The Minimum Toolbox

You don't need a fully equipped workshop to start. You need a screwdriver, some pliers, and the refusal to throw anything away.

Every build in this repo lists its specific tools under the build steps. But there's a core set of tools that shows up again and again — the foundation that makes everything else possible. This guide is organized by budget tier. Start where you are. Upgrade as you go. Half the fun is building your toolbox from salvaged parts anyway.

What Each Tier Unlocks

flowchart LR
    T0["🔧 $0 — Scrounged"]:::green --> B0["Teardowns\nSimple Chemistry\nArt Projects"]
    T1["⚡ $50 — Starter"]:::blue --> B1["Pi & Arduino\nPython Projects\nLED Builds\nBeginner Pyro"]
    T2["🔥 $150 — Serious"]:::yellow --> B2["Tesla Coils\nMetal Fabrication\nAdvanced Pyro\nSignal Debugging"]
    T3["💀 $300+ — Full Shop"]:::red --> B3["Rail Gun\nDesktop Foundry\nCNC Machines\nBig Builds"]

    T0 --> T1 --> T2 --> T3

    classDef green fill:#22c55e,color:#fff,stroke:#16a34a
    classDef blue fill:#3b82f6,color:#fff,stroke:#2563eb
    classDef yellow fill:#eab308,color:#000,stroke:#ca8a04
    classDef red fill:#ef4444,color:#fff,stroke:#dc2626

$0 — Borrowed / Scrounged

You can do a surprising number of builds with tools you already have, borrow from a friend, or salvage from the same junk pile as your ingredients.

What these unlock: Every appliance teardown. Basic mechanical builds like #184 Chain Fountain, #058 HDD Platter Wind Chimes, and #068 Ram Stick Ruler. Simple chemistry builds like #101 Colored Fire and #213 Density Tower. Art projects like #059 CPU Resin Jewelry and #060 GPU Wall Art.

Where to scrounge tools for free:

• Garage sales and estate sales often have tools for $1-5 each
• Buy Nothing groups on Facebook — people give away duplicate tools constantly
• Ask family/friends — most people own tools they haven't touched in years
• Habitat for Humanity ReStore — sometimes has tools in the miscellaneous bins
• Library of Things — some public libraries lend tools. Seriously.

$50 — Starter Kit

This is the investment that unlocks the majority of builds in the repo. At $50, you own a real toolkit that covers electronics, assembly, and basic fabrication.

Total: ~$50

What this unlocks: Every beginner build. Most intermediate builds. All appliance teardowns. Specifically: the entire Pi & Arduino and Python Projects categories (electronics assembly + soldering), #198 Homopolar Motor, #187 Ball Bearing Motor, #042 Grape Plasma, #067 Laptop Battery Power Bank, #122 LED Cube 8x8x8, #127 Auto Plant Watering, and dozens more.

$150 — Serious Builder

At this level, you can tackle advanced builds, debug problems that would have stumped you before, and work with metal, not just wire and plastic.

Total: ~$150 (cumulative with Starter Kit)

What this unlocks: All intermediate builds, most advanced builds. Metal fabrication projects. Signal debugging. Component-level salvage from circuit boards. Specifically: #033 Musical Tesla Coil, #034 Jacob's Ladder, #005 Desktop Foundry, #088 Electric Skateboard, #156 Electroplating Station, #182 Stirling Engine, and the entire Functional Machines category.

$300+ — Full Workshop

This is the endgame tier. At this level, your workshop can produce almost anything — metal, plastic, circuit boards, 3D-printed parts, and precision mechanical assemblies.

Total: ~$300-500 (cumulative with previous tiers)

What this unlocks: Every build in the repo, including the endgame builds like #036 Rail Gun, #200 DIY Electron Microscope, #181 Musical Marble Machine, #046 Ferrofluid Mirror, #024 Electric Go-Kart, #185 Trebuchet, and every build in the Big Builds category.

Tools You Can Build from This Repo

Why buy it when you can build it from junk?

The ultimate flex: building the tools to build the tools. Start with a screwdriver and a free microwave. End with a full machine shop.

Safety Gear (Not Optional)

These aren't tools — they're the reason you keep all your fingers and both eyes. Budget $20-30 for safety gear before you spend a cent on anything else.

The One Tool Rule

If you could only have one tool beyond basic screwdrivers and pliers, get a multimeter. Seriously.

A multimeter lets you:

• Verify a capacitor is discharged before you touch it (this is a life-or-death measurement for MOT capacitors)
• Test salvaged components to see if they're dead or alive
• Measure battery voltage to know if those 18650 cells are worth keeping
• Check continuity to find broken connections
• Measure resistance to identify unknown components
• Verify your power supply is outputting what you think it is

Everything else can be improvised, borrowed, or built. But you cannot improvise a multimeter.

Build the toolbox as you build the projects. Every build teaches you which tool you wish you had — and that's when you go find it in a junk pile.