think. about you wished you could get machinist grade speed squares. well you can!! a guy on youtube called https://www.youtube.com/user/shadonhkw makes some REALLY nice ones.. you should have a look!

   Reply

8. As jccarlton said, that is from “The Rocketeer”. Adam wore it at SDCC in 2012, and you can check out the full costume here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_yKvG1uLnk)

   Reply

9. If I recall correctly, I believe that you are Buddhist? How do seek peace or neutrality in the world which expects you to be a leader of a science culture that generally rejects any sort of religion? It seems you have been fairly shy about this aspect of your life (and perhaps this is a part of it), I was wondering if you could share a bit of your journey.

   Reply

10. Adam I still think you need to address “Bondo-gate 2016.”

    Reply

11. Hello Adam,

    I really enjoy all the content on tested, and the fantastic answers to all the questions so far, lots of great advice.

    My question has to do with if, when and how to make the jump from working for a company to being self employed.

    A little about me, I am a 29 year old goldsmith from CA, living and working in Germany. An interesting side note, Brian Meek (from Knew Concepts) was one of my first teachers in Santa Barbara. I have been working in jewelry for about 9 years now including a full German apprenticeship.

    I like the security and steady pay check I get working for a company, but I feel like I very rarely get a chance to do the creative work I really enjoy, and the pay (although steady) is not great. I am worried about making the jump to being completely self employed, but I want to be able to do the work I really enjoy.

    Any advice or ideas would be appreciated.

    Thanks!

    Reply

12. Hello Adam

    when you 1st moved in to your work space you have now how did you work out the layout you have?

    just like to say thank to everyone at tested thanks to you i started my own company.

    before tested i had depression and a lot problems but with help of you i on my way to my dreams.

    Thank you for your time

    p.s. hi from England

    Reply

13. I really like billg14s question and would not like to hijack it, but add some details to it if I may, as I think this is an awesome question from a fellow limey.

    When you designed the shop did you design it just as a workspace to build in or was it always built being mindful of the collection, the pool table, and all the other cool details as a place where you could go and think, built, and retreat to when you needed you time?

    Reply

14. If I’m not mistaken it’s his Rocketeer Jetpack Prop

    Reply

15. G’day Adam

    Given the increasing popularity of 3d printing and the range of materials to print with ie: abs,pla, exotic filaments, resins and so on. Is it wise or safe to 3d print your own safety/protective gear & has anyone ever done a comparison of the impact strength of them vs say, an abs injection molded hard hat

    Reply

16. FDM printing is simply not as strong as say injection molding. Hard hats are cheap, buy one instead!

    And then you print headphone holders for it! 😉

    Any equipment ment to save your life (like a hardhat) or a body part (like safety glasses) I would not print.
    Knee pads, holder for your safety glasses, hearing protection and such I would happly print.

    If we are talking about the fiber infused FDM printer that tested showcased a couple of years back then we are in another territory….

    Reply

17. Hi Adam,

    Do you think we will ever see you work on something with colinfurze ? He’s like you after 100 cups of coffee. I really enjoyed watching you problem solve at the start of the video. I do the same thing and just stop and look into deep space while my mind creates possibilities. I also get the best ideas while working on something completely unrelated and since working for my self I have the option to just try these things out. Sometimes they workout and others fail, but at least I get to try.

    Reply

18. Hi adam, and tested,

    I am moving into a new house, and want to create a good functional space in the garage and spare bedroom for woodworking/metal working, and electronics respectively. Any tips on how to set up the shop the first time so I don’t have to re-arrange constantly until I get it how I want?

    Thanks for all the Vids!

    -Ethan

    Reply

19. Hey Adam,

    I was wondering what your opinion was on the merits and advantages of Autodidacticism.

    Reply

20. Hi Adam,

    Hope your’e doing well! Question for you:

    My boyfriend and I are just starting our tool collection and I have significant interest in prop making, cosplaying, and armor building. If you could only have a few tools to start with what are your must haves/ most versatile pieces for prop making, ect.?

    Your’e the bomb,

    Beth

    P.S.

    Hope we get to meet you this year at SDCC

    Reply

21. O joey angry zoomed at ‘the camera slows everything down’

    Is this the first rivalry developing on the road ahead to the youtube championship belt ladder match?

    Reply

22. Here’s a sad situation but I think it brings up an interesting question for Adam to chew on: when building props for shows, cosplay or personal use, how/when do you think about the tradeoffs between authenticity and safety?

    http://q13fox.com/2016/04/07/teen-actors-necks-slit-after-prop-foul-up-in-school-production-of-sweeney-todd/

    Reply

23. Hi Adam,

    I have thoroughly enjoyed all the years of MB.
    Sad to see it go.

    Question: Can you tell us about an interesting home improvement that you have done recently, or perhaps of a home improvement project you have in the works?

    Thanks for being fantastically you

    FrontrunnerDK
    Denmark

    Reply

24. Can you do a guide for how to set up your own shop? ~Kyle

    Reply

25. I also enjoy making nearly anything I can. When you are contemplating a new project or build, at what point do you say “This is beyond my grasp or ability, I need to set this aside, or get help”

    What are some of those projects that you have always wanted to do, but just haven’t taken on yet?

    Reply

26. Ugh, amen to the time crunch bedlam comment. If I’m in a hurry, come the end of the day my workshop looks like it’s been ransacked. I end up spending the next day cleaning up! Not a good way to work.

    Reply

27.   I gave a cosplaying/armour making friend a little Ryobi band saw the other day. They’re fantastic tools and really speed up you work flow. Even a small bandsaw can cut timber, just about any plastics and even thin aluminium. I think they’re the best first saw you can have. A jig saw is a close second.

    Reply

28. Hey Adam,

    As someone who has worked in entertainment for such a long time, from movies, to TV, and now YouTube, how has the industry changed over the years? Where do you see it going in the future?

    Thanks,

    Collin

    Reply

29. Dear Adam (and Tested crew),

    In previous videos you heave talked briefly about different kinds op props, like “hero” props, stunt props etc.

    I find the idea of different props for different purposes very interesting, can you talk a bit more about them?

    Like, about the different kinds there are, and the different techniques that are involved in making them, how you decide what level of detail and finish goes on which prop, how you make the audience believe that a rubber cast piece is in fact a metal gun of knife and so forth.

    thanks for all the wonderful videos!

    Reply

30. Thanks for the input! That is my favorite saw by far! I used one in college a lot. That’s actually the next tool I plan on buying. Great minds, right?

    Reply

31. Black hole high five across time

    Reply

32. WOW!!!! He answered my question. To answer his question..I’m a he. 🙂

    My daughter and I just watched this and have been grinning ear to ear that he picked my question to answer.

    Thank you Adam.

    Reply

33. Always like watching these videos

    Reply

34. Adam, what advice do you have on project design.

    Reply

35. Hey Adam,

    I am a second year university student who took engineering first year but just couldn’t keep up with the fast pace environment and workload. Now in my second year I have transferred into business and it just doesn’t feel like what I want to do. I am a creative guy who loves building and problem solving but I just feel like there is no careers that fit my skill sets, I have considered everything from architecture to computer animation but without any clear passions or ambitions I am feeling in limbo. Do you have any suggestions on what my next step should be? would it be good to just suck it up and finish my degree or would moving on be a better idea?

    Reply

36. Hey Adam. I was watching the Hellboy blade video (OK confession, I watched that thing like 5 times, how did you make it look so easy?!) and it’s been making me want to make my own. Would you mind sharing some specifics on the dimensions? I believe you said it was about 48 inches in height for the blade itself, but the rest has been me eyeballing the video. Thanks!

    Reply

37. Hi Adam, big fan of your work on Mythbusters and Tested. My question is what are some of the tools you can’t live without and what are some of your recommendations for some necessary tools for a small basement shop for a beginner builder like myself? Keep producing awesome content. Thanks

    Reply

38. Hey Adam!

    I just moved to the Bay Area and checked out Scrap after you mentioned it in the Bay Area Comic Con Q&A session; what an awesome resource and great mission. What other hidden gems are in the area for those of us that find inspiration from digging through piles of what others have set aside?

    Thanks for the great insights into your shop and your project process!

    Reply

39. Hi Adam

    I would like to know how you mange dust in your shop, and if you have any advice on how to mange dust in a smaller shop environment?

    Reply

40. Hi Adam

    In a lot of higher educational courses based around a creative aspect, there is a very big powerplay over the amount of research done against the amount of time spent building and you can often lose credit on a perfect build for a sloppy research book. I know you do tremendous amounts when replicating certain props but when starting fresh with an original plan, how much time do you spend roughly researching the concept and designing plans against time spent building the final product.

    Thanks, I love these videos!

    Reply

41. yeah, im pretty sure theyre from his Rocketman costume. theres an incognito video on tested somewhere

    Reply

42. http://i.imgur.com/dVODqGc.gifv Now that’s a well tuned block plane!

    Reply

43. I’m just happy to see I’m not the only one who talks to Past Me and Future Me.

    Reply

44. I think you might want to do an internet search. Adam is an atheist, according to what he has said. That does not exclude him from taking an approach to life that has much in common with Buddhists, but I doubt that he would identify himself as Buddhist. You can find a nice Youtube video of him stating his belief in reason, and other personal beliefs.

    Reply

45. Search for a video on this site wherein Adam discusses exactly this question.

    My boyfriend and I are just starting our tool collection and I have significant interest in prop making, cosplaying, and armor building. If you could only have a few tools to start with what are your must haves/ most versatile pieces for prop making, ect.?

    Reply

46. I love to tidy the shop but hate to clean it. Since I got a Roomba Dirt Dog I never clean the floor. He completely takes care of it. I just have to remember to empty the bin.

    The shop is now set up so he can get under and around everything. I even raised some of the equipment legs so he can get under them. My best tip so far

    Reply

47.   It is the rocketeer jetlack I believe if you have never seen the movie you should check it out.

    Reply