SPY TECH

THISOBJECTWILLSELF-DESTRUCT…

CREATE OBJECTS THAT

MELT INTO USELESSNESS

AT YOUR COMMAND.

M016

BY ANDREW LEWIS

HOT ITEM: Sculpt any shape, add secrets, then activate to liquefy.

You’ve locked the top-secret documents in the safe, but the bad guys burst through the door before you have a chance to leave. What should you do? You could try swallowing the key, but these guys look like they might use a little amateur surgery to retrieve it.

The answer is simple — you calmly hand them the key and start edging your way toward the door. Seconds later, the head bad guy lets out a scream, and you flee the scene, leaving the intruders with a molten heap of plastic that used to be a key.

Photograph by Garry McLeod

OK, so this scenario is a little farfetched, but it does neatly describe a use for this project. A battery, a reed switch, some Constantan wire, Friendly Plastic, and powdered aluminum are all you need to make a self-destructing object.

76 Make: Volume 16