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Loved it. The message at the end can be more powerful than we realize. Stay well. Short story if I may.....I was suspended 3 times from high school in my sophomore year for refusal and failure to choose and complete one of 3 options for a metal shop project. Ash try, wall sconce or candle holder. I said I wanted to build a puzzle. After much conflict and support from my Father, I was allowed to proceed. I finished 12 of the 116 pieces in the design in the entire first year. I took 2nd place in the industrial arts show in Paramus NJ where dozens of High schools had hundreds of industrial arts projects on display. The following year, project complete, I took first place and a class mate took overall outstanding honors with a magnificent chess set. The school got a trophy and all of a sudden, the very guy that suspended me 3 times, apologized and told me I taught him something for not quitting. Thats my walk down memory lane. Thanks Adam.
I had to build an anchor, we didn't own a boat. Why were there so many ash tray projects coming out of schools? We knew how bad smoking was even when I was a kid.
my high school administration was not happy with me...so they kept rewriting the student rules, just moving the loopholes around (or accidentally adding new ones). But something like that should be "approved project, 3 examples for the less creative are ..."
@@mpetersen6 Burr type. A geometric progression of one my Father brought back from a business trip. I added 93 pieces a few years after High school, scaled it up, and captured a Guinness world record in 1998 with it.
My favorite part of every build and video is that infectious, endearing laugh Adam has after he finishes something and gets to hold it or use it for the first time. The joy is contagious even though a tiny phone screen.
@@marvindebot3264 it is a super power, magic trick, and sorcery all rolled in to one. The ability to pluck something from your mind and make it exist in the world for others to see and hold is special. Whether it's music, art, writing, or building, it is incredible.
2:35 : this feeling hits close to home. In my late teens, living with my parents, I built a model heliccoper. A french "Alouette II", small scale, the rotor was maybe 15cm diameter. I put everything I had into it, and I was a rather skilled model maker. Spent weeks upon weeks refining it. I managed to paint needles on the dashboard gauges using a single-hair paintbrush. It was my masterpiece. A masterpiece that would fit in you hand, mind you. A few days after completion, I came back from school and couldn't find my helicopter. Asking my mother, she told be she had stored it away in a box - "to tidy up your room". I found the box. Much too small to fit my heli inside. She had *folded* my helicopter to make it fit into it. Uterly destroyed its delicate structure. *I did not make anything for the next 2 years.* My mother was alcooholic, and under the influence that day. She died from it 7 years after the fact. It's almost 30 years now that my chopper was cruched, and I am still upset about it.
or any time (even non destructive) when they "tidy up your room" by throwing stuff in boxes, when you had a system...so you have to empty all the boxes and spend days/weeks/months fixing everything again
I used to work in a maintenance dept at a large industrial facility. Our job wax to keep machinery running and in print tolerances. The work load could be crazy or slow. It varied. To be on hand we had instructions to be return to the work area when done with a job. My and an other guy both would doodle while waiting for the next job. There was an a-hole in the area who just loved to come up and juggle your elbow.
As the child of an alcoholic, I understand this feeling all too well... many toys, models, etc, lost to being shoved in boxes and things like that... I'm no skilled modelmaker though so I can only understand so much... be well, and good luck in all endeavors you choose to seek.
I wish I could find such joy in simple things like this. Watching Adam enjoy his creative process over the years has really helped me try to pick up my own creative hobbies again.
I actually like that you abandoned using the same tools as you once did. Even though it might be charming, this is a fun way to showcase how far you've come, and you get to use the tools you worked for and earned along the way. Love the builds Adam!
Hearing what the principal did made my jaw drop... That hurt to hear so I can only imagine how upsetting that was. Glad you got to remake your ping pong gun!
Yeah, seriously... Why wouldn't they just ask the teachers to hand them back out to the students? I get that you can't keep everything around forever, but to just throw it away is just shit.
He misses his builds that got thrown out and he’s been trying to fill that void ever since. Everyone has their motivations. Love you Adam! A joy every time!
I love the fact that you remembered something from your childhood and wanted to recreate it. You didn’t try to start from scratch with a new improved design, but stuck with the original and found your price gun. You could’ve easily re-engineered it, but chose nostalgia. Those are the best times. Although you have re-engineered it without knowing when you made the 1,000 nerf ball shooter. Different ammunition but still awesome. Love you Adam. Keep on keeping on! Stay happy doing what you love!
I think you would LOVE the contraptions made by Joerg Sprave on 'The Slingshot Channel'. As the name suggests, the channel began purely with slingshots, but it quickly expanded, with Joerg creating ever more ingenious contraptions. He's made updated versions of medieval crossbows, fully automatic crossbows/slingshots, trebuchets and catapults, and many, many, many wonderful things, often finding ways in which items could have been made better with the technology they had available hundreds of years ago. Give his channel a browse, I think you'll be pleasantly informed!
I made a crossbow out of a old bow I had and it was really cool and I used to make whirligigs and this video reminds of how much fun I had doing those things. Just tinkering in the garage is always a good time.
Adam Savage you are my hero since I was 4 I watched myth busters and I was amazed by builds that you made and now I’m 17 and I have my workshop built by me. Every machine I have I build by myself and all of this is because of you because you showed me that everything is possible by power of engineering. I just want to tell you thanks
I love that you build your own stuff and I obviously might be jumping to conclusions here, but please be careful and don't hurt yourself! Especially self-built machinery is potentially very dangerous as it often lacks safety features that are found on commercially availiable machines. Again, I don't know what you build, it might be superb, but please keep your own safety in mind!
@@jonasholzem2909 Bah Humbug! "Kids" are not as ignorant of risk as most adults think, and most people with the smarts to engineer their own tools and machines also have the smarts to keep themselves safe. Consider, for example Alex Harris who wasn't much above 14 when he built this band saw th-cam.com/video/Hw_SaFmQDaw/w-d-xo.html PS, now the same kid is an engineer for BOSCH.
Seeing you break down the pricer, that's what I used to do when taking things apart to make something new. I would often break things, and I thought that was a terrible thing, and I would get discouraged. But seeing someone so successful do something I thought was wrong, has shed a new light, and has inspired me to start tinkering again.
How can you not love Adam Savage???? I LOVED Mythbusters. I enjoyed Jamie and Adam. But Adam is just the best he has such a awesome personality I truly think he'd be fun to hangout with. Great video!!!
When you held this launcher, I immediately heared "Hello and welcome to Tested. This is a device I built as a teen, let me show you its features! Hahahaha!"
For my final project in Engineering in secondary school (High school) we were given requirements to build a table tennis server. There were some crazy machines built in that class. Mine used two wheels that would catch the balls rolling down a short ramp from a hopper and spit them out at a fantastic rate, a hidden potentiometer was used to control the speed to match the spec, but you could crank it up for some fun. That's 20 years ago and its in my dad's shed and is still one of those things that brings me a lot of joy to take out and mess around with.
Aw man, it's so heart breaking when your hard work gets mishandled like that. I had a similar thing happened to me when I tried to dabble into confectionery. I'm glad you came back to making things after that yearly break. It makes me wonder how many amazing people didn't get to live their dreams because their spirit got crushed.
There were some great moments here that you could see Adam reminiscing about things and his facial expressions take on a look that make him look about as young as he's remembering
While I never made a ping pong ball launcher in high school, I know the feeling of having something like it (a toy in general) taken away. I was born in Sacramento and when I was 9 my mom decided that she didn't want me growing up in such a violent city, so she put me on a plane to go live with my aunt and uncle in Arkansas. I remember waiting for the day of the flight, I had everything I wanted to take with me, clothes, toys, etc ready to go and I was as excited as a 9 year old could be. Low I did not know what was about to happen. We get to the airport, my two brothers, my sister, my Mom and me. One of the toys I had brought was a light up, pew pew ray gun. The lights spun around, there were sparks, presumably from a flint and contact wheel, it was Awesome and it was my favorite toy in the world. Anyway, long story shorter, I lined up at the gate and when it was my turn to board the plane, I was playing with my ray gun and the stewardess told me that I couldn't take it on the plane with me. Did I mention I was by myself on this flight? I still remember watching my Mom waving to me as the flight started to taxi to it's runway. Needless to say, I was crushed at both the realisation (cause up until that point, I didn't know) that I was going to be going to Arkansas alone, and my toy having been taken away. I'm 47 now and I literally had to go to therapy to get over that. I had remained salty about it for 36 years. So salty in fact, that I couldn't tell that story before therapy without crying and being pissed about it. My therapist actually bought me a toy ray gun and I'm good now. I cried when she gave it to me. It amazed me how much that had affected me all those years and how much that gesture of kindness moved me.
Never could I hope to amount to the level of skill Adam has at just raw fabrication. I'm just a humble kitbasher. But when I'm kitbashing and painting, Adam is always a welcome partner.
at the age of 8 years old my father gave me a Montgomery ward scroll saw from the early 50's. That was when I became a maker. one of the first things I built was a rubber-band gun . your ping pong gun brought back some great memories of building many many items back then. Thanks Adam!
It's thoughtless that they would simply discard a number of creations without considering the fact that someone may want to hold on to those creations. Or that they could be displayed to inspire and entertain other young makers. It was fun watching you make this piece of nostalgia!
I'd like to add kudos and encouragement to the camera operator who had the presence of mind to pan left as Adam turned around regarded the woodpile in thought, racked the focus out, then pulled it back in just as Adam turned back around. That was a subtle, beautifully captured moment that added a lot to that part of the story.
I have a similar story of loss. About midway through high-school in the early 90s our band hall was being refurbished and it was discovered that one of the reasons the acoustics of the room were so bad was due to the 30 plus years of trophies and group pictures displayed on every possible surface and walls. They were taken down and stored in a warehouse with the promise that the school would build us a massive trophy case to line the hallway leading to the band hall. The very next year it was discovered that the school had sold the warehouse for scrap and it had been bulldozed flat with all our history still inside. It was devastating. The school promised to replace the trophies, but once the band directors explained the hundreds of trophies we lost the school simply couldn't afford to replace them. To be honest it still kinda stings.
Thanks for doing these videos. It gives hope to those of us in less than ideal life circumstances that we can still find the type of pure joy Adam gets from doing what he loves.
One of the things that I relate most to about Adam's projects is the infectious laughter of seeing your brain child in action. I love nothing more than the feeling of seeing something come together and being unable to contain a laugh at my own amusement. I think the lesson in this video is so important: we need to nurture makers who are starting out, that enthusiasm can make or break their confidence in making. Thanks for the wonderful video as always!
"I will try to use the original tools." 5min in the build. "I will cheat, i have to many nice tools." I think that is the exact same thing young Adam would have done :p.
14:53. I so remember the same feeling. When I was "learning" oxy-acetylene welding in technical college, we found that we could use the torch to melt 1p and 2p pieces and we must have melted a couple of quid between us! Then we learned to control the heat just enough to weld/braze the coin onto a piece of steel without losing the shape. somewhere in the assorted junk in my shed, I still have a 2p piece welded to steel.
Y'know, I did a couple welding classes in college and somehow not once did I think of welding or melting coins. I might have to if I ever get one of my own...
This was back in the 80s, when "coppper" coins were actually made of a fair percentage of copper. In the UK at least, much of our coinage is now made of much harder metal. If the US has followed suit, melting coins may not be quite so easy.
Reminds me of the metal coat hanger crossbow I made at 12 or 13. Got the idea one day and cut up and bent the metal coat hanger into a crossbow shape, used some strong rubber bands for the string. And used bamboo skewers for the bolts, don’t think I had a trigger on it, so just held skewers in the sling section and let it go. It was fairly powerful for it’s small size, and the skewers would stick into stuff really good. Which years later transferred into making a recurve bow out of found items in the woods for part of an Archery Merit Badge challenge, it also shoot really good to the instructors surprise.
It's so fun watching you do the same things, handle the tools the same way, fly across your shop with the same energy I do, maybe drop something, or go a little too fast. It's what happens when you're in that zone.
This is incredible. I was recently told by my psychiatrist to find my inner child and that's exactly what you did. I was thinking this right before you said that this ball launcher had a different nostalgia to it. Watching you work has opened so many doors in my mind that my shop is changing because of it, thank you very much. I am officially back in business because of these videos.
I absolutely love that it took you however long, decades I assume, to find that pricing gun, and then you immediately took it apart so you could use the guts! Also always love seeing a Japanese saw!!
❤️😍 why do you think I’m an art curator? To have the delight of seeing what people make, to help others connect with those things, and particularly to watch the artist’s eyes light up when I tell them how I feel about their creation. There it all is, in your eyes, Adam.
Principal did the same at my school. He also painted all the walls removing 20 years of student work. One by an artist who became famous and was inspirational. Seniors looked forward and planned for years what they would leave behind.
You made me smile through the entire build. If your art teachers are still with us I hope you thanked them. If they are not, perhaps a relative, spouse, child are still around, and you could tell them what a positive influence they had on you.Then think about what that terrible principal taught you, how important our creations are to us as individuals and and how items mean so little to some but how important they are to others. When I did my student teaching I had a terrible co-operating teacher. But he taught me a valuable lesson one he didn’t do, one of main jobs of a teacher is to interest and encourage kids. That was my main goal every day for 41 years.
Can I just praise the camera work in this? When Adam turns, deep in thought and the camera adjusts to where he's looking... excellent storytelling. And the focus pull? Sublime!
I absolutely LOVE pricing guns. When the retail company that I worked for about a decade ago went bust I liberated all of the pricing guns from our little store just so that I could retain their satisfying sounds and actions.
My “junior” year the art class caught fire with my clay sculpture in the kiln that started the blaze. Easy A but still a vacancy in my heart for that project. Thank you Adam for the trip down memory lane. Also did anyone else get the 1985 Doc Brown going back to help 1955 Doc get his “experiment” done vibe??
The comment about drilling into things got me. There’s something about it that is super intriguing, I remember when I got my first drill I would put holes in whatever I could find. Favourites were golf balls, coins and hot wheels, still occasionally find things at the bottom of boxes filled with holes
When i was in my last year of school, for my art course work i made a hollowed out broken oak tree trunk with a few dead branches and a Owl perched on one of those branches, i fired it, painted it, looked amazing, after all my exams i went back to school to collect it but it was gone, when i found the care taker he said one of the teachers took it home with them, I have mixed feelings, in my late teens i wasnt very responsible and feel i would have either lost it or broke it, so in a way im glad she took it, and hope its still sits pride of place in her conservatory some 35 years later.
"I did immediately abandon using original tool" What could be better than rebuilding a favorite project from your youth with all the tools you wished you had (or didn't know you wished yet) when you were a kid. Brilliant!
I love your sentiment at the end. I am not a maker but a restorer and I always make sure that I take interest and show enthusiasm towards any younger person that is interested in getting in to the hobby. There is nothing more discouraging to a young person than being shrugged off by someone just because they are not able to produce a product that is up to the standards of someone who has been doing it for decades.
Right after you say "I don't need most of this stuff" the part goes flying across the room... my immediate reaction "he probably needs that bit, but doesn't know it yet."
I know the feeling. When I was in high school there was a flood and nearly everything I had drawn and painted since grade school was destroyed. The very next year I completed a ceramic sculpture of a very detailed 4ft tall gargoyle. As it was being moved into the kiln to be fired it tipped over and shattered. Pretty much the only thing left was a foot and some fingers.
When I first learned to draw I was obsessed with graffiti and letter structures. I'd draw words and alphabets and I remember the letter N being so difficult. One day I drew what I considered the perfect N on a piece of paper and I think someone in my family must have thrown it out. It bothered me so much I pretty much stopped drawing for like a year. I was probably 12. I've since adopted the mentality of "if i've done it once, I can definitely do it again".
This says so much about the creative mind of Adam. I wouldn't have thought of this thing to begin with, let alone how to design it, at that age. I guess it said a lot about his future!
Amazing. Loved hearing your story of this and seeing if come full circle. I think all artists and makers have those memorable AHA! moments when make something that just scratches that unique interest in our brain and gets noticed by others. PS: I would love to see how this thing would shoot if you swapped that rubber band out for some surgical tubing from a sling shot.
12:15 - 12 : 30 i dont know if anyone realized what a beautiful shot that was , been following adam since Mythbusters, I think I was around 10 years old, now 19 years later I share the same passion and love to wood work , and beeing a machinist, I've learned so many tips and tricks and how to improve in the things that I love doing by watching Adam's videos . All hail our Savage Sensei haha.
When using a saw on thin material (like a spoon), try to angle the cut so that 3-5 teeth are in contact at any given time; this minimises the “kerthunk” impact when the saw baulks the start of the cut (the work dropping into the throat and suddenly getting the full depth of the next tooth slamming into it). I would wager that younger you spotted or intuited that the rubber would work better on the underside of the rail - the v anchors mean it wants to work itself down and if the band is on top of the rail it pulls it (and the ping-pong ball) down towards the track creating a braking force and a weak launch. Under the rail, even if still pulling down on the v, the force is upward and the launch should be better… not only that but you might even impart a little backspin (once the ball leaves the rail) and gain from Benulli…
I like that you moved on the tools you have today. To me, it is a nice commentary on where those art class experiences have taken you. Combining an older project with current tools and techniques made the story so much more compelling. Thank you for sharing that pivotal moment and it’s progression.
Note for the camera team: As much as I appreciate your camera angles to provide us with cool images, please keep in mind that for us, this is the only opportunity that we have to see someone like Adam Savage work on a project. Although it is very artistic to show us B-roll of a hanging ping pong ball or have us peek over a sander, please spend more time showing his actual work and what he's doing. We don't want to feel like we are waiting on him to finish our product, we want to feel like we are building it with him.
Oh man, those pricing guns! I have VERY distinct memories of being young enough to still ride in the shopping cart back in the mid 80s and for whatever reason loving to play with the discarded ribbons of paper backer from the price labels that would be left on the floor at the grocery store.
I just love watching your videos, mostly because of your soft spoken demeanor! You can transition my whole attitude, I actually, as part of my preparation, watched one of your videos moments before a job interview just to help me get into the frame of mind I felt was appropriate for this interview! To hear you are "salty" because a principle threw out a lot of your work (as a returning student, not a graduated student) just puts the cherry on top! Thank you Adam!
Thanks so much for sharing this story and build. The contraption shows so much wit and ingenuity - I agree that it expresses something about you. I'm sad that you had go through such a loss. I know how these things can stick with a person. I had a similar experience that I'm still not over after 35+ years. When I was in high school I was a much bullied punk rocker with a mohawk at a time and in a place where such things were never seen. In art class we were asked to do a portrait painting for display in the school. I decided to do mine in oils, a medium I hadn't tried before. Much to my amazement, I painted an extremely photorealistic rendering of a punk rocker with a rat on his head (from something I'd clipped out of the newspaper). Not only did it show me a talent I didn't know that I had, but it also was a statement I was consciously trying to make about valuing differences. I wanted this to be the portrait that was displayed in the school. The teacher chose to display it in a display case right outside the art classroom - the best location in the school. Everyone ooohed and aaaahhed over it, and for the first time, people actually had some grudging respect for me and I got a lot of nice comments on it. I was so proud. The teacher asked me if she could show it in a regional exhibit of student work and I agreed. Being a kid, I didn't ask any of the important questions, such as how and when it would be returned to me. I never saw it again. When I asked the teacher about it, she said it had been 'lost'. She said it so casually, as though it meant nothing. As though it had been a thumbnail sketch on a piece of scrap paper. The more I pushed it, the more she made it seem like I was over-reacting, and exaggerating the quality and value of the painting. To this day I don't know whether she or one of the people involved with the exhibit kept it, or whether it was truly lost (whether it still exists in the world or whether it's long gone). It still hurts just as much now as it did back then. Losing the painting - and the casual, insensitive, soul-destroying way it was handled - was a huge blow to me at a difficult time in my young life. I didn't paint again for years, and I never did pick up oils again. When I think about how different things could have been - if I'd had that painting in my life as a reminder of my capability and if I hadn't been treated so dismissively but had instead continued to be celebrated and encouraged - I feel such grief for that kid. It's so important to foster enthusiasm, pride and confidence in kids. Especially ones who are 'different'. What seems small to an adult can often be 'everything' to a child.
At first, I thought this was going to be a revisit of the ping-pong ball machine gun. I loved that build and thought it would be fun. This was absolutely wonderful in a different way. The whimsey and joy you imbued in your construction comes through. Thanks, Adam for sharing this piece of history and walk down memory lane. And I am incandescent for your 17 y/o self. That is something you should have never experienced and I am so sorry you did. I am glad you overcame it and continued building & creating.
Know that there will be an Adam Savage museum one day, with all of these contraptions and tools, with replicas to play with, and you'll be showing your grandkids how amazing this guy is
Every time I see you use pop rivets I'm reminded of my first shop project from 8th grade. Using sheet metal and a tube to make a dustpan, which we then used to sweep up the shop floor at the end of every class for the rest of the semester
Your story should serve to remind all of us adults of the power our criticisms may have on young artists and crafts people. My first drawing instructor in college was Jacob Lawrence, who was a kind and giving human as well as a great teacher and artist. My drawing instructor the next semester was a jerk who announced the first day was that he had to teach because he could not sell his paintings. He then proceeded to bully the art right out of me. This is why I have always tried to be a cheerleader for my students.
I loved this build! I’d love to see a one day build of Adam making a ping pong ball gun today using all the knowledge, tools, and experience he’s gained over the years since this one was designed.
Hi i am a professional art student and i have been struggling with my latest works, because I wanted to explore the more technical side but i did not think i was really art. But you showed me that a pingpong gun can be art to.
![ILLSLICK - KILLSHOT REMIX [FULL VERSION]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RIK8RrqIAzE/mqdefault.jpg)
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I would love to see more toys/ toy builds with Adam.
I think the pricing gun you're looking for is the Label-Matic Model 45 GREEN
What would the world be without the Savage Ping Pong Ball launcher...
Loved it. The message at the end can be more powerful than we realize. Stay well. Short story if I may.....I was suspended 3 times from high school in my sophomore year for refusal and failure to choose and complete one of 3 options for a metal shop project. Ash try, wall sconce or candle holder. I said I wanted to build a puzzle. After much conflict and support from my Father, I was allowed to proceed. I finished 12 of the 116 pieces in the design in the entire first year. I took 2nd place in the industrial arts show in Paramus NJ where dozens of High schools had hundreds of industrial arts projects on display. The following year, project complete, I took first place and a class mate took overall outstanding honors with a magnificent chess set. The school got a trophy and all of a sudden, the very guy that suspended me 3 times, apologized and told me I taught him something for not quitting. Thats my walk down memory lane. Thanks Adam.
I had to build an anchor, we didn't own a boat.
Why were there so many ash tray projects coming out of schools? We knew how bad smoking was even when I was a kid.
my high school administration was not happy with me...so they kept rewriting the student rules, just moving the loopholes around (or accidentally adding new ones). But something like that should be "approved project, 3 examples for the less creative are ..."
Joe, Chinese type or jigsaw?
@@mpetersen6 Burr type. A geometric progression of one my Father brought back from a business trip. I added 93 pieces a few years after High school, scaled it up, and captured a Guinness world record in 1998 with it.
Ah, another nonconformist.
My favorite part of every build and video is that infectious, endearing laugh Adam has after he finishes something and gets to hold it or use it for the first time. The joy is contagious even though a tiny phone screen.
The best, "Mwa-Ha-Ha"s in the business!
As a friend of mine said last week, he has the innocent joy of childhood that so many of us lost along the way still within him.
Perfectly said
@@marvindebot3264 it is a super power, magic trick, and sorcery all rolled in to one. The ability to pluck something from your mind and make it exist in the world for others to see and hold is special. Whether it's music, art, writing, or building, it is incredible.
2:35 : this feeling hits close to home.
In my late teens, living with my parents, I built a model heliccoper. A french "Alouette II", small scale, the rotor was maybe 15cm diameter. I put everything I had into it, and I was a rather skilled model maker. Spent weeks upon weeks refining it. I managed to paint needles on the dashboard gauges using a single-hair paintbrush. It was my masterpiece. A masterpiece that would fit in you hand, mind you.
A few days after completion, I came back from school and couldn't find my helicopter. Asking my mother, she told be she had stored it away in a box - "to tidy up your room".
I found the box. Much too small to fit my heli inside. She had *folded* my helicopter to make it fit into it. Uterly destroyed its delicate structure.
*I did not make anything for the next 2 years.*
My mother was alcooholic, and under the influence that day. She died from it 7 years after the fact. It's almost 30 years now that my chopper was cruched, and I am still upset about it.
At least she can't break anything else now
@@ShugoAWay Jeez dude
or any time (even non destructive) when they "tidy up your room" by throwing stuff in boxes, when you had a system...so you have to empty all the boxes and spend days/weeks/months fixing everything again
I used to work in a maintenance dept at a large industrial facility. Our job wax to keep machinery running and in print tolerances. The work load could be crazy or slow. It varied. To be on hand we had instructions to be return to the work area when done with a job. My and an other guy both would doodle while waiting for the next job. There was an a-hole in the area who just loved to come up and juggle your elbow.
As the child of an alcoholic, I understand this feeling all too well... many toys, models, etc, lost to being shoved in boxes and things like that... I'm no skilled modelmaker though so I can only understand so much... be well, and good luck in all endeavors you choose to seek.
I wish I could find such joy in simple things like this. Watching Adam enjoy his creative process over the years has really helped me try to pick up my own creative hobbies again.
That's wonderful! We'll pass your comment on to Adam.
@@tested please also tell him that I love him ❤️🙏❤️
This is one of my favorites of Adam's videos. The story, the whimsical build, the message, and that laugh of pure joy -- perfect.
I actually like that you abandoned using the same tools as you once did. Even though it might be charming, this is a fun way to showcase how far you've come, and you get to use the tools you worked for and earned along the way. Love the builds Adam!
His young self would be very wonder struck by today's Adam.
Hearing what the principal did made my jaw drop... That hurt to hear so I can only imagine how upsetting that was. Glad you got to remake your ping pong gun!
What do You mean with draw drop?
@@ericsolid I think they meant 'jaw'. As in "was surprised"
@@ericsolid I meant jaw. Darn autocorrect
As a teacher I would have ripped that principal a new one! Wtf, who does that?!
Yeah, seriously... Why wouldn't they just ask the teachers to hand them back out to the students? I get that you can't keep everything around forever, but to just throw it away is just shit.
He misses his builds that got thrown out and he’s been trying to fill that void ever since. Everyone has their motivations. Love you Adam! A joy every time!
ONE DAY BUILD!!! WHOOOOOO....
I hope your art teacher is still around and damn proud of you!!
I love the fact that you remembered something from your childhood and wanted to recreate it. You didn’t try to start from scratch with a new improved design, but stuck with the original and found your price gun. You could’ve easily re-engineered it, but chose nostalgia. Those are the best times. Although you have re-engineered it without knowing when you made the 1,000 nerf ball shooter. Different ammunition but still awesome. Love you Adam. Keep on keeping on! Stay happy doing what you love!
I think you would LOVE the contraptions made by Joerg Sprave on 'The Slingshot Channel'.
As the name suggests, the channel began purely with slingshots, but it quickly expanded, with Joerg creating ever more ingenious contraptions.
He's made updated versions of medieval crossbows, fully automatic crossbows/slingshots, trebuchets and catapults, and many, many, many wonderful things, often finding ways in which items could have been made better with the technology they had available hundreds of years ago.
Give his channel a browse, I think you'll be pleasantly informed!
I would love to see these two colaborate!
Adam wearing his safety tee shirt would be awesome
Thanks for the tip. I checked it out and his content seems interesting.
I was thinking this the entire time was watching! Adam and Joerg are engineering mad geniuses.
I made a crossbow out of a old bow I had and it was really cool and I used to make whirligigs and this video reminds of how much fun I had doing those things. Just tinkering in the garage is always a good time.
Adam Savage you are my hero since I was 4 I watched myth busters and I was amazed by builds that you made and now I’m 17 and I have my workshop built by me. Every machine I have I build by myself and all of this is because of you because you showed me that everything is possible by power of engineering. I just want to tell you thanks
I love that you build your own stuff and I obviously might be jumping to conclusions here, but please be careful and don't hurt yourself! Especially self-built machinery is potentially very dangerous as it often lacks safety features that are found on commercially availiable machines. Again, I don't know what you build, it might be superb, but please keep your own safety in mind!
@@jonasholzem2909 Bah Humbug! "Kids" are not as ignorant of risk as most adults think, and most people with the smarts to engineer their own tools and machines also have the smarts to keep themselves safe. Consider, for example Alex Harris who wasn't much above 14 when he built this band saw th-cam.com/video/Hw_SaFmQDaw/w-d-xo.html
PS, now the same kid is an engineer for BOSCH.
Seeing you break down the pricer, that's what I used to do when taking things apart to make something new. I would often break things, and I thought that was a terrible thing, and I would get discouraged. But seeing someone so successful do something I thought was wrong, has shed a new light, and has inspired me to start tinkering again.
How can you not love Adam Savage???? I LOVED Mythbusters. I enjoyed Jamie and Adam. But Adam is just the best he has such a awesome personality I truly think he'd be fun to hangout with. Great video!!!
When you held this launcher, I immediately heared "Hello and welcome to Tested. This is a device I built as a teen, let me show you its features! Hahahaha!"
I know that's reference!
Ha Ha Ha!
😆
Joerg is one of the most underrated TH-camrs
Yes. We have here a man of culture.
For my final project in Engineering in secondary school (High school) we were given requirements to build a table tennis server. There were some crazy machines built in that class. Mine used two wheels that would catch the balls rolling down a short ramp from a hopper and spit them out at a fantastic rate, a hidden potentiometer was used to control the speed to match the spec, but you could crank it up for some fun. That's 20 years ago and its in my dad's shed and is still one of those things that brings me a lot of joy to take out and mess around with.
Aw man, it's so heart breaking when your hard work gets mishandled like that. I had a similar thing happened to me when I tried to dabble into confectionery. I'm glad you came back to making things after that yearly break. It makes me wonder how many amazing people didn't get to live their dreams because their spirit got crushed.
Finally we got an origin story of the incredible maker & mentor super hero - Adam Savage :)
There were some great moments here that you could see Adam reminiscing about things and his facial expressions take on a look that make him look about as young as he's remembering
Damn, that principal threw away history of one of the coolest people alive. And the original Adam builds too. Wow!
While I never made a ping pong ball launcher in high school, I know the feeling of having something like it (a toy in general) taken away. I was born in Sacramento and when I was 9 my mom decided that she didn't want me growing up in such a violent city, so she put me on a plane to go live with my aunt and uncle in Arkansas. I remember waiting for the day of the flight, I had everything I wanted to take with me, clothes, toys, etc ready to go and I was as excited as a 9 year old could be. Low I did not know what was about to happen. We get to the airport, my two brothers, my sister, my Mom and me. One of the toys I had brought was a light up, pew pew ray gun. The lights spun around, there were sparks, presumably from a flint and contact wheel, it was Awesome and it was my favorite toy in the world. Anyway, long story shorter, I lined up at the gate and when it was my turn to board the plane, I was playing with my ray gun and the stewardess told me that I couldn't take it on the plane with me. Did I mention I was by myself on this flight? I still remember watching my Mom waving to me as the flight started to taxi to it's runway. Needless to say, I was crushed at both the realisation (cause up until that point, I didn't know) that I was going to be going to Arkansas alone, and my toy having been taken away. I'm 47 now and I literally had to go to therapy to get over that. I had remained salty about it for 36 years. So salty in fact, that I couldn't tell that story before therapy without crying and being pissed about it. My therapist actually bought me a toy ray gun and I'm good now. I cried when she gave it to me. It amazed me how much that had affected me all those years and how much that gesture of kindness moved me.
Never could I hope to amount to the level of skill Adam has at just raw fabrication. I'm just a humble kitbasher. But when I'm kitbashing and painting, Adam is always a welcome partner.
at the age of 8 years old my father gave me a Montgomery ward scroll saw from the early 50's. That was when I became a maker. one of the first things I built was a rubber-band gun . your ping pong gun brought back some great memories of building many many items back then. Thanks Adam!
adam savage recreatiang one of his childhood creations is a wonderful way to finish the work week!
Now I want a Adam 2022 one. With serious power and a magazine
Adam's inner child is alive and well. That is something that people can't buy and is worth a untold sum. I expect it can extend life!
It's thoughtless that they would simply discard a number of creations without considering the fact that someone may want to hold on to those creations. Or that they could be displayed to inspire and entertain other young makers.
It was fun watching you make this piece of nostalgia!
I'd like to add kudos and encouragement to the camera operator who had the presence of mind to pan left as Adam turned around regarded the woodpile in thought, racked the focus out, then pulled it back in just as Adam turned back around. That was a subtle, beautifully captured moment that added a lot to that part of the story.
I have a similar story of loss. About midway through high-school in the early 90s our band hall was being refurbished and it was discovered that one of the reasons the acoustics of the room were so bad was due to the 30 plus years of trophies and group pictures displayed on every possible surface and walls. They were taken down and stored in a warehouse with the promise that the school would build us a massive trophy case to line the hallway leading to the band hall. The very next year it was discovered that the school had sold the warehouse for scrap and it had been bulldozed flat with all our history still inside. It was devastating. The school promised to replace the trophies, but once the band directors explained the hundreds of trophies we lost the school simply couldn't afford to replace them. To be honest it still kinda stings.
Sitting here in my Woodford shirt watching Adam rep Woodford while building a hilarious contraption fills my heart with glee.
Thanks for doing these videos. It gives hope to those of us in less than ideal life circumstances that we can still find the type of pure joy Adam gets from doing what he loves.
One of the things that I relate most to about Adam's projects is the infectious laughter of seeing your brain child in action. I love nothing more than the feeling of seeing something come together and being unable to contain a laugh at my own amusement. I think the lesson in this video is so important: we need to nurture makers who are starting out, that enthusiasm can make or break their confidence in making. Thanks for the wonderful video as always!
That's insane! Stuff that flies off never bounces back and lands on the workbench!
This a beautiful piece to demonstrate mechanical principles and energy potential
"I will try to use the original tools."
5min in the build. "I will cheat, i have to many nice tools."
I think that is the exact same thing young Adam would have done :p.
That story you started this video with was so touching! I'm so glad you rebuilt it and even happier you let us be part of it!
14:53. I so remember the same feeling. When I was "learning" oxy-acetylene welding in technical college, we found that we could use the torch to melt 1p and 2p pieces and we must have melted a couple of quid between us! Then we learned to control the heat just enough to weld/braze the coin onto a piece of steel without losing the shape. somewhere in the assorted junk in my shed, I still have a 2p piece welded to steel.
Y'know, I did a couple welding classes in college and somehow not once did I think of welding or melting coins. I might have to if I ever get one of my own...
This was back in the 80s, when "coppper" coins were actually made of a fair percentage of copper. In the UK at least, much of our coinage is now made of much harder metal. If the US has followed suit, melting coins may not be quite so easy.
@@christopherdean1326 Pennies have a lot of zinc which I definitely wouldn't want to melt.
@@christopherdean1326 Ironically most coins in the US have copper cores with nickle coatings while pennies have zinc cores.
This is the most touching, likeable video this channel has ever done. My God, I nearly teared up, and I'm just a musician.
Reminds me of the metal coat hanger crossbow I made at 12 or 13. Got the idea one day and cut up and bent the metal coat hanger into a crossbow shape, used some strong rubber bands for the string. And used bamboo skewers for the bolts, don’t think I had a trigger on it, so just held skewers in the sling section and let it go. It was fairly powerful for it’s small size, and the skewers would stick into stuff really good. Which years later transferred into making a recurve bow out of found items in the woods for part of an Archery Merit Badge challenge, it also shoot really good to the instructors surprise.
When I was 13 I made a crossbow out of PVC and wood and tape. Immediately broke. Now in in 2nd year in engineering school lol
It's so fun watching you do the same things, handle the tools the same way, fly across your shop with the same energy I do, maybe drop something, or go a little too fast. It's what happens when you're in that zone.
This is incredible. I was recently told by my psychiatrist to find my inner child and that's exactly what you did. I was thinking this right before you said that this ball launcher had a different nostalgia to it. Watching you work has opened so many doors in my mind that my shop is changing because of it, thank you very much. I am officially back in business because of these videos.
I absolutely love that it took you however long, decades I assume, to find that pricing gun, and then you immediately took it apart so you could use the guts! Also always love seeing a Japanese saw!!
❤️😍 why do you think I’m an art curator? To have the delight of seeing what people make, to help others connect with those things, and particularly to watch the artist’s eyes light up when I tell them how I feel about their creation. There it all is, in your eyes, Adam.
Fantastic content and message. You are a breath of fresh air Adam in these crazy emotionally disconnected modern times…
The confidence and skill used with the bandsaw is art within itself. Nuff said
Adam's life advice, also a one day build.
I honestly come for the advice more than the builds these days
Principal did the same at my school. He also painted all the walls removing 20 years of student work. One by an artist who became famous and was inspirational. Seniors looked forward and planned for years what they would leave behind.
Moment 1: “I don’t know why these are so rare… but it was “
Moment 2: *starts cutting into it with the bandsaw*
😇
I know, right!?
I audibly cringed when he did that! XD
Lol I had to see if anyone else posted this comment... It's so rare I haven't found one in 45 years. "I don't need most of this junk"
@@natevoss9199 Hahah, yeah right 😅 I did the same
You made me smile through the entire build. If your art teachers are still with us I hope you thanked them. If they are not, perhaps a relative, spouse, child are still around, and you could tell them what a positive influence they had on you.Then think about what that terrible principal taught you, how important our creations are to us as individuals and and how items mean so little to some but how important they are to others. When I did my student teaching I had a terrible co-operating teacher. But he taught me a valuable lesson one he didn’t do, one of main jobs of a teacher is to interest and encourage kids. That was my main goal every day for 41 years.
Adam just seems to have a deep appreciation of 'things' that's infections. Not many people can make me get excited about a pricing gun
Can I just praise the camera work in this? When Adam turns, deep in thought and the camera adjusts to where he's looking... excellent storytelling. And the focus pull? Sublime!
I absolutely LOVE pricing guns. When the retail company that I worked for about a decade ago went bust I liberated all of the pricing guns from our little store just so that I could retain their satisfying sounds and actions.
That's awesome!
That was pure joy to watch. The back story, the whimsical humour and the message. Pure joy. 👍
My “junior” year the art class caught fire with my clay sculpture in the kiln that started the blaze. Easy A but still a vacancy in my heart for that project. Thank you Adam for the trip down memory lane. Also did anyone else get the 1985 Doc Brown going back to help 1955 Doc get his “experiment” done vibe??
"I still love drilling into a spoon." -- things that would sound weird coming from anyone other than Adam.
The comment about drilling into things got me. There’s something about it that is super intriguing, I remember when I got my first drill I would put holes in whatever I could find. Favourites were golf balls, coins and hot wheels, still occasionally find things at the bottom of boxes filled with holes
When i was in my last year of school, for my art course work i made a hollowed out broken oak tree trunk with a few dead branches and a Owl perched on one of those branches, i fired it, painted it, looked amazing, after all my exams i went back to school to collect it but it was gone, when i found the care taker he said one of the teachers took it home with them,
I have mixed feelings, in my late teens i wasnt very responsible and feel i would have either lost it or broke it, so in a way im glad she took it, and hope its still sits pride of place in her conservatory some 35 years later.
"I did immediately abandon using original tool" What could be better than rebuilding a favorite project from your youth with all the tools you wished you had (or didn't know you wished yet) when you were a kid. Brilliant!
Love how the camera operator follows his actions like at 12:20
I love your sentiment at the end.
I am not a maker but a restorer and I always make sure that I take interest and show enthusiasm towards any younger person that is interested in getting in to the hobby. There is nothing more discouraging to a young person than being shrugged off by someone just because they are not able to produce a product that is up to the standards of someone who has been doing it for decades.
Right after you say "I don't need most of this stuff" the part goes flying across the room... my immediate reaction "he probably needs that bit, but doesn't know it yet."
The way it bounces off what looks like the light, the next wall and flys back is amazing
That was the best one day build!
Absolutely love your 16 year old selfs creativity.👍👍💞
I know the feeling. When I was in high school there was a flood and nearly everything I had drawn and painted since grade school was destroyed. The very next year I completed a ceramic sculpture of a very detailed 4ft tall gargoyle. As it was being moved into the kiln to be fired it tipped over and shattered. Pretty much the only thing left was a foot and some fingers.
This is why I love Adam Savage. He's just a kid in a toy factory but he gets to make his own toys. And he LOVES IT! XD
"That's how shit got priced." Yes Adam it was the good old days.
I love the sound and feel of the price gun. Only used one for things on sale when I worked retail, but always such a joy.
When I first learned to draw I was obsessed with graffiti and letter structures. I'd draw words and alphabets and I remember the letter N being so difficult. One day I drew what I considered the perfect N on a piece of paper and I think someone in my family must have thrown it out. It bothered me so much I pretty much stopped drawing for like a year. I was probably 12. I've since adopted the mentality of "if i've done it once, I can definitely do it again".
Did you draw it again? Your perfect N
@@facundoluciani8920 haha no. But I did get back into drawing and making things and now do it everyday.
This says so much about the creative mind of Adam. I wouldn't have thought of this thing to begin with, let alone how to design it, at that age. I guess it said a lot about his future!
Amazing. Loved hearing your story of this and seeing if come full circle. I think all artists and makers have those memorable AHA! moments when make something that just scratches that unique interest in our brain and gets noticed by others.
PS: I would love to see how this thing would shoot if you swapped that rubber band out for some surgical tubing from a sling shot.
The sound is beautiful! Thank you for not giving up on your dream despite human folly.
I would've been absolutely livid, and heartbroken if my hard work was just tossed in the trash like that.
I know I’m not the only one, but Adam Savage….You are my hero. U inspire. You are appreciated. Thank You for what you do
Adam works like Lucas is telling him: "Faster and more intense."
This was a fun build, but I really absolutely love the messaging about encouraging and communicating with budding makers. Thanks for sharing Adam!
Never underestimate the damage an adult can do to a youngster though careless disrespect.
12:15 - 12 : 30 i dont know if anyone realized what a beautiful shot that was , been following adam since Mythbusters, I think I was around 10 years old, now 19 years later I share the same passion and love to wood work , and beeing a machinist, I've learned so many tips and tricks and how to improve in the things that I love doing by watching Adam's videos .
All hail our Savage Sensei haha.
When using a saw on thin material (like a spoon), try to angle the cut so that 3-5 teeth are in contact at any given time; this minimises the “kerthunk” impact when the saw baulks the start of the cut (the work dropping into the throat and suddenly getting the full depth of the next tooth slamming into it).
I would wager that younger you spotted or intuited that the rubber would work better on the underside of the rail - the v anchors mean it wants to work itself down and if the band is on top of the rail it pulls it (and the ping-pong ball) down towards the track creating a braking force and a weak launch. Under the rail, even if still pulling down on the v, the force is upward and the launch should be better… not only that but you might even impart a little backspin (once the ball leaves the rail) and gain from Benulli…
Oh the memories! Thank you Mr Savage!
From one old stalled but still active Maker!
Be safe brother.
Well, I know what I’m making when I get home from work. LMAO
I like that you moved on the tools you have today. To me, it is a nice commentary on where those art class experiences have taken you. Combining an older project with current tools and techniques made the story so much more compelling. Thank you for sharing that pivotal moment and it’s progression.
Note for the camera team: As much as I appreciate your camera angles to provide us with cool images, please keep in mind that for us, this is the only opportunity that we have to see someone like Adam Savage work on a project. Although it is very artistic to show us B-roll of a hanging ping pong ball or have us peek over a sander, please spend more time showing his actual work and what he's doing. We don't want to feel like we are waiting on him to finish our product, we want to feel like we are building it with him.
Oh man, those pricing guns! I have VERY distinct memories of being young enough to still ride in the shopping cart back in the mid 80s and for whatever reason loving to play with the discarded ribbons of paper backer from the price labels that would be left on the floor at the grocery store.
Is it just me or is there something distinctly Jorge Sprave about this
Let me show you the features. Ha ha ha!
I just love watching your videos, mostly because of your soft spoken demeanor! You can transition my whole attitude, I actually, as part of my preparation, watched one of your videos moments before a job interview just to help me get into the frame of mind I felt was appropriate for this interview! To hear you are "salty" because a principle threw out a lot of your work (as a returning student, not a graduated student) just puts the cherry on top! Thank you Adam!
If some high school student built that today, he'd likely be suspended or expelled. Sad that we have gotten so stupid.
I love how he buys this rare piece with cherished memories and proceeds to cutting it up and making a new memory.
They let you own that in Cali ??
Arrested 10 min after the video was uploaded
You do know that on *_Mythbusters_* they fired pistols in a shipping container in the parking lot of the workshop they worked in, don't you?
@@PatLures they would probably want him to serialized it too 😂
@@hondaatcfreak420 Ahahahah
This must be one of those ghost guns I keep hearing about.
Thanks so much for sharing this story and build. The contraption shows so much wit and ingenuity - I agree that it expresses something about you. I'm sad that you had go through such a loss. I know how these things can stick with a person. I had a similar experience that I'm still not over after 35+ years.
When I was in high school I was a much bullied punk rocker with a mohawk at a time and in a place where such things were never seen. In art class we were asked to do a portrait painting for display in the school. I decided to do mine in oils, a medium I hadn't tried before. Much to my amazement, I painted an extremely photorealistic rendering of a punk rocker with a rat on his head (from something I'd clipped out of the newspaper). Not only did it show me a talent I didn't know that I had, but it also was a statement I was consciously trying to make about valuing differences. I wanted this to be the portrait that was displayed in the school.
The teacher chose to display it in a display case right outside the art classroom - the best location in the school. Everyone ooohed and aaaahhed over it, and for the first time, people actually had some grudging respect for me and I got a lot of nice comments on it. I was so proud.
The teacher asked me if she could show it in a regional exhibit of student work and I agreed. Being a kid, I didn't ask any of the important questions, such as how and when it would be returned to me. I never saw it again. When I asked the teacher about it, she said it had been 'lost'. She said it so casually, as though it meant nothing. As though it had been a thumbnail sketch on a piece of scrap paper. The more I pushed it, the more she made it seem like I was over-reacting, and exaggerating the quality and value of the painting.
To this day I don't know whether she or one of the people involved with the exhibit kept it, or whether it was truly lost (whether it still exists in the world or whether it's long gone). It still hurts just as much now as it did back then.
Losing the painting - and the casual, insensitive, soul-destroying way it was handled - was a huge blow to me at a difficult time in my young life. I didn't paint again for years, and I never did pick up oils again. When I think about how different things could have been - if I'd had that painting in my life as a reminder of my capability and if I hadn't been treated so dismissively but had instead continued to be celebrated and encouraged - I feel such grief for that kid.
It's so important to foster enthusiasm, pride and confidence in kids. Especially ones who are 'different'. What seems small to an adult can often be 'everything' to a child.
I'm 17 and if there was an option to love the video I'd do it. Still building up my equipment but this stuff is the world to me.
At first, I thought this was going to be a revisit of the ping-pong ball machine gun. I loved that build and thought it would be fun. This was absolutely wonderful in a different way. The whimsey and joy you imbued in your construction comes through. Thanks, Adam for sharing this piece of history and walk down memory lane. And I am incandescent for your 17 y/o self. That is something you should have never experienced and I am so sorry you did. I am glad you overcame it and continued building & creating.
This was just plain awesome haha I felt like I relived his childhood! I'd definitely want to see more builds like this.
Know that there will be an Adam Savage museum one day, with all of these contraptions and tools, with replicas to play with, and you'll be showing your grandkids how amazing this guy is
Every time I see you use pop rivets I'm reminded of my first shop project from 8th grade. Using sheet metal and a tube to make a dustpan, which we then used to sweep up the shop floor at the end of every class for the rest of the semester
Kudos to the cameraman and editor. You cut this like an action sequence. Which actually, it was!
Your story should serve to remind all of us adults of the power our criticisms may have on young artists and crafts people. My first drawing instructor in college was Jacob Lawrence, who was a kind and giving human as well as a great teacher and artist. My drawing instructor the next semester was a jerk who announced the first day was that he had to teach because he could not sell his paintings. He then proceeded to bully the art right out of me. This is why I have always tried to be a cheerleader for my students.
I loved this build! I’d love to see a one day build of Adam making a ping pong ball gun today using all the knowledge, tools, and experience he’s gained over the years since this one was designed.
He did! A few years ago for the Braincandy Touring show!
th-cam.com/video/-HfaLqmRO1k/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=AdamSavage%E2%80%99sTested
This video straight up is a journey into Adam's mind. Quality content if I ever seen one.
Hi i am a professional art student and i have been struggling with my latest works, because I wanted to explore the more technical side but i did not think i was really art. But you showed me that a pingpong gun can be art to.
THIS! This is why I keep coming back and continue to support this channel. ❤