Why I want to hang with Chris Hackett

Have you ever wanted to make your own crossbow? Do you know how make a welding rig from old car batteries? Have you ever tried to build a man powered bicycle generator? Well Chris Hackett does this sort of stuff. He's an artist, a hacker, and fabricator. His projects are built from junk. He's the sort of guy who looks at a junkyard and sees a goldmine.

I first learned of this man after reading a facebook post about his junkyard crossbow. I followed the links and came to his Popular Science entry and video about making the crossbow. This video inspired me to search out more of his projects. I soon discovered a pneumatic battery gun and a video about a metal forge. I even found a video where he dumpster dives food. Something that some people (not myself) find horrifying.

By picking the bones of discarded household appliances, he scavenges pipes, sheets of metal, and even functioning motors for his creations. Scoffing at safety precautions and sometimes common sense itself, Some of his projects are of the 'because I can' sort of thinking. For example, he builds a four barreled potato gun in order to shred potatoes into fries. He even goes so far as to use thermite for cooking, or burning rather, hamburger. Although borderline fanciful, his essential message is that we can find everything we need if only we are resourceful enough. His outside-the-box style of thinking is exactly what our society needs and thrives on.

Hackett seems perfectly at home in the junkyard wearing the same dirty black pants and shirt every day. Hackett is the sort of person who would thrive in situations where most would suffer. In fact he mentions these projects in terms of post-apocalyptic survival.

I would like to see his opinions on essential tools. That is, as any woodsman worth his salt can create whatever he needs with only an ax. A fabricator such as Hackett seems to require a few more specialized tools. I'd like to hear his opinions on just this. Maybe Sometime I'll get to ask him myself.