The Macgyver thread

[runnah]

Share your best spur of the moment Macgyver style fixes.

Mine: I bodged together a makeshift reflector out of a white plastic trash bag and a hula hoop from Walmart. Worked surprisingly well.

Cost: $5.

 

[Thayli]

Lots and lots.

Reflectors of plywood and tinfoil, light wall of pvc tubing and bed sheets, softboxs of tin foil and balsawood and shower curtain, beauty dish from work light and tin foil, wooden tripod/manipulators (one of which fell over and destroyed itself and lightwall) and grids made of straws.

Luckily dont use any of it any more, but for six months my shed was like the A-team locked in a barn the day before I did photos. My wife pointed out I was only interested in photography just to see how my creations worked out.

 

[Derrel]

Well...last month I had kind of a sinus cold...I could not smell things very well. One day I went to pick my son up after school, and through my plugged up nose, I got a really strong whiff of "exhaust fume smell". Huh...must be the exhaust smell from that A-hole neighbor's noisy, souped-up lifted ginormous 4x4 pick-up truck which just pulled out 5 seconds before me, I thought to myself.

I drove to pick him up. When he got into the car and I started the engine he said, "Dad, the car REALLY smells like gas!" I was wondering what the heck...then I remembered...a couple days before, I had topped off the engine oil...I wondered if I might have forgotten to replace the oil filler's screw-in cap, so I got out, popped the hood, and lifted the hood. I was greeted by the sight of oil....lots of oil...vaporized,misty oil...I had indeed, forgotten to replace the oil filler cap, which was simply...gone!

"Doggone it! I am such a silly goose!" I said [highly sanitized recounting here,folks.]

I looked through the car, which I had thoroughly cleaned out...right before I topped up the windshield squirter fluid, and engine oil...I had squat to plug the hole with....hmmm...I thought for a second...I had stopped at the grocery store before picking my son up, and had bought some groceries--and among them was a 10 pound bag of potatoes which I had deliberately selected for some small-diameter spuds so we could make curly fries out of them. I popped the back hatch, and picked out a couple potatoes, and went up to the engine, and threaded one of the potatoes into the open oil filler hole. The very firm potato "bit" quite nicely, and threaded right in and fit tightly! I closed the hood, and we drove 18 miles to the nearest auto parts store, where I bought a new oil filler cap, and snapped a couple iPhone snaps of my McGyverism!!!

 

[bc_steve]

I drove to pick him up. When he got into the car and I started the engine he said, "Dad, the car REALLY smells like gas!" I was wondering what the heck...then I remembered...a couple days before, I had topped off the engine oil...I wondered if I might have forgotten to replace the oil filler's screw-in cap, so I got out, popped the hood, and lifted the hood. I was greeted by the sight of oil....lots of oil...vaporized,misty oil...I had indeed, forgotten to replace the oil filler cap, which was simply...gone!

"Doggone it! I am such a silly goose!" I said [highly sanitized recounting here,folks.]

If it makes you feel any smarter, I've done that too. I was fortunate enough to have left my cap on the frame under the hood and it was still there, and it was good thing because I didn't have any potatoes!

 

[TATTRAT]

Potatoes: Also great for taking out light bulbs that have broke while still in the fixture.

Also, in worst case scenarios, pantyhose work well as an alternator belt to get you to the next service station (or parts store). . .if you have an old car, or something without a serpentine belt.

I have a lot more McGuyver fixes for things other than photography, unfortunately.


OH! A beverage napkin can make for an ok diffuser to soften things up in a pinch when shooting in a bar!

 

[Garbz]

I went to a night-time photoshoot once, a nice 3 hour drive to get there at midnight and when I got there.... no cable release.

No matter bulb mode was still useful, but to get the 5 minute exposures I was after I put a little balled up piece of paper on the shutter and secured it down with a rubber band. Perfect photo.

 

[Michael79]

Well...last month I had kind of a sinus cold...I could not smell things very well. One day I went to pick my son up after school, and through my plugged up nose, I got a really strong whiff of "exhaust fume smell". Huh...must be the exhaust smell from that A-hole neighbor's noisy, souped-up lifted ginormous 4x4 pick-up truck which just pulled out 5 seconds before me, I thought to myself.

I drove to pick him up. When he got into the car and I started the engine he said, "Dad, the car REALLY smells like gas!" I was wondering what the heck...then I remembered...a couple days before, I had topped off the engine oil...I wondered if I might have forgotten to replace the oil filler's screw-in cap, so I got out, popped the hood, and lifted the hood. I was greeted by the sight of oil....lots of oil...vaporized,misty oil...I had indeed, forgotten to replace the oil filler cap, which was simply...gone!

"Doggone it! I am such a silly goose!" I said [highly sanitized recounting here,folks.]

I looked through the car, which I had thoroughly cleaned out...right before I topped up the windshield squirter fluid, and engine oil...I had squat to plug the hole with....hmmm...I thought for a second...I had stopped at the grocery store before picking my son up, and had bought some groceries--and among them was a 10 pound bag of potatoes which I had deliberately selected for some small-diameter spuds so we could make curly fries out of them. I popped the back hatch, and picked out a couple potatoes, and went up to the engine, and threaded one of the potatoes into the open oil filler hole. The very firm potato "bit" quite nicely, and threaded right in and fit tightly! I closed the hood, and we drove 18 miles to the nearest auto parts store, where I bought a new oil filler cap, and snapped a couple iPhone snaps of my McGyverism!!!

View attachment 41041View attachment 41042

If you would've gone another 25 miles you might of had a fresh baked potato.

 

[amolitor]

My light stand is a CD rack, and my softbox is made out of cardboard:



It's not technically a spur of the moment, but the overall design contains several spur of the moment elements. Note the CD case shelving, and the string with trucker's hitch for adjustability, for instance. The use of the CD rack itself was a spur of the moment "that's tall and stable -- sort of" decision.

 

[runnah]

My light stand is a CD rack, and my softbox is made out of cardboard:

View attachment 41058

It's not technically a spur of the moment, but the overall design contains several spur of the moment elements. Note the CD case shelving, and the string with trucker's hitch for adjustability, for instance. The use of the CD rack itself was a spur of the moment "that's tall and stable -- sort of" decision.

Winner so far.

 

[amolitor]

I AM the hillbilly tog!

Next, I will show you how to make a still out of a broken View Graphic and a couple of film holders.

 

[480sparky38 38]

Needed another 30" to the top end of my tripod:

Remove camera & head, install a 30½" piece of 3/8" allthread with a coupler/nut jammed together on the bottom end and a nut near the top.

Slide a 30" piece of 1" PVC over it.

TaDa! Another 30" added to tripod!

Granted, it's not exactly rock solid, but what I needed it for it works like a charm!

 

[Designer]

.. a hula hoop from Walmart. Cost: $5.

MacGyver would not have actually BOUGHT a hula hoop.

But I like the idea.

 

[runnah]

.. a hula hoop from Walmart. Cost: $5.

MacGyver would not have actually BOUGHT a hula hoop.

But I like the idea.

I was not near any bamboo groves other wise I would have fashioned a octogon soft box.

 

[JPmkV]

Love the idea of this thread! Looking forward to seeing a lot of cool DIY projects! :thumbup:

I hope this qualifies... Just took a piece of heavy gauge paper and an exacto knife.

And this was the result

 

[Josh66]

Also, in worst case scenarios, pantyhose work well as an alternator belt to get you to the next service station (or parts store). . .if you have an old car, or something without a serpentine belt.

I've always done my own maintenance, so whenever I changed a belt I would just put the old belt in the trunk.


I've made a lot of reflectors, snoots, stuff like that, honeycomb grid even (using phenolic honeycomb) - but nothing real exotic.

I usually have enough material, hardware, and tools on hand to make damn near anything I need...