Adam tries on a new hat he just bought, and in the process shows how he can make use of a garment steamer and wooden hat stretcher to make this new fedora fit better. For cosplayers and costumers, a good garment steamer is an essential piece of equipment, and portable fabric steamers like ones you find in hotel rooms are oftentimes preferred over irons!
Rolling Garment Steamer: https://amzn.to/3oo9xBU
Portable Fabric Steamer: https://amzn.to/3hMx2U3
Go behind the scenes in our video production with a look at two pieces of technology we’ve recently been using to make our videos. Joey tests the Hollyland Lark 150 wireless microphone system as an alternative to the wireless mic packs we’ve previously used, and clips one on himself in a demonstration of the VR spatial audio mixing tools he’s been using for the editing of our Tested VR videos!
Hollyland Lark 150: Joey’s #feelmycitysounds video: https://youtu.be/oFnPGWvQRTU
Check out some Tested VR videos at https://www.oculus.com/experiences/media/802834256715296/286581443067912/
Reaper audio production: https://www.reaper.fm/
DearVR Spatial Connect: https://www.dear-reality.com/products/dearvr-spatial-connect
Shot and edited by Joey Fameli
Adam adds a very special set of acrylic paints to his workshop: Archive-X’s line of paints designed to exactly replicate the colors used in painting the studio scale models for Star Wars and other ILM modelshop projects. These are hues that are very familiar to Adam’s sense memory of working at the ILM modelshop, and he spends today building a display and storage rack for this awesome collection.
Find these paints at Archive-X Paint: https://archivexpaint.com/
Shot by Adam Savage and edited by Norman Chan
Remember when laptops had replaceable and upgradeable components? That’s what a new company Framework is trying to bring back with their fully modular laptop design. We go hands-on with the laptop to take a look at its internal design and chat with CEO Nirav Patel about their D-I-Y approach to hardware and the plan to allow users to upgrade everything from battery to CPU instead of buying a completely new system.
On the cusp of our 600th episode, we convene over the Zooms to discuss the announcements out of HTC’s VIVECon, react to the rumored specs of PS5’s VR hardware, and debate the merits of putting haptic feedback in a VR headset. We recap our recent experiences in Demeo and the new Population One Season 2 update, plus Jeremy lays out the details on Stern’s upcoming Mandalorian Pinball machine. And how about that Venom 2 trailer?
Adam has recently been binging and enjoying Netflix’s The Crown, and builds a prop he imagines would fit in the show’s portrayal of Buckingham Palace. In the show, Queen Elizabeth makes use of a buzzer to ring in guests and heads of state for meetings, so today’s prop build is Adam’s take on what that instrument would look like if he made it for the palace using technology from 100 years ago!
Shot by Adam Savage and edited by Gunther Kirsch
Jen shares some of her favorite tools for electronics work, including helping hands and soldering acessories that she recently used in a project requiring the soldering of thousands of LEDs. One of the most useful tools was a portable desktop fume extractor, which can be used to absorb solder smoke or paired with other shop tools that put out smelly and hazardous fumes.
KOTTO Soldering Fume Extractor: https://amzn.to/3o4j94F
HEPA Filter for Fume Absorber: https://amzn.to/3bdf1dl
Helping Hands: https://amzn.to/3o9qVu6
Table clamped helping hands: https://amzn.to/3od9WH9
Hakko Soldering Station: https://amzn.to/3vVxcfj
Adam checks out the latest foam armor design from his friend Ben Eadie’s Foam Armory project. Inspired by the reception to their EVA craft foam chain mail kits, Ben and his collaborator Stephanie Chan have developed a laser-cut foam scale maille that can be woven into helmet and other armor builds. Adam is impressed with how lightweight and durable these foam armor scales are while looking like distressed metal. Check out the Foam Armory campaign to get your own set!
Adam makes use of one of his lifecasts to make a perfectly fitted skullcap for his Iron Man Mark I helmet. It’ll require laying down epoxy fiberglass on top of the lifecast, padding it with neoprene, and then sewing a leather liner to give it a welding-jacket aesthetic that fits inside his Mark I’s flip-up helmet. And keep an eye out for a special appearance by Adam’s dog Maggie!
We visit the workshop of animatronics designer Mark Setrakian, whose robot creatures have appeared in some of our favorite films and TV shows. Mark shows us the operation and design of his Axis robots–as featured in BattleBots–and demonstrates how he creates mesmerizing animations for his creations using layered algorithms akin to musical compositons.
Find more of Mark’s robotics and animatronics projects at: http://www.marksetrakian.com/
Visit Mark’s workshop in VR immersive video at https://www.oculus.com/experiences/media/802834256715296/341111257067123/
