Introduction: Aboriginal Instrument Spy Tool

About: My favorite quotation is: “All you need in order to accomplish something great is a good idea and not quite enough money.” – Anon I live by that theme, and the ideas just keep coming.

Here's a great activity for Dads and kids this summer: make a simple PVC didgeridoo then turn it into an instrument of espionage. The key to making a didgeridoo spy tool is to use it as a way to avoid suspicion and get places you wouldn't be able to get into wearing a suit or cloak. Then, when you need special tools or spy gadgets, you can get them from your secret stash inside the didgeridoo!

What You Will Need:

4-foot long piece of 2" PVC pipe
Bee's wax
Rare earth magnets
Hot glue and glue gun
Paint and/or permanent markers
Propane torch
Various small spy instruments that can fit inside the PVC pipe

Step 1: PVC Didgeridoo

To make a didgeridoo, cut a 3 1/2 to 4 foot length of 2" PVC pipe (I used 1 3/4" pipe for this instructable, but you can get a better and deeper drone out of a larger diameter pipe).
Heat the PVC pipe IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA with a propane torch and bend or twist the pipe in several places.
Make a mouthpiece by softening some beeswax. I used a microwave to soften my beeswax, cutting up the wax into small chunks and  microwaving it on high for about 20 seconds at a time until soft enough to mold. Warning: wax will go from solid to liquid in an instant, so only microwave it in small time increments, checking each time for softness.
Once the wax is soft enough, mold into a doughnut shape and cover one end of the PVC pipe with it. Make the center hole small--though how small depends on the mouth blowing into it. I have a small mouth, and my mouthpiece has to be about the size of a quarter, but oblong (not perfectly round).
Paint your didgeridoo with bright colors and aboriginal designs.

Note: there are other ways to heat and bend PVC pipe which I haven't tried. 

Step 2: Aboriginal Instrument Turned Spy Tool

To turn your didgeridoo into a spy tool, just glue a bunch of super magnets inside the pipe, then toss gadgets or tools up the pipe for later "retrieval."
I used hot glue to glue my magnets to the inside of the didgeridoo.

Step 3: How to Use a Didgeridoo Spy Tool

Of course, no one is going to let you pass a security check with a didgeridoo unless you can prove you have been hired to play it, and for that you have to prove you can play it well. The key to getting a good drone out of a didgeridoo is to blow LESS, not MORE into the mouthpiece. So practice, practice, practice, until you get a good booming drone out the other end. Then practice circular breathing until you have it down smoothly, and you are ready for aboriginal-style espionage!


Other ideas for using the didgeridoo for espionage: add mirrors top and bottom and use it to spy around corners or over walls, or use it to vault over spiky fences.
Any other ideas welcome.

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