Foundry Fun

As a kid (13-15 y/o) I found some articles online about how to make your own "coffee can foundry." Me and a friend spent our summer afternoons melting down old soda cans and miscellaneous aluminum parts using nothing more than a a coffee can (modified with holes in the bottom), a few bricks (to let air in under the coffee can), charcoal briquettes, a steel soup can (as a crucible), and most importantly, a hair dryer (to get those coals nice and hot!) We probably went through 50 pounds of aluminum, casting our names out in the dirt.

This guy took the same premise and make it ten times more awesome. He uses furnace cement to insulate his propane burner powered foundries. Most of it is old (circa 2001~) but it caught my eye. Besides melting scrap, he does a lot with metal working and other workshop activities. Neat.


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Napolitan Limoncello

My parents tried making some of this years ago using vodka. I helped them toil over peeling the lemons just right, no pith. After 10 days of waiting for it to stew, they tried it. They declared it "deceivingly sweet." After three or four small glassfuls, they were tipsy. They threw away(!) around a gallon of delicious lemon liquor. For shame. Anyway, this recipe looks more promising. Enjoy.

"Let me begin this post by confessing this is not my family’s recipe.  Nearly a decade ago, I traveled to Pozzuoli, Italy (just outside of Naples) to attend the wedding of my friends Luigi and Giusy.  After dinner at Giusy’s parents’ house one evening, her father, Paolo, treated me to a special digestivo — his homemade limoncello.  Napolitans are very proud of their limoncello, as well they should be.  In addition to the commercially available liqueur..."

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How to Make a Tiny Terrarium in a Light Bulb

I've always liked these little terrariums, this guide is one of the best I've seen.

"Let’s get started! We’re going to go through the steps to create your very own little terrarium. I like building terrariums inside of lightbulbs because of the inherent challenge of working in such a small space as well as how the simple, industrial beauty of a light bulb complements the intricacy of natural elements. (I was inspired to try this out after seeing this post on Apartment Therapy a couple of months ago.)"

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