I Built a Working Firefly Out of Scrap Metal!

[@6daysago167]

I will be honest, when I read "built a working Firefly" I was excited and expected to see a flying version of this. It is very cool though and looks amazing.

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Yeah I thought about going with “light up” but the title was already quite cluttered - I’ll have to make an upgrade that actually “flys” to make up for it!

[@harishjoshi-wf2xe]

@@zakmiskrycreations yea now you HAVE to do it, haha

[@abdulmunaspamp1591]

This man should be on trending list

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Fingers crossed!

[@ZionNieves-we5vn]

I know right

[@edwardfletcher7790]

​​​​​​​@@zakmiskrycreations I love what you're doing, but PLEASE stop welding right next to a CR2032 lithium battery that if heated could explode and take your fingers off. Also a bad idea to weld while wearing metal rings ☹️ JB Weld 2 part metal glue would be very useful for materials you can't weld. Super glue and small piles of baking soda is Adam Savages best trick for ultra strong, FAST model making. It would help you a LOT ! Motor wreckers could be a good source of aftermarket car stereo speaker grills which always have that beautiful metal mesh. Adding a few layers of lacquer would also help keep your works looking fresh, shiny and rust free for the long term. It would really help with the sheen that invertebrates naturally have. Cheers mate 🍻

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Yeah watching this back I can’t believe I forgot to take the battery out while welding - glad my fingers survived this time round. Also thanks for all the tips! That weld glue sounds like it would be great I’ll have to get my hands on some of it!

[@Justlookitupplease]

​@@edwardfletcher7790it's proper to literally weld the battery terminal strips in many applications using a similar spot welder.

[@J0KE.]

People like you need more recognition

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you! Tbh I’m pretty happy anyone watches my videos!

[@J0KE.]

@@zakmiskrycreationsyour welcome :)

[@J0KE.]

@@zakmiskrycreationsYou should try to build a Hercules beetle next, I think that would be awesome,and a fun project.

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Yeah that would be very cool, there’s so many interesting bugs and insects out there I’d like to make. Praying mantis is next on the list atm!

[@Vivigreeny25]

Close enough, welcome back Ekko Arcane

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Get me some chemtech and I can make it fly

[@Ernzt8]

Not paying your electrical bill exactly on time to catch it on camera was a well planned move. Nice one.

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Really should’ve tried to get it happen mid weld for dramatic effect

[@Ernzt8]

@@zakmiskrycreations You are right, you have let it slide

[@GRamerDim]

timestamp?

[@Ernzt8]

@@GRamerDim @4:56

[@NayaSapphire]

This is super cool! I wanna see more scrappy looking stuff

[@zakmiskrycreations]

More scrappy looking stuff on the way 🫡

[@bennyellis3512]

Dang. The more I watch, the more I am impressed! It looks better than I could have imagined a scrap metal firefly to ever be. 10 out of 10!

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thanks man! I appreciate that

[@carrotlime]

i'm so grateful this landed on my recommended page- this is an absolute delight to watch. incredible art

[@EmptyLupin-e4y]

The steampunk style is One of my favorites and this is like a modern version

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Technopunk 🦾

[@backflipsimmons]

Dr Robotnik’s humble beginnings. Jkjk this is incredible, illuminating even.

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Will be wary of balding and moustache growing

[@albino_pumpkin]

Not only did he make an amazing piece out of scrap, but he's also checking the comments. Also piece of advice, perfect symmetry more often than not is unsettling for many people and rather unnatural so (if it was me) I wouldn't care about having everything perfectly symmetrical. But everyone has their own tastes and preferances. Anyway it's absolutely gorgeous and deserving of a sub, and I can't wait to see more.

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you! And yeah I kinda assume I’ll never manage to get totally totally perfect symmetry, so just try to get as close as possible! But I think in future maybe it would be cool to have them in more lifelike “poses”, where symmetry wouldn’t be as much of an issue!

[@themelancholyofgay3543]

Welding without any gear, dang this guy is the Goat

[@zakmiskrycreations]

If goats get burned a lot yeah 😂

[@grrawesomenessc.8399]

This is so cool!!! Even as an artist myself, I cannot articulate in my mind how you come up with this stuff. I would've assumed this video should have at least 200k views. I hope the algorithm looks fondly upon you!

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you man! This is the best a videos ever done for me so I think I’ve got the algorithm in my corner this time!

[@dafoex]

I like it. Less is a bore, but you also don't want to be cramming, and I think the detail on the thorax you mentioned looks really good and strikes a good balance.

[@dafoex]

Also I lost count at a hundred and eleventeen smileys

[@zakmiskrycreations]

I actually need to count them all myself honestly lost track when I was editing hahah

[@bone7559]

I love it. I love where you placed the battery so it's easy to change. I love that the wings have such a dynamic range of motion. I love the colours you chose for it. The whole thing is so beautiful. It's definitely going to inspire me when I work on my trash pieces. Maybe some day I'll be brave enough to get one of those welders. Or I could just stick to my super glue. Thank you for showing that the process isn't smooth and flawless. I think it helps to mention that art takes time and it isn't just perfect from the beginning with no revisions or do overs needed.

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you for this comment, I really appreciate you taking the time and love the feedback. I started off making these with superglue alone in my bedroom, and it wasn’t until about 8 years later that I was able to get a welder. Love hearing that this video helped inspire you, good luck with your creation!

[@ankitroy3319]

This is what called true art.

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you!

[@cidadaovitoriense]

Watching this video reminded me of the book "Happiness is Useless" by Clóvis de Barros Filho. _By saying that happiness is useless, I am not suggesting that it has no value. That it is bad. That it is not worth pursuing or understanding what it is about. On the contrary. The useless can be good. Being useless can indicate an inestimable preciousness. The supreme good._

[@zakmiskrycreations]

I love that quote, thank you for sharing that man I will be using that

[@jonathonbreitner1334]

I love it, very beautiful. I was shocked to hear your not big on circuits. I'm thinking you need BEAM robotics. Extremely simple old school analog robots that act like bugs. So simple in fact; I made one as a kid that was just a small solar panel, a vibration motor from an electric toothbrush, and the tooth brush's head. Gluing & wiring it up, setting it bristles down, and shinning a bright light at it, sent it flying around the table.

[@hentera2609]

Absolutely brilliant!!! Would love to see the insects displayed in an ecosystem with plants of the same materials!

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Yeah that would be a really cool way to display tj - contrasting the natural and unnatural

[@vinipx01]

From garage to decorative item I love it!

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you!

[@ACOUSTICSSCHOOLOFMUSIC]

Quite the underrated channel, also do make a bike next, with working motor as an engine, it would look good

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thanks man! That sounds like a cool project but might be a bit beyond me at the moment haha

[@ACOUSTICSSCHOOLOFMUSIC]

@@zakmiskrycreations no its gonna be easy, just use a small drone motor and some gears and its gonna move, difficult thing would be to design the body, but ik youll do it

[@theawesomer]

Amazing build. Loved watching how you select the part for your sculptures.

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you! I’m thinking of doing a video on all my parts, maybe crowdsource ideas for builds💡

[@TinyMaths]

problem solving + creative ideas + dad jokes = great content 🤣 Anyway, on a more serious note, this looked like a pretty painstaking process; but, it was so interesting seeing you come up with creative solutions at every obstacle. What an impressive outcome.

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you man, I appreciate it (and thank god someone liked the dad jokes 😂)

[@meg2831]

That is so freaking cool! I gotta learn how to weld stuff. Although even if i do i don't think i could make anything half a awesome.

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Honestly it just takes practice! And for years I just used superglue until I was able to afford a welder

[@gutsman85_86]

​@@zakmiskrycreations could you do a video just focusing on tips for welding?

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Yeah I’ve had a few requests about this, I’ll defo make one at some point on the type of welding I do - I’m not an expert though, everything has been self taught so I want to learn a bit more to make sure it’s accurate and useful

[@kazrielkazoo]

I literally can't state enough how incredible this is, wow. This is such an inspiring avenue of craft and I was captivated the whole way through. What a gorgeous little bug :]

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you! Really glad you liked it

[@Emperor-Pilaf]

A scarab would be a cool build to see with bright colours

[@DWChiver]

Good job youtube algorithm. Nice work looks super cool! Should do a honey bee

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Glad the algorithm brought you here! Next is a praying mantis, but honey bee would be cool!

[@TL_RC]

Beautiful design and a gorgeous art piece!

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you!

[@Blackscreen12345-i]

this is one of the most talented man I have ever seen. Keep up the great work dude!

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you bro! I really appreciate it

[@trstmeimadctr]

He built it from a box of scraps, quite possibly in a cave

[@zakmiskrycreations]

My studio is windowless so not beating the cave allegations anytime soon

[@FinchDaRovo]

​@@zakmiskrycreationsIron man refrence?

[@catbatfishie]

Iron man. Truly.

[@sjiva7061]

So impressive! And so much work. These longer form video's really show how complex abd extensive the work is on your sculptures!

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thanks Ivonne! It’s definitely tricky to find the balance of keeping in all the important info in, without having a 4 hour video haha

[@frogge2579]

This is gorgeous

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thanks so much!

[@7up-is-peak]

Looks amazing, would love to see ur work in a gallery

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thanks! Yeah I’d love to have an exhibition one day, it’s one of my goals for the year

[@samuelzimiwaterson3703]

Thank you so much❤❤❤ Amazing beautiful work🎉😊😊😊

[@BrokenSoul79x]

I have a long standing philosophy regarding dropped objects: they earn a free flight across the room after the fifth drop, and if it's important enough to go pick up then it gets up to five more before being introduced to the largest hammer available. Lmao

[@BrokenSoul79x]

Then whatever it is becomes both less important _and_ less frustrating. 😂

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Hahah I might have to adopt this philosophy, think it would do better than screaming at them 😂

[@pikkoo07]

❤ nice build for real…it was relaxing to watch.

[@samthecreator1282]

This looks amazing

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thanks!

[@pug7163]

thats really cool

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thanks!

[@guy_does_nothing_productive]

at mojang: "zak miskry built this in a home studio! with a bunch of scraps!"

[@zakmiskrycreations]

I will not be responsible for the formation of some sort of villainous “scrap” monger

[@Tiger804]

❤ITS Alive Alive!!! ⚡️very well done he looks beautiful, and well worth the work.

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you!

[@Bleats_Sinodai]

please get solder flux. it'll help for when the solder doesn't want to stick

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Yeah definitely need to brush up on my soldering, will get some flux asap!

[@LaikasFriend]

holy shit dude! this rocks!!

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thanks!

[@jerrybailey5797]

This is some interecately made fire fly creation , nicely done despite the frustration 😉👍

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you!

[@Blued_Vr]

This reminds me of the ai pictures on instagram with boys creating things out of scrap or like pieces of popcorn or something. Lol. Awesome

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thanks man!

[@daddystoned2226]

ive never thought of using a welder like this cool stuff

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thanks!

[@yemarican]

This is sooooo beautiful and super impressive.

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you!

[@Hiraproductionsofficial]

I decided I will search this kind of mind blowing creative work from what I am doing❤❤❤❤ Insect is best sir. Thanks and wating for more vedious like this ❤❤ Love from 🇮🇳

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you sir!

[@crowofill-will2551]

I love insects and you managed to make a very convincing firefly with your talent. Great job man

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you man, I appreciate it 🫡

[@Anittavynn]

Welcome back Jinx

[@benji1162]

This turned out fantastic man. Inspiring me to explore more electronics in my work

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you man!

[@LalitArtwork]

i love your work

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you!

[@jessicabauer9225]

That is an amazing piece !

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you!

[@janellenaumann1570]

This is amazing

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you!

[@FabriceSeverin]

Super le concept de ce luciole et génial, bravo.

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you!

[@awdhut-e2e]

Just small tip while working on thin glass stuff try to work underwater ( not dip your drill underwater just submerge the bulb 1 inch under water ) It helps with dampning the vibrations and resonance which cracks the glass

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Ooh great tip thank you!

[@wingnutbert9685]

@@zakmiskrycreations As well having the working area of the bit under water will reduce heat and reduce glass dust particulate in the air, which can and will get past your mask.

[@veronica5896]

Wow, just wow...

[@zakmiskrycreations]

😊

[@Teadragn]

this is soooo so cool woah

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you!

[@EnvyingCape4883]

I can't think of anything other to say than this is amazing

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you!

[@mouritsen2]

Congratulations. That is really cool.

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you!

[@Hurricanemilton-p4t]

This guy deserves a oscar

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Haha thank you

[@little-hater]

this is fucking incredible!!!!!!!!!! the wings opened up look so realistic. so so so so so beautiful!!!!!

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you!

[@mambo5431]

this is so cool it got me enrolling to a welding bootcamp

[@zakmiskrycreations]

That’s awesome!

[@EdwinHeida]

I adore pieces like this. I'd love to own one of my own honestly. Great work!

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thanks!

[@Kricket2390]

When you solder your components try to make sure you pre tin your soldering iron before you begin. Then get the component connection hot then touch the solder to the hot component connection

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Ooh good advice, thanks for the tip I’ll make sure to do that in future!

[@gumgum2859]

This is really Impressive! I love this!

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thanks!

[@LaserGadgets]

Aaaaaw I was hoping for more chameleon material!! Not saying I am disappointed though!

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Don’t worry that’s next on the chopping block, going to power through the series to get it finished asap!

[@wolfparty4234]

So how many smiling faces were there?

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Big question - you’re the first person to comment about them so I’m not going to give the answer away yet - but I’ll circle back to this comment and let you know when it’s been up for a bit longer ;)

[@LaserGadgets]

@@zakmiskrycreations Damn, almost 150k!!! Congrats man! You really deserve more views!! Hope you have monetized your videos btw. This would be 150$ just for the hits I think.

[@zakmiskrycreations]

I know! It’s doing a lot better than anything Ive put up previously! Luckily managed to hit the monetisation threshold about a week before uploading this (only took 2.5 years lol) so it’s been doing alright!

[@lil_floofer]

THIS IS SO COOL!!!!

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you!

[@Lincman123]

no words could describe how much I luv this.(i rly do alot :D) definitely better than paying your electric bill!

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you!

[@gabrielneves6602]

5:20 when joining positive-negative, try to join them closer to the bulb themselves (careful to not burn them) ad thn cut the excess. This greatly reducse the chance of any shorts that might occur

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thanks for the tip! Will definitely do that in future circuits!

[@aubelle9680]

i actually dont know what i respect more, your beautiful art, incredible attwntion to detail or the fact that you have liked and replied to every single comment. that can’t be easy. amazing work by the way, def getting a sub. although i only counted 3 :) which i doubt is anywhere near correct. fun little side quest regardless. Gonna go binge the rest of your content now. Thanks Zak!

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you for the very kind words, and the way I see it, if someone has taken the time to watch my videos and comment, then a reply is the least I can do! Hope you enjoy the content binge!

[@BeardedSkunk]

Looks great! Nicely done

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Glad you like it!

[@DaveGDesigns]

Mate this is up there as one of my favourites. The form factor is incredible and it’s functional too. You’ve got some crazy skills Zak 👌🏻

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Cheers Dave! I really appreciate it, feel like I pushed the boat out with this one, now just gotta keep upping the game with future builds!

[@samthecreator1282]

I declare a share

[@Artementary]

You make genuinely beautiful work, please keep up your amazing work

[@zakmiskrycreations]

I will! Thank you for the kind words 😊

[@michaellabrador2549]

So cool!

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thanks!

[@Gentleman_Jester]

I love it. I collect random electronic parts too, thinking I was going to make something someday but never sure what. You have inspired me into a direction I hadn't thought of before. Ypu asked for ideas for the next build. I would like to see you make a praying mantis.

[@zakmiskrycreations]

You're not going to believe this but praying mantis is actually what I am making next! Planning out the parts at the moment but want to get it built asap!

[@Gentleman_Jester]

@zakmiskrycreations awesome dude! I can't wait to see what you come up with.

[@EthanTheWerewolf]

I absolutely love projects like this, you did an amazing job!

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you!

[@P-trum]

Great Video!!

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you!

[@lukamic]

For holding everything in place while you weld it, you could try filling the space under its abdomen/legs with a putty/playdough to hold everything in place, then weld it

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Yeah I usually try using some bluetack - think I should just go ahead and use a ton of it instead of being so stingy!

[@yeah.ee.ah.yeaahh]

nice work

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thanks!

[@steelsteed]

This is really amazing hey. Your attention to detail and patience are inspiring. Some ideas for version 2: 1. Use a small microcontroller, e.g. like an atmega328pb or similar as a brain. 2. Control the leds in the tail via gpio pins, so that you can pwm module them, to make a glowing cycle. 3. If you are adventurous, upgrade to rgb leds here, as you have enough gpio to drive them. 4. use some 9g or smaller pico servo motors to control the wings. this will allow you to code the wings to flap, and flap independently of each-other if you use 2 servos. 5. Use lmv324 or similar low power op-amp in-front of the adcs of the mcu, and take the input from the firefly's antennae. This will allow you to turn the antennae into touch senor switches. 6. Use some kind of low profile 4.8v lipo battery to power everything instead of the coin cell. 7. If you are adventurous, use photo-transistors for the eyes, so that he is light sensitive and can react to the shadow of your hand.

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Wow thank you so much for taking the time to give me all this advice. I absolutely love the ideas, (although I think the implementation of a lot of this is beyond me right now). I want to increase the mechanical/electrical aspect of my sculptures, so might have to return to this comment for advice with future builds if you don’t mind!

[@steelsteed]

@@zakmiskrycreations sure thing. Feel free to reach out when you are ready.

[@maartjevancaspel]

Love it! 💖

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you 😊

[@pwn.d]

dang this is sick... I think you can also DIY ball joint to make the head articulated

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Ball joint would be really cool, gotta try that in some future ones

[@davidbandler]

11:00 Epoxy and rubber coatings can be great lubricants against metal tools. Try dipping the tip of your forceps in paraffin or another sticky wax next time. You'll struggle less.

[@zakmiskrycreations]

This tip is going to be the one that saves my sanity I can’t tell you how often I’m fiddling over the little components 😂

[@Badr.Din.]

Really cool wow love it

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you!

[@johnhavel7685]

That is one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a long time. Nice work man

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you bro!

[@Lare_6000]

My new dream job

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Love that

[@MeIsZwi]

You deserve more likes!!!

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you!

[@Iqbalplayz9]

Make it fly like a drone please ❤❤❤❤

[@zakmiskrycreations]

That’s the plan one day!

[@__carbon__]

This is so cool

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you 😊

[@Loloany]

I would be looking at this lil fella for HOURS The results are so beautiful! And it really looks like a firefly I already knew your chanel by the Dragon-fly video, and im happy the youtube recommended me this video too❤

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Hahah thank you! And yeah can’t lie I have spent aaages staring at this one, sometimes I finish a piece and immediately can’t figure out how I actually managed to make it 😂

[@CaptainPhantom93]

I just got excited, so I decided to comment haha. The details you added to the back, are called "chevrons" in the factory where they're made haha. I used to make them, and they're a pain to get right 🤣

[@zakmiskrycreations]

That’s so cool haha, they’re amazing parts so I try to save them for pieces that deserve them, think I’ve got about 20 or so left!

[@presquelt]

Super cool. I'm gonna steal your ideas.

[@zakmiskrycreations]

I'm on the phone to the police as we speak!!

[@JoeCoup1]

this is really cool :)

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thank you!

[@AndrusLei]

Love it!

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thanks!!

[@wolfparty4234]

Maaan!! I’ve always love watching people make really cool things out of nothing 💪🏼 I love the light and switch. Maybe next time you can make the head move by using a small 🧲 to a small ball bearing. Idk, just thinking!😂 How about a Bald Eagle next with its wings opened really wide!!!

[@zakmiskrycreations]

The magnet head is a really clever idea, would make different positioning way easier - might have to steal that one haha

[@wolfparty4234]

@ no, no, no… go right ahead!! It’s all yours my friend!

[@qwunty735]

As far as handling small parts, an artist friend of mine uses wee blobs of blu-tak when the tweezers are too fiddly.

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Yeah that would’ve been very sensible hahah, will definitely try that next time

[@qwunty735]

@ glad to be of help

[@Moistfersure]

I'll take three, but with some copper added

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Copper would’ve defo been a good inclusion for the colours

[@amusingkiwi9586]

I love fireflies, this is so cool

[@zakmiskrycreations]

Thanks!

[@Chef_PC]

Could you use a high temp hot glue and toothpicks or balsa to build a frame to position the legs in a jig of some sort? Do the parts get hot enough from the spot welder to melt and detach the hot glue?

[@zakmiskrycreations]

This would probably work but I think it could still make it difficult to get the angles right, and it might take as long making the jig as it would just trying to weld. I think ideally what I could do with is one of those welder third hands so I can clamp bits in place maybe