Adam Savage’s Post-Death Plan for His Shop and Collections
Does Adam Savage plan to use any of the materials he inherited from ILM’s former model shop? What’s Adam’s end-of-life plan for …
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March 21, 2026
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"Harmony in Every Heartbeat
Does Adam Savage plan to use any of the materials he inherited from ILM’s former model shop? What’s Adam’s end-of-life plan for …
source
With thanks to Tested members Michael Spalsbury, Eric Beatty, Karl Gallagher, Michael Schnell, Ken French, DFriendly and Andrew Montgomery for their questions and support. Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks such as asking Adam questions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiDJtJKMICpb9B1qf7qjEOA/join
Tour of Adam Savage's Shop (2024): https://youtu.be/j8LqMv416mw
Tour of Adam Savage's Shop (2014): https://youtu.be/l9AqYaSRjw0
How to Transform a (Very) Crowded Workshop: https://youtu.be/6GWQBpvdC0c
Adam Savage's One Day Builds: Flat File Tool Storage Cabinet: https://youtu.be/XA55CGj4FiU
An Interview With Former Star Wars Modeler Lorne Peterson: https://youtu.be/_WP5MKWGCrs
The Iconic Sounds of Star Wars: https://youtu.be/KAg4wySzgUg
LAST LOOK Inside the Former ILM Production Studio: https://youtu.be/QAZKWMei8gg
Give it to the gubberment
My wife and daughter's will curse me if I have not dispersed with the bulk of my treasures before I die
I give stuff away..
Adam if you have a sale pleeeeaaase let me know!!!
Yeah man, to anyone who hasnt experienced the rush of selfless generosity you are missing out.
I dont mean charity or giving away money.
I mean looking at something valuable in your garage that, honestly, youll probably never use again.
Then instead of posting it on marketplace and hagling with strangers over 5% for a week(maybe the worst possible use of your life)…
Just post it on your local community page and say come get it. Or ask a neighbor if they need it and just… give it to them.
It is one of the most satisfying things in life to give away something that is needed and will be used and loved.
So next time your about to try to make a buck, just give it away. Its like a warm hug for your soul.
“hopefully, before i die” absolutely. imagining an 88-year-old adam visiting a vigorously attended Savage Lab maker space full of ten to sixty year-olds creating physical versions of their specific “point of view” and excitedly asking about each person’s contrivance makes me feel five of the ten best feels one can have.
You didn't make 700 dollars
You recovered 700 dollars
Or you reassigned 700 dollars
Of stuff .😅
Cause it's probably already spent by now .😂
The cave is heaven. And heaven is half a world away and therefore thoroughly inaccessible.
4:25 Detritus
Detritus refers to waste or debris of any kind, often organic matter, such as decaying plant or animal material, or fragmented remains left behind in an environment. It can also describe loose material worn away from rocks or other surfaces through erosion or weathering. In a broader sense, detritus can refer to any disintegrated or leftover material, whether natural or man-made.
I appreciate your thoughts on passing things on I have been gifted lots of things or even estate sales. I have a hard time passing things on but if a friend asked to barrow a tool or how to do something I'd do that. Sure a lot of things could be replaced but I have a good assortment of things that are quite handy but nobody makes anything like anymore. I don't know what would happen to my stuff one day, I would hope that if I had kids one day they would have interest in similar things to do things like I do.
I took a TIG welding class last spring after got a cheap machine on a demo thing. It is really neat what you can do with TIG can weld near any metal even autogenous welds. It is kind of slow and tedious though. I found Pacific Arc TIG welding on youtube has a lot of cool videos.
I think if given the choice of welding process from most liked to do Dual shield flux core>MIG>Stick>TIG>flux core.
@ThisOldTony 11:30 So I'm not the only one…
That's an interesting point about selling things cheaply so that they will move. I did the same thing as a Toy Vendor last June and it worked out well.
A tool is nothing without a pair of practiced hands. If a museum is a store of ancient knowledge, should it not also store ancient traditions and practices?
do you have a couple of pairs of channel locks I'm always needing them… lol!
I live in Texas 30 minutes from the gulf coast. I am sure much like your location! Any hints on controlling rust??? Drill bits screws ails etc, Even tools? Much more electronics like lathes and large drill stations ?
This community needs to get together and move him out of cali to a state that is more likely to love a maker of his statis
Would be really cool to turn it into a nonprofit community space where anyone could reserve the shop for free!
Any 10mm sockets? 😂
I'm not a tested member so I dont know if this question will be seen, but do/did you use your build experience to make any crazy things for your kids?
AVP 👽
I'd say …the newest Gen/ but/ / still here / but / i bet /
I think this concept is important for any maker with a significant shop. There is something also to be said for the people inheriting it to pass on to other makers after breaking it up- but something like Adam's shop should be an institution and should be like a phd artist in residency workshop and rotate makers.
That shop should be part of some university or maker community.
I plan on selling my home in a few months and while I don't have quite the collection of tools, niks and naks it did take 3 years to accumulate. I have always intended to have just that type of garage sale if not an estate sale……….I just want this stuff gone
Thank you, Mr. Savage for this tale of ante-Adam planning.
you could find a young maker to gift it to maybe one without family money
When Dad got sick and almost died then, ended up in a coma, then a nursing home environment, I had no plan nor had Dad made a plan. Dad had tools electronics and test equipment, ham radio gear and a big house in west Phoenix. I hate Phoenix but Loved Dad. Dad thought his DNR and simple Will was sufficient; it was not! Make a Will, keep it on file at a Lawyer then when you start to realize you are getting older reduce the burden Before YOU DIE! Your stuff, your house, your huge collection of things may not hold value when it all becomes a burden. Dad made it to 92, he spent the last 3 1/2 years of his Life unable to control anything. I loved Dad and still do, I am a Ham, his friends were not of any help at all. Make a plan and do Not expect your wishes to be honored when you are gone; it may all go to the dump.
Hey Adam, Can I swing by and borrow some stuff?
Adem to be fair, I've seen your seams when your sewing, and you're very pleased with them. But when i look at them (as a professional) they do the job, but they are far from pretty.
When it comes to welding, i have diploma, internal recognized, that says i can tig weld 2 pieces of metal together, a d make it look pretty good too 😅. However if i compare them with a pro welder, they look awful, 2x as bad when i mig weld.
But it does the job, and when i up the grinder to it, my best welds are ok. When i pain over them, they even look great 😉.
As long as it work works, it's great
Find any 10mm sockets?
Did Adam work at ILM? I had no idea. He should try to mention that in every video because it's so interesting and impresses people. So does using words like "vitrines."
Tigs give off a LOT of heat tho and a LOT of brightness. You trade sparks for other stuff….. I always felt like i was being punished when they sent me to do tig work.
My grandfather passed away in 2007. Cancer for a third time. We, the family, didn't get to go through his full garage until our grandmother was end of life. In a way, I wish he'd been around and alive for us to go through things. I didn't take to many tools or things as I live hours away from their home. What I did take were things of note to me and things that the rest of the men in the family didn't want. His initials were on almost all of his tools. The man must have gone through a dozen engravers over the years to do this.
Letting things go for a song, I like that for you. It's witty. If I had to to do the same for me, It would be writing your favorite movie on one wall in the shop.
1:59 Kinda not ready to think of a world without Adam Savage.
Although as suddenly as Grant went… it's important. 😕
I laughed at the part about TIG welding. Every single welding video online is full of angry welders trashing it. I finally decided it has something to do with the fumes, à la the lead-crime hypothesis. Welders brains have been made angsty by something in the fumes, to the point they cannot enjoy, nor fail to find fault in literally anything, no matter how amazing. I'm convinced.
How do I get on your garage sale mailing list?
I love buying old automotive specialty tools to fix my old automobiles. It feels like they get to stretch their legs again. And then I finally understand what tool J4172 is in the service manual haha
One of my most profound learning experiences from this channel is using a space for all of my needs.
I grew up an automotive mechanic; a shop was designed around that.
I became a hobbyist woodworker, prop maker, child’s toy repair person, electrician…etc and I realized I needed the space to work for all of my needs. This is why your information of your experience is so useful.
The way you slice your own private pie is infinitesimally useful due to the fact you are the Swiss Army knife of trades.
I’m not sure how useful one “like” is to a video that has this vast of a viewership, but I’m smashing lithe button as soon as Adam said “I want this hardware store available to my community”…says a guy who is doing well financially, but has the main goal of the craft, not the making of money. Love you Adam.