A Retro Toy Hack That Can Open Most Garages

Short post, but I saw this video from one of my YouTube faves, Veritasium, where they hack a retro Mattel instant messaging toy for little girls, called IM me, to open garages when they don’t use rolling code tech. Interesting, nerdy, and a little disconcerting but not THAT easy to pull-off. Apparently, this has been a … Read more

Buy It or Build It: The Fidget Spinner

If you don’t know what a fidget spinner is, you’re… well… like almost every other old guy. But this old guy does know and the new craze that is the fidget spinner a great way to exude nervous energy. For whatever reason, we all think we have ADHD these days. We don’t. We just like to fidget. And that’s … Read more

A Metal Carport Build

If you’re unfamiliar with April Wilkerson, she’s a super-talented YouTuber with zero tolerance for fear. April is a self-taught woodworker and, more recently, welder/fabricator. Back in 2013, April had never really used a power tool. Today, she’s building—instead of buying—super-useful stuff that she or her family wants or needs, including this heavy-duty steel two-vehicle carport. … Read more

Jay Leno’s New Auto Detailing Products

If you call yourself a gearhead and don’t know about Jay Leno’s Garage, you’re no gearhead, my friend. Okay, that was a little contentious, but Jay Leno has one of the coolest garages on earth (pretty sure more than one, though) filled with a huge collection of amazing cars—old, new, and exotic. Recently, Jay launched … Read more

The World’s Hardest DIY Automotive Paint Coating?

Back when I ran my detail shop, we paid big money for the best products to solve what, in those days (the late ’80s into the ’90s), were major challenges: oxidized paint, acid rain damage, and the much more difficult challenge of etched or peeling clear-coat. Of course, since then, automobile paint has come a … Read more

See-Through Engine Combustion in Ultra-Slow Motion

Many of our GarageSpot readers know their way around an engine, but many don’t. For those that do and just want to see the cool video, here you go. For those that want a bit of education, keep reading. How Internal Combustion Engines Work Combustion is the basic chemical process of releasing energy from a … Read more

Make This Sweet Stealth Shelf

If you’re looking for a cool weekend woodworking project that you can knock out in a few hours and for about $50 in materials, check out this super-cool stealth shelf, complete with secret, magnetically-triggered locks. Not only does it make for great home decor, but you can hide your stuff in it, too. Thanks to one … Read more

Build This Hardware Storage Cabinet

If you’ve got a lot of hardware in your garage or workshop, like fasteners and such, organizing it all can be a pain. One of our favorite YouTube channels, Workshop Addict, recently uploaded a video showing us how to build a cool (and expandable) cabinet to house a bunch of Dewalt removable hardware organizers. Enjoy!

DIY Sandblaster

Having access to an abrasive media blaster of some kind is great if you’re restoring a car, truck, or working with other types of metals that need to be completely clean and free of any contaminants. There are several kinds of media blasters available for both the workshop and mobile applications. Prices vary, but typical consumer-style portable … Read more