Awesome Metal

James Blunt’s track You’re Beautiful is about as soft as pop songs get. But thanks to Otu Suurmunne of Moonic Productions, the 2004 hit song just got way more intense. His growly impression of German lead singer Till Lindemann is spot-on. His Rammsteined versions of Baby One More Time and Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! are similarly entertaining.

This blacksmithing video from Knives Project starts with the satisfying process of ripping apart a molten-hot ball bearing to steal its outer ring. Then, he proceeds to forge and hammer the piece into a flat bar and grind it into a very large blade. The finished piece is somewhere between the size of a bowie knife and a machete.

Science expert Joe Myheck shows how he made a unique crown fit for a mermaid queen by pouring a crucible filled with molten metal into a vat of water-absorbing Orbeez gel beads. The metal he used is called Nordic gold – a colorful alloy composed of copper, aluminum, zinc, and tin.

Beautify any mechanical keyboard with these lovely real metal keycaps from Awekeys. They’re made from recycled aluminum with copper plating. The keycaps produce an extra-clicky sound and are cool to the touch. They fit a variety of MX key switches and come in a base 116-key set, with add-ons like etched eagle-themed keys by artist Daniel Mitchell.

Iron and steel are the most recyclable materials on Earth. So it’s no wonder we often see items made by melting and reforging metal. In this video from Maker B, the machinist shows us how he took an assortment of steel bolts and removed their threads to create the parts for a working combination lock – no melting required. He made the dial from a brass rod.

This two-piece metal planet puzzle from Hanayama is more challenging than it looks. Designer Masui Ohno created this brainteaser that asks you to solve what should be a simple problem: release the silver planet from inside of its golden ring by twisting, turning, and pushing its bumpy surface through the jagged inner ring. Measures appx 2″ across.

Get your books out of boxes and scattered on tabletops. Instead, display them on this modern metal bookshelf from Sttoraboks. The shelf has four angled shelves, each holding five to seven books and eliminating the need for bookends. It’s available in red, black, or white and has non-slip feet to protect floors. Assembles easily in about 15 minutes.

3D-printed plastic objects don’t get very shiny. HEN3DRIK shows us how he electroplated a 3D model of Iron Man’s helmet to make it look like the ones in the movies. The process involves preparing the plastic and applying conductive copper paint before electroplating it with copper, gold, and palladium. The red was added using transparent red acrylic paint.

This modern metal wallet keeps cards organized and easy to access with a mechanism that fans cards out like a deck of cards. It holds cards securely and has RFID blocking and a quick-draw slot for the cards you use most. It holds up to six cards inside and eight with its add-on silicone pouch. It’s also got a removable money clip and an optional AirTag holder.

Craighill’s curvy catch-all tray is just the right size for holding screws or other hardware while working on repair projects. It’ll also hold jewelry, paperclips, or pocket change. It measures 4.25″ across and comes in stamped brass or stainless steel. Custom engraving is available for $15.

Iron Man had armor that was able to fix itself after a fight. JLaservideo took a stab at making real-world armor pieces that heal themselves after being heated, thanks to Nitinol – a nickel-titanium alloy with the ability to return to a programmed shape after being bent. The material is expensive and hard to work with, but Tony Stark could afford it.

The Tesla Cybertruck is expensive and hard to come by. Steven Song and his buddies figured they could solve both problems by building their version of the vehicle. Only this cursed Cybertruck rolls on tank treads, has a weapon system, and is constructed almost entirely from stuff they found in a junkyard.

This unique fidget spinner from MCA Studio features a mechanism inspired by the famed Wankel rotary engine. Like the engines found in some classic Mazda cars, it has a Reuleaux triangle that rotates in its center. Each is CNC machined from a combination of stainless steel and brass.

While business cards aren’t as popular as they once were, they’re still a nice professional touch for in-person meetings. This metal card case protects your business cards and looks like a tiny aluminum briefcase. It holds about 30 business cards and comes in a 2-pack with one each in silver and black.

We’ve seen a complicated machine that creates springs by bending stiff wire, but this machine appears to be a bit simpler. It’s fascinating to see how it twirls the metal into a perfect spring by feeding it through a small opening and pressing it against an angled tool to bend it.

This unique metal accessory from Design The Everything is designed for connecting multiple keychains or carabiner clips. Its hex shape and triangular cutouts are reminiscent of the wedges in a thin slice of orange. Available in brass, copper, titanium, or 304 stainless steel.

We love how metal can be used over and over again. After one object has served out its life, it can often be melted down and turned into something new. In this clip by metalsmith Random Hands, he shows us how he took a rusty link from an old piece of ship’s chain and hand-forged it into a beautiful new samurai sword.

Get your daily dose of engineering porn with this video from Uwe Krumm GmbH. The company makes precision tooling for manufacturing, including the press brake tools shown here. It’s a hypnotic and satisfying 6-minute sequence of sheet metal being bent into complex shapes through the simple application of force.

This unique jigsaw puzzle from In a Flash Laser is made from a 5″ x 5″ sheet of 304 stainless steel, laser-cut into 20 pieces. With no images on the pieces, it’s trickier to solve than it might look. You can also have it custom-etched with an image of your choice for an added charge.

The latest brain teaser from Puzzle Master asks you to unscrew its seven machined metal bolts, then reassemble them so they fit back into its hexagonal tray. It looks deceptively simple, but it’s rated a Level 8 on a scale from 5 to 10. Created by famed puzzle designer Oskar van Deventer. Be sure to check out Puzzle Master’s other metal puzzles.

One of the coolest things about metal is that it can be heated over and over again to make new things. My Mechanics, shows us how they transformed an ordinary steel nut into a tool that can turn nuts. The miniature wrench they made can grab onto nuts up to 8.5 mm across.

How It’s Made takes us inside the Merkur blade factory for a look at the equipment and materials that go into producing razor bladed. They start as a flexible strip of steel that is perforated, hardened with a heat-treating process, and run through a grinder to sharpen their edges before they’re separated and coated.

The latest desk toy from the makers of the Mezmoglobe series offers up a hypnotic illusion that will have you scratching your head. Give its outer helix a spin, and it appears that its metal sphere is floating weightlessly in its center. It’s completely mechanical and uses no magnets or electricity. Choose from black, dark titanium, or silver helix designs.