New Series: Perks for pocket change

Aimless blogging will only get you so far, it turns out.  I seem to be growing tired of having no direction and just reacting to stuff that happens; originally this blog was made to chronicle the construction of The Flying I-Beam Electric Scooter and subsequent projects (which at the time seemed to be only electric scooters).  Having High-Functioning Autism I miss those days of order so I have decided to initiate a new series of posts based on projects that can improve people's lives by adding things like refrigeration, motive power and keeping toast warm long enough to enjoy it.  Without further deliberation I present:  Perks for Pocket Change

The Idea is as simple as it is frugal, I will set aside £30, or about the limit of what I consider trivial money, to make something which can be made with a reasonable collection of tools, that adds a 'perk' to the builder's life.  For example, look back to my spur-of-the-moment idea about elastic band refrigeration; this contraption adds cooling to an item inside it's box, can probably be made for under £30 (sacrificing the epicyclic gearbox :( ), and can also be made with tools like a hammer, chisel, power drill, files, junior hacksaw and epoxy.  Judgement will be passed on how useful it actually is - If it cannot keep a drinks can fridge-cool, it will fail.

Without the benefit of £30 to hand, I will use a slightly pre-cooked example of work I have done to a rubber band handgun:

Rubber Band Handgun

The Problem

This is a rubber band handgun, can be had for around £5, so I'll just assume the price since it was presented to me by my brother after he visited Japan.  Upon initial testing I found it presented these two problems:

• It was awfully unbalanced, aiming accurately really takes it out of your wrist
• The grip was angular and unergonomic, leading to an aching hand

Prolonged shooting with this weapon was out of the question, if only due to fatigue.

The Build

I lack build photos of the modifications so just imagine me chiseling away the ergonomic indents in the handle and drilling pits to fit gaming mouse weights (not a consistent source, but R/C and fishing weights can be found for £5, if you feel like adding some texture to your weight solution try Deluxe Materials Liquid Gravity).

The Perk

Evaluation will occur based on this scoring system out of 100 points:

• Cost - for every pound under £30, 1 point is obtained
• Looks - only 10 points since I am in less of a position to judge looks than Mike Jeffries is
• Practicality - 60 points, this is the heart of the matter

With that in mind, here are the scores:

Cost:  20 points

Can probably get it down to £7 total spend if you shop around, but I am assuming new items so £10 is the final spend.

Looks:  5 points

Fairly average bodging work, can be made better with varnish that I couldn't be bothered to buy; that would jack up the price anyway.

Practicality:  55 points

Aiming is dramatically improved with the balance allowing extended periods of accurate aiming and the grip indents stop soreness in it's tracks.  Also, those weights feel pleasingly cold in the palm of my hand.

Final Score:  80%

If you possess a rubber band gun, or even a cheap BB gun, this is a highly recommended job to do to this weapon especially when you compete.  You can probably get this job looking much better with skill and patience, but this is entirely optional with your own project.