Competent Machines Search Results

How To: Sew on a button using the Singer sewing machine

Use the Sew a Button presser foot to sew flat buttons on your garments or craft projects. It's easy, and fun once you've got the method down. The Singer sew a button presser foot comes both as a screw-on foot or a clip-on foot for the slant shank adapter. Great for those of us who always poke ourselves hand sewing buttons. Learn how to sew on a button with a Singer sewing machine by watching this video sewing tutorial.

News: The Latest in HIV Prevention — Syringe Vending Machines in Vegas & On-Site Testing at Walgreens

It's about time people acknowledged that judging drug users would do nothing productive to help them. In the US this week, two new programs are launching that should help addicts be a little safer: Walgreens Healthcare Clinic will begin offering to test for HIV and hepatitis C next week, and Las Vegas is set to introduce clean syringe vending machines to stop infections from dirty needles.

How To: Build a DIY reverse flow coffin fog chiller for Halloween or a film

Spooky fog-emitting items like coffins and cauldrons are iconic parts of many haunted houses, but are terribly expensive to buy premade. If you're got some DIY know-how, watch this video for a guide to building a coffin fog chiller for your fog machine yourself for a Halloween display, horror film effect, or just because you like foggy coffins. This thing is a BEAST, it will cover your whole lawn if fog by itself.

How To: Configure your XBee

The XBee is a wireless radio module that allows you to implement a cheap and easy wirelss interface between two kinds of devices. This video will walk you through each step of configuration for your XBee. Modify it and add it to your next creation, whether it's a robot, machine, or something else from your imagination. The possibilities are endless!

How To: Get candle wax out of your carpet

Want to remove dried wax from a carpet? You'll need four items: a white towel, a regular electric iron, a carpet cleaning solution and a hot-water extraction machine. For a complete, step-by-step demonstration of how to remove pesky paraffin wax stains from your own carpet, watch this free housekeeping video tutorial.

How To: Fold a dress shirt or button down shirt

Dress shirts are best kept on a hanger in a closet, but if you're pressed for closet space, here's the next best way to store them. You will need a dress shirt in need of folding and a clean, flat surface. Fact: In the state of Indiana, you can make up to $17,000 a year operating a shirt folding machine, a handy device patented in the U.S. in 1989.

How To: Build a Morse code telegraph

Keeping secrets out of the wrong hands warrants desperate measures—or maybe just sensical. If you have a secret, the best way to protect it is with a code—and the best way to transfer that secret message is via an electronic telegraph system. This video will show you how to make your own homemade electronic telegraph machine, so that you can send those encrypted Morse code messages to your friends without fear of prosecution.

How To: Make wood out of polymer clay

This tutorial shows the viewer how to make polymer clay look like wood. Begin by using a pasta machine and roll out ecru on a number four and rolling out brown on a number six. Stack the brown on top of the ecru and cut the stack in half. Then sandwich the two stacks so it goes light - dark - light - dark. Repeat the process by Cutting it in half and stacking them again. Roll this stack through the pasta machine on a number one so it squishes them together. Cut in half and stack. Repeat this ...

How To: Install the software for a CNC router

A CNC router machine is probably the most useful tool a hobbyist can own, but the price for a CNC machine on the market is way more than the average hobbyist is willing to spend. You can build your own CNC with very basic tools, little knowledge of machinery, mechanics, or electronics, but be warned, these machines are inherently dangerous, so wear the proper protection and use common sense. At the very least, read the instructions and precautions on every tool you use.

How To: Build the motor mount for a CNC router

A CNC router machine is probably the most useful tool a hobbyist can own, but the price for a CNC machine on the market is way more than the average hobbyist is willing to spend. You can build your own CNC with very basic tools, little knowledge of machinery, mechanics, or electronics, but be warned, these machines are inherently dangerous, so wear the proper protection and use common sense. At the very least, read the instructions and precautions on every tool you use.