Mikey Sklar

Almost four years ago I swapped out my fancy lad IT job in New York City for a 100 percent DIY lifestyle in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. The only problem was that I didn't have any building skills. Fortunately, I came across an advertisement for Smartflix: A DVD-rental service sorta like Netflix except all the videos are how-tos. The library covers everything from how to silkscreen a t-shirt to building energy efficient homes. At only $10 per disc rental (a few are more) and over 6,200 titles this service saved my DIY life. Follow the jump to check out my favorite titles.

My first encounter with a Conic Shelter was in 2002 and while I cruising Black Rock City, the temporary Nevada city also known as The Burning Man Project. The soft, curved, contiguous wood canopy of the structure that I saw there had a remarkably organic feel when placed among the many shade tarps, parachutes and tents that make up the fleeting metropolis. The sound of fabric snapping in the blasts of strong desert wind is so common to playa life that the Conic Shelter was starkly quiet by comparison.

How is it that refill canisters for air horns costs four times as much as butane canisters? Ariel was not happy with the added expense and took matters into his own hands creating a butane horn with flames. While this is not his first butane hack, he has stepped into a larger world of noisy flame throwers. And if you think this duct-taped flaming air horn is a little shady, check out some of my other favorite flaming noise projects.

Before I encountered the Blaklader shorts I had been wearing jumpsuits made by Dickies or jeans from Carhartt. Both had a limited amount of pocket space, which meants I had to wear a tool belt, which became a nuisance to take off whenever I sat down to drive a vehicle. Plus, the materials constantly failed me: Neither the jumpsuit or jeans fared well against my homemade biodiesel or splashes of sulfuric acid from the battery bank.