Hot PVC Innovation Posts « PVC Innovation

How To: Make a DIY PVC Spindle that Turns Newspaper Into Yarn

I have to admit that I am an environmentalist wacko. That may sound strange, considering my life is tied up in PVC, which is considered one of the most poisonous materials on earth... but it's true. I love this planet, and I want it to be inhabitable for as long as the sun is in this phase of its life.

News: Costume Making Taken to the Extreme

This link drops into a middle page, but this guy has step by step photos of the whole process.

How To: Make a Self-Watering Greenhouse

I've been hell-bent on complete self sufficiency for a long time now. There was a point where I was living in a self-sustaining community in the mountains in Colorado, and we had a very large greenhouse there. Dragging the hose around to water plants was a real pain, and that stuck in the back of my mind even after I left the place. It would have been much easier to integrate watering into the frame at construction time than doing that hose dance every day.

News: The Cryptex - Combination Safe Made from PVC Pipe

This guy has figured out a really cool way to make a personal combination safe from PVC pipe. This is the ultimate stash box, and it can be scaled up or down to a variety of sizes.

News: PVC Pipe Bike Rack

Simple, yet snappy. This is another Rolph design put together by yours truly. Everyone needs a Rolph in their life.

News: PVC 2 Person Bike

It's about the same thing as this except you can buy it and it's painted.

American Speedster: The PVC Bike Car

I am completely fascinated with pedal transportation. Many of us have pedalable commutes that we end up driving just because we don't like bikes. There's a whole wave of do-it-yourself pedal vehicles, from the Hennepin Crawler down to vehicles like this one.

News: The Amazing PVC Pipe Music of Kent Jenkins (aka Snubby J)

There's a ton of videos on the web of musicians playing homemade PVC instruments, but I just recently stumbled upon the impressive work of PVC pipe player Kent Jenkins, aka Snubby J. His most recent video features a duet with his faux-twin, playing "Wizards in Winter" by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Turns out, he's been a PVC maestro for awhile now and even auditioned for his inspiration, the Blue Man Group, at the age of seventeen. Though he wasn't picked, they saw potential in him and aske...

News: PVC Pipe Pedal-Powered Porsche

Now how's that for alliteration? WOO! Anyway, this has already made the rounds, but if you haven't seen it yet, check this out. When you take a low-slung four wheel bike frame, a crap load of PVC pipe, miles of duct tape and about 1,000 hours, you, too can drive a Porsche without the high insurance payments.

How To: Make a Self-Watering Greenhouse (In-Depth Tutorial)

I know it seems a little redundant to post this when I've already posted a video, but it is kind of hard to get more than a vague idea from the video alone. I hope this sheds a little more light on the subject. I'm sure it also seems like I'm beating this idea to death, but this one concept opens doors to further innovation. After I finish this article, I'm going to put another one up that shows a hinged, raised bed house and talk about some amazing things you can do from there.

How To: Make Cool Sculptures with PVC Cut-Offs

PVC isn't something you want to send to the landfill. It's not going to do anything good for the ground when it's buried. It is also something you really, REALLY don't want to send to an incinerator. When burned, PVC releases some really nasty chemicals, including hydrochloric acid and dioxin.

News: Time to Get the Bends, and I Don't Mean Diving Sickness

You're never going to see a project from me that involves straight pipe. You would have when I was a kid, but after too many years in the construction industry, I need to see a good finish. If the project doesn't look slick, I don't want to say I did it.

News: Do-It-Yourself Foam Dart Guns - Really Nice

This guy is serious about home made dart guns. He's got some cool ones on here.

Theo Jansen: The Art of Creating Creatures (with PVC)

Theo Jansen is really cool. If you dig around in the corkboard here, you can find another video about him. He makes amazing kinetic sculptures from PVC pipe, and has a wonderful artistic point of view. I just discovered this old TEDTalks podcast via Taylor Browning's site. Fantastic stuff, check it out:

News: Beautiful PVC Structure by Hoogte Twee Architects

I stumbled across this amazing structure today, titled B(h)uis. It was built by Hoogte Twee Architects, using entirely PVC tubes. I think it's beautiful, considering the simplicity of the material and construction.

News: Speedy PVC Pipe Sculptures

1000 words, or this:

News: Low-Cost DIY Hydroponics Systems

Not all of these involve PVC, but the majority do, and they all have their merits.

News: PVC Pipe Easel - Self Explanatory

There's no how-to here, but I think anyone can figure this out. Great idea. I will probably make one for myself.

News: PVC Pipe Prosthetics

This is pretty cool here. They're using PVC pipe to make new legs and feet for amputees. Instead of paying thousands of dollars, an amputee can now get a new limb for $25.

News: Tom Price's PVC Cherry Blossom Forrest

Tom Price used nothing more than PVC pipes, nylon cable ties, and a large hot plate to melt together the blossoms.

How To: Make a 4-Element Table with PVC Pipe

Now, I know what you're thinking... "I need an extra sexy coffee table that is like no other."

News: Super Cool Pedal Powered PVC Car

News: Animusic Pipe Dream

This is amazing. The machine may not exist now, but someone needs to do this.

News: Eleven Super Cool Designs

Not all of these are PVC, but there is some serious design action going on here. This is not your average. A lot of the projects out there, mine included, have a childish, do it yourself-ish feel to them. These eleven designs are slick, beautiful and professional.

How To: Create a Manual Camera Lens with PVC Pipe

DIY Photography has an interesting tutorial on creating a focusing mechanism/lens for around $4. Combine two PVC pipes of different radiuses with a magnifying glass. Cool project.

News: How to Make a Turkish-Style War Bow from PVC Pipe

This is a build-along for making a flattened PVC pipe bow. This style of bow made with PVC is more durable than the non-flattened kind, and looks more authentic. This bow, when finished, drew about 80# at 28".

MacGyver Would Be Proud: DIY Canoe from PVC Pipe, Duct Tape and Plastic

What would MacGyver do if he was stranded on a trash dump in the middle of the ocean? If he had the right supplies, chances are he'd come up with something very similar to this PVC and duct tape boat. C'mon, we all know MacGyver always has duct tape on him!

News: PVC Skein Winder

This goes through to a how-to on how to make a skein winder. For the uninitiated, a skein is the default unit of thread, and it's that windy log that yarn comes in as well. With this snappy tool, you can wind your own skeins as well. If you combine that with the newspaper into yarn concept, you can make your own yarn and wind your own skeins when you're done.

News: I Hope This Doesn't Catch On...

A DIY car laptop mount that uses the cup holder... You think texting and driving is bad, wait until it's true multitasking and driving. Ouch.

How To: Make a Human Blockade Lockbox

I'll admit it, yes, I support protesting. It doesn't matter what my opinions are about any individual protest—overall, it is a human right and the only way to avoid tyranny. We can't deify Ghandi and demonize American protesters. That shows a silly shortsightedness that we can't afford to dabble in.