Info and updates of stuff

Found some links on Hack-A-Day,
This post:
http://www.hackaday.com/entry/1234000770073565/
linked to this page on de/re soldering a FireWire chip on a Dell laptop:
http://www.hhhh.org/~joeboy/past_projects/wcl_project_oxcart/wcl_project_oxcart.html
and the guy also has some cool pages on his site:
http://www.hhhh.org/~joeboy/past_projects/foundries/foundries.html
I am now considering building my own mini-foundry to cast parts to fix various comuters with snapped metal pieces (laptop hinges in particular). I work on chimneys as my day job, so refractory cement (Alsey Airset Refractory mortar, though Castable fire cement would be great for forming a forge and custom crucibles), perlite (which I hear is no longer made, look for similar products from the place that bought the company like Zonolite) and the pricipals of fire with proper heating and ventilation aren't foreign to me. Wink

Also linked on the HAD page is building your own air pencil (de)soldering tool with cheap parts:
http://www.gideontech.com/content/articles/297/1

This is starting to look like the links page that Dan K has. Smile

Addition 14 March 2006
And this HAD article:
http://www.hackaday.com/entry/1234000183073587/
has a link to a little better design:
http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/07/how-to-make-a-surface-mount-soldering-iron/

Addition 29 March 2006
For a Google search realating to this AF thread about batteries and spot welding I found:
http://life.firelace.com/archives/tips_and_tricks/index.php which is a page of tips and info
Which pointed to a DIY spot welder: http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2005/06/doityourself_sp.html
And a DIY CNC mill project: http://www.fullnet.com/u/tomg/gooteecn.htm

Further, make a spot welder from a soldering gun?
http://repairfaq.ece.drexel.edu/sam/aapsfaq.htm#adpssol
More battery welding posts: http://www.oupower.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=3951&sid=b1b88461c499b961d4cd690a1193c6a4