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Ask HN: Recommendations for videos/documentaries about building things

56 points| NWChen | 2 years ago

What videos/channels/documentaries do you recommend that watch teams of people designing/building things? For example:

1. [DarkAero (airplanes)](https://www.youtube.com/@DarkAeroInc)

2. [The Great Robot Race](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCRrXQRvC_I)

3. [PsychOdyssey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRlI72bsNRc&list=PLIhLvue17Sd70y34zh2erWWpMyOnh4UN_)

29 comments

order

aantix|2 years ago

My kids and I have been enjoying the old Junk Yard Wars TV series. Lots of old episodes on YouTube.

One expert, three mechanic/welders/engineers per team.

They’re assigned to build something fairly complex like a “flying car”. 10 hours to scavenge the junk yard and use whatever to build the item.

namuol|2 years ago

Hard to find good docs on teams, but here are two of my favorite solo creators:

Paul Elkins: Designs and builds low cost novelty mobile homes and vehicles.

https://youtube.com/@paulwelkinsdiy

Mitxela: Hardware and software hacker/inventor. Mixes circuit design, microcontroller programming, and machining to make unique pieces. Featured on HN recently.

https://youtube.com/@mitxela

dharmab|2 years ago

Bad Obsession Motorsport. Their biggest project was a 6-year build of a Mini Cooper where they basically fabricated an entire car from scratch by hand.

The Warthog Project. A dude builds a 1:1 scale cockpit for an A-10C Warthog simulator, including custom electronics.

Baumgartner Restoration: A professional art restorer documents his process restoring paintings and other art.

DIY Perks: A hobbyist/inventor designs and builds practical electronics and furniture, and shares the designs for others.

Marty's Matchbox Restorations: A man repairs and repaints old diecast toys with higher detail and quality paint. (Disclosure: I am good friends with Marty's son.)

Ronald Finger: A man finds a Pontiac Fiero parked in the woods for decades and restores it to factory-fresh.

AMMO NYC: A professional auto detailer documents his process, from detailing daily-driven cars to sanitizing and restoring barn-find antiques.

fwipsy|2 years ago

On mobile so no links, but I enjoy the following YouTube channels:

Primitive technology: researching/developing e.g. metalworking, agriculture, building techniques without using any premade tools. No voice but closed caption explanations.

Primitive skills: homesteading in Vietnam with traditional techniques, minimal outside materials/tools. No voice, closed caption explanations.

Wintergatan: years-long project to build a marble machine musical instrument reliable enough for stage performances. Lots of experimentation and some meta engineering techniques too.

Jamie Mantzel (spelling?) Used to be building a giant robot in his garage, more recently built small boats and a house. Haven't checked recently.

nicbou|2 years ago

Pask Makes, This Old Tony, Laura Kampf are all really interesting makers. If you speak German, SWR is currently making a series about makers that's on YouTube. It's nice to watch Germans restore houses, make beer, make coffee and so on.

gtsnexp|2 years ago

How to make (almost) anything: https://cba.mit.edu/classes/index.html

bertil|2 years ago

Similar name, seemingly a lot less talent (intentionally so, IIUC), but awe-inspiring grit: _How To Make Everything_ on YouTube [0] has really hit the nail on the head with having an average man trying to recreate items from scratch.

He’s not that good with his hands, sweats easily, lack coordination and has the natural instinct for measures, roundedness, and flat surfaces of a goat. That makes so many of his attempts that much more credible. He insists (with some exception) on exclusively using tools that he made himself—something he called “The Great Reset”. This means a raggedly thread and an Flintstone-like pen for dimensions. Expectedly, that doesn’t help much.

It’s genuinely so much more valuable for that lack of professional training — although him and his growing team are learning, and getting genuinely good as things go.

He often has the help of a professional using modern tools and the difference with his own attempts is generally very intructive, more than the principle themselves. Can you make a nail from scratch? A professional blacksmith can make somethign really nice; an amateur can try… it will keep two planks together, but not inspire confidence.

Great entertainement value and very worthy reality check: could you make clay pot? You saw an attractive instructor seemlessly whip out something wonderful on TikTok once? Good for you. HTME will give you a more realistic expectation of what you can do on your first five tries: one of them holds most of the water.

Say what you want: after years of grit, they have raggedy but reasonnably useful workshop tools make from absolute scratch.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfIqCzQJXvYj9ssCoHq327g

astaunton|2 years ago

I also like Alex Steele, Colin Furze (back catalog more about making, new stuff on an underground passage / garage).

Im not sure if Ben Heck (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgeStlUnitobx8QcSxTw2aQ) is doing much lately but his back catalog is pretty good (one handed xbox controller, small electronic projects).

Diesel Brothers for trucks / snow mobiles.

robotguy|2 years ago

Furniture restorers, horologists, metal workers, ceramicists, upholsterers and all manner of skilled craftsmen and women have been brought together in one extraordinary space to restore much loved possessions to their former glory.

BBC show but also on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/@TheRepairShop

natdempk|2 years ago

Great question, I'm also interested in this type of content though I know few examples. Since you like PsychOdyssey also check out Double Fine Adventure and the few Amnesia Fortnight series (also on DoubleFine's Youtube channel) if you haven't.

brudgers|2 years ago

Adam Savage’s Tested

drooby|2 years ago

The Beatles: Get Back Documentary