Learn To Pick Locks And Avoid Beginner Mistakes UseMoreForce 2017-06-07 | This video is about clearing up some misconceptions and giving you a basic strategy to get started - one that's worked for a dozen or more of my friends. But for actual lockpicking technique, this is the best video on YT: youtube.com/watch?v=R2r07NN21vM
Bookmark Your Dreams UseMoreForce 2026-09-22 | Support the UMF library by buying a set of bookmarks, which are also aluminum foil stickers! Great gift for the engineer in your life.
temporary install of Wolfbox hyperflow x compressor using Falcon Overland electronics UseMoreForce 2026-09-01 | ...
Ingenious mechanisms book that will give you ideas UseMoreForce 2026-07-24 | textbook tuesdays forever and ever
Wiring up my fridge with the Falcon Overland box UseMoreForce 2026-07-18 | Falcon overland is a New Zealand based company making excellent electronics for overlanding and other vehicle applications. I show how to crimp a ferrule and wire up a fridge super fast.
Mini Tool Monday - the best xacto handle is not from xacto UseMoreForce 2026-07-14 | excel blades makes the best handle there is
xtool metalfab cnc for my camper project UseMoreForce 2026-07-05 | Quick intro to the xtool for overlanding purposes
The best 4mm precision screwdriver set available heres why UseMoreForce 2026-07-04 | Get yourself a nanch
Tuning the xtool metalfab CNC to get great cuts in mild steel UseMoreForce 2026-07-03 | Using Design of Experiments techniques to nail down a stable process for cutting mild steel with the xtool metalfab cnc
Designing laser cutting and laser welding a kick down step UseMoreForce 2026-06-30 | Having fun adding a kick down step to my custom camper build
Step file and STL thumbnails in Windows via F3D.app UseMoreForce 2026-06-30 | F3D.app is an awesome viewer that lets you have thumbnails of .step files and other graphical formats in Windows and other operating systems.
Easy and Quick Spray Glue Setups UseMoreForce 2026-06-18 | Speed up spray gluing with inexpensive materials
Magical Ultrasonic Knife UseMoreForce 2026-06-17 | Using my Honda Ultrasonic knife for fun and profit
Why LEDs flicker and look bad on camera UseMoreForce 2026-06-16 | A discussion of poorly designed LED drivers and how they cause problems when captured with video cameras
Fix Crooked Spray Glue UseMoreForce 2026-06-15 | How to clean spray glue and spray paint caps the easy way. Revive a bad can of good stuff
Zip Tie Anchor Hacking for Fun and Profit UseMoreForce 2026-06-13 | Simple zip tie mod for centered cabling
Super cool trick to pour liquids from five gallon pails UseMoreForce 2026-06-12 | Saw this trick on Wooh_Dang's instagram
Designing Firestone Airbag Brackets for a 2WD 1994 Toyota Pickup UseMoreForce 2026-06-11 | I recreated the Firestone Ride Rite kit for a 1994 toyota pickup.
Dead Simple Tape Measure Storage UseMoreForce 2026-06-10 | I first saw this at a metal supplier in Richmond, California.
Ultrasonic Knife Vs Everything UseMoreForce 2026-06-09 | Ultrasonic knife == plastic editor This is a Honda USW-334 ultrasonic knife. Super capable tool for prototypers and people who work in plastics and textiles. It's special because it enables extremely low cutting forces in a wide range of materials. They're typically not cheap, 300-600USD. Seeing the incredible polymer bag designs from @_made_in_hate_ inspired me to make a post about this little-known tool. When I have to do something like modify 32 camera housings, or make something fit into a too-tight space, this is often how I get it done.
Flatbed Scanner instead of 3D scanner reverse engineering UseMoreForce 2026-06-08 | "You wouldn't download a car" No, but I might make replacement parts for one. This is a taillight divider for 89-94 Toyota pickups. Printed in ABS.
Reverse Engineering Super Basics UseMoreForce 2026-06-07 | Your old scanner can be a powerful and fast measuring tool, if you know how to calibrate the scanned image. This is just the first step, but it's the most important by far. My friend @petesquared23 asked me about this, and this little tutorial is my answer.
The Way Things Work Textbook Tuesday UseMoreForce 2026-06-06 | Feels like Textbook Tuesday was just seven days ago. Most STEM books (and video content) these days seem very focused on BIG AMAZING WOW demos and spectacle. This book is the exact opposite. It will reveal to you the wonder and deep cleverness of the objects you encounter every single day - in plain English. @jkopel reminded me how much I love this kind of book- where you can open to any page and learn something. Sushi instead of Moby Dick.
Using vinyl cling film to secure thread and other rolled stuff UseMoreForce 2026-06-05 | The sewing world is full of interesting problem solving. Manipulating, marking, and fastening soft materials is a whole world of challenges. My mom showed me an application of soft vinyl cling film that really caught my attention.
Airbag Prototyping for 1994 Toyota Pickup with GFC Camper UseMoreForce 2026-06-05 | Roughing it in In preparation for my @gfc_usa camper install, I want the ability to adjust my rear suspension so the back of my 94 pickup doesn't sag. Firestone made a bolt-on airbag kit for these pickups, but it hasn't been sold in years. Fortunately, I'm real good at bracketry. You can basically see my thought process here as I rough the parts in. When I work like this, it's about being free and problem solving/problem finding - not making a perfect parametric model. @switchsuspension sold me the airbags and pneumatic parts, and I got a few secret tips from @yodagang_ . Now I just have to 3D print some test copies, check the fit, and then fab them from steel. I'll probably be posting more truck-related projects as they happen. It's not really what Vice Chief does, but it is real problem solving I can share with you without violating any NDAs
On Finding Things By Finding People UseMoreForce 2026-06-04 | "I know a guy". Great, but how do you find them? Start by persistently searching/calling/following referrals (human networks are often more effective in locating expertise than search engines). Then most importantly -- listen carefully to suss out whether the person on the other end of the line actually knows something, or they're just another middleman or salesperson. The difference isn't always immediately obvious - confidence and jargon go a long way - but good questions reveal everything in time. I'm always surprised by the deep knowledge that one can find out there. But I'm also always surprised about how long it can take to find it, and how obscured it can be. This week @switchsuspension (no afilliation) was my reminder, but there have been many others in every domain I've ever had the pleasure of learning about.
I needed a tiny grill UseMoreForce 2026-05-29 | The xTool Metalfab CNC laser cutter really shines when cutting and welding thin stainless steel. The edge quality is great and the kerf is small. You can easily 'spot weld' with the laser beam to knock together fun prototypes. I've had this tiny grill for tiny gourmet foods idea for a few months now. Finally decided to make it. The whole process took about an hour, with cutting being about 3 minutes.
Tiny Titanium Ring Light UseMoreForce 2026-05-29 | At Vice Chief we spend a lot of time designing and fabricating micro optical parts. Most of these parts need to be coated black, using a process called "anodizing". You have lots of anodized objects in your life- an example might be your macbook or your maglite. In anodizing you connect the positive side of the power supply to the part, and the negative side to a cathode immersed in a chemical bath. A hard, porous coating builds up on the part. Without a good electrical connection the part will not anodize. But wherever the wire is connected, there will be a little bare spot. And if your part has no through-holes, you may not be able to thread a wire through it anyway. I had just one tiny (M1.6) threaded hole that didn't go all the way through the part. I had to make these tiny screws with wires welded on them to get the process working. It feels pretty amazing to be able to laser weld and thread titanium here at VC, even if it's just a throwaway bit of a one-off process.
Tubular Lock Picking Toolbox Demonstration UseMoreForce 2026-05-28 | Bam! Simple as that. Friend of mine was locked out of a box in his shop. I made this video to show him how it's possible to get back in without drilling or damaging the cylinder.
Machinable clamps used with vacuum workholding UseMoreForce 2026-05-27 | Vacuum workholding is easy in some ways and tricky in others. I was recently inspired/reminded by a post from @bernhard_derprototyp to try a different clamping strategy. Short story: when possible, make your clamps in such a way that you can machine right through them, and you open up a world of possibilities.
USB Clamp Hack UseMoreForce 2026-05-26 | Quick, ugly shop hack that I use and appreciate every single day.
Copying Failure In Reverse Engineering Projects UseMoreForce 2026-05-25 | It's easy to copy failure. Much easier than copying success, or being original. Here's an example where I measured only the part of interest, and not the mechanical context. Copying poses many dangers, this is just one of them.
Machinable Clamps and Vacuum Workholding UseMoreForce 2026-05-24 | Vacuum workholding is easy in some ways and tricky in others. I was recently inspired/reminded by a post from bernhard_derprototyp to try a different clamping strategy. Short story: when possible, make your clamps in such a way that you can machine right through them, and you open up a world of possibilities.
The Use More Force Lock Locker for GFC Campers and Toppers UseMoreForce 2026-05-23 | The Lock Locker for GFC Campers! Link in bio.The Lock Locker is a simple way to stash the Reese Towpower lock on your GFC. It is designed to mount on the top half of the wedge, so it gets out of the way when you're using the tent.The Lock Locker is made of carbon fiber reinforced, UV resistant polymer. It's tough as hell. Comes with everything you need to install.The Lock Locker and its T-nuts are made right here in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
No pilot hole for your hole saw? No problem UseMoreForce 2026-05-22 | Hole saws maintain their center with a pilot bit. This is trouble when you're trying to enlarge an existing hole and there is nothing to pilot into. In this case you can create an external guide using the same hole saw on a scrap piece of wood. Problem solved.
Its strong because we made it that way - UMF Wolfbox mount for GFC campers UseMoreForce 2026-05-21 | ...
