In a fusion of scrapyard elegance and Aussie ingenuity, [Mark Makies] has given a piece of old steel a steamy second life with his ‘CastAway Tub’. Call it a bush mechanic’s fever dream turned functional sculpture, starring two vintage LandCruiser leaf springs, and a rust-hugged cast iron tub dug up after 20 years in hiding. And put your welding goggles on, because this one is equal parts brute force and artisan flair.
What makes this hack so bold is, first of all, the reuse of unforgiving spring steel. Leaf springs, notoriously temperamental to weld, are tamed here with oxy-LPG preheating, avoiding thermal shock like a pro. The tub sits proudly atop a custom-welded frame shaped from dismantled spring packs, with each leaf ground, clamped, torched, and welded into a steampunk sled base. The whole thing looks like it might outrun a dune buggy – and possibly bathe you while it’s at it. It’s a masterclass in metalwork with zero CAD, all intuition, and a grinder that’s seen things.
Inspired? For those with a secret love for hot water and hot steel, this build is a blueprint for turning bush junk into backyard art. Read up on the full build at Instructables.
☠️ Definitely not safe
🍺 Dubiously inspired
🚫 Not recommended
🛷 Not steerable
⚠️ Probably illegal
Which makes it perfect.
👍 Fun and legal and safe enough
These points only apply if your feeling bold and reckless, have a steep paddock, questionable judgement and have decided to follow step 13 on Instructables to convert from bath to sled.
https://www.instructables.com/CastAway-Tub/
All maker projects should adopt that warning label schema.
Looking forward to seeing the Step 13 edition!
French kiss
It’s neat.
But is pure art a HaD subject?
Is the “hack” that they preheated the spring steel before welding?
They need to just start permabanning this comment
From the thumbnail I thought it was a bathtub mounted on rusty Strandbeest legs.
A work in progress for certain. No visible plumbing. I suppose you could to fill it with a garden hose then build a fire underneath to warm the water. Mind your step on exit for hot coals.
Add an old vibrating diesel and it might scuttle around, like a bristle bot
I’ve never wanted to like a comment so bad.
That’s along the lines of what I was expecting. Then I realized that it, sadly, just sits there.