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the tube. Determine where to cut the hole, leaving
room for the battery, wires, and barbed pipe fitting
to be stuffed into this end of the hoop. Using a razor
blade, cut a small hole to set the switch in. Start
small, carving out little bits at a time to make a tight
fit. Press the switch into the hole, running its wires
out the open end of the tube. Secure the switch
with epoxy or hot glue. On the opposite end of the
tube from the switch, thread the rails through the
barbed fitting, and press the fitting into the tube.
5. Connect the battery and close.
a. Wire the battery into the circuit. Solder the positive battery lead to one of the switch leads, and
the negative battery lead to the negative rail that’s
threaded through the fitting at the other end of the
tube. Solder the remaining switch lead to the positive rail to complete the circuit. Before enclosing
the battery and wires, test the switch several times.
b. Push the battery and wires into the hoop. The
fit is tight! Press the open end onto the barbed fitting to seal the hoop. The tube can be reopened to
change the battery by gripping and pulling the ends
apart. Now flip the switch and blaze up that hoop!
Brookelynn Morris is creative, and Nat Wilson-Heckathorn
is a genius. Together they are creative genuises.
H
J
K
Soldering Is So Easy
Solder virgins, never fear! Imagine a soldering iron
as a conductive-metal glue gun. A glue gun uses
heat to melt glue that is sticky and liquid, and cools
quickly. The soldering iron is similar: it’s a heat element that melts the metal solder into small drops
of hot liquid metal. Just press the tip of the iron
against the wires to be soldered to heat them up
for 2– 3 seconds, then touch the solder right onto
the connection and watch it melt, forming a liquid
metal connection. Just as with a glue gun, after the
melted material has been laid on, it quickly cools
and hardens. Be sure to remove the iron and the solder while the drop is still hot, so they don’t stick to
the connection. Apply the solder like a glue gun, but
then brush it like paint: make a smoothing, rubbing
motion with the tip.
Don’t be afraid to try this technique for the first
time. The tools are available for $10, and as with
anything new, practice makes perfect. Feel free
to burn through a foot of solder making practice
drops onto practice joined wires. It’s very satisfying
to watch the metal melt and to see the perfect
soldered connection.
For a great video soldering tutorial, visit
craftzine.com/go/solder.
