Adam Savage's Post-Death Plan for His Shop and Collections

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: 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

Speaking as someone who was a TIG welder for years before finding my true calling, Please please please create a seperate welding area with a good ventilating fan, block walls, concrete floor, metal door, and a ceiling that won't burn. And, most importantly, get a really loud low-oxygen alarm. I walked into a room that had an Argon leak, and passed out in seconds. There was no feeling of not being able to breathe, either; that is caused by too much CO2 - the human body doesn't have a sensor for too little O2. If I had been alone or with someone stupid enough to follow me in instead of using the rescue stick, I would be dead. That reminds me; also get a long "sheepherd's crook" rescue stick with a hook that can pull a body out of a room.

My neighbor, who is 81, today came around and told me that he was giving away a bunch of tools. Drills saws some hand planes and other things. He was lovely enough to ask if I wanted them first. We had a long conversation about how hard it is to close out that part of your life and the general acceptance that comes with that. I will forever be grateful for his generosity... and his Disston No.1 saw vice.

Mr. Savage I just gave my luthier shop to my apprentice when I was diagnosed with emphysema. It was the best way to continue all the years of work and techniques I developed. My family would just sale it all. I love watching your work.

Not gonna lie, when the end of life plan came up I got choked up for a second. So many people have said this but when I was a little kid growing up mythbusters was one of my all time favorite shows to watch and then when I discovered your channel a few years ago it was amazing to see all the things you do and how you keep inspiring people to be creative and learn. Now that you’re getting older the reality of you being gone someday is finally setting in and I just wanted to say thank you 🙏 you’re not just an icon in the movie industry but you are also a beloved part of so many peoples childhoods and adult lives as well and that’s a legacy that I know will carry on even after you’re gone from this world brother ❤️ ✌️

You’re so humble, but as a near-lifetime fan, I am POSITIVE much of your shop will be turned into a bonafide museum. Let the tools out the cases by all means, but at least save some of your one-off projects and the general layout. Being able to visit your space and get a glimpse inside your mind would be an honor beyond compare.

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.

I'm part of a Tool Library that received a generous donation of one man's workshop. We're talking SawStop, drill presses, planer, bandsaws, and many small power tools and hand tools. What's even better, he taught several of us how to use and maintain the machines.

People wont know how crazy I am until I die. Most of my things are cataloged for insurance, and I've had a contingency e-mail that I pause from going out every month in case I die with my will and goodbyes that I update once in a while. I've had an end of life plan since I was like 14. I had several surgeries at a young age that had high probability of death so I guess I just came to terms with it at a really young age and have always planned for it. I don't wanna die at all, but if I do I know I've taken care of a number of things so many other people are afraid to even think about. I have helped a few other friends with this kind of planning and it's really rewarding to me.

Oh my god. Adams shop turning into a public maker space (after he is done with it) would be incredible. The inspiration and just emotion of being there would be an incredible place to work.

Imagine stumbling upon Adam's garage sale. The gems to be had!!

One of the most liberating times of my life was after I retired. A few years after really. I decided to sell my house in San Francisco and RV full time. I was putting stuff on craiges list and figured I'd sell it all and throw away what wasn't wanted while the house was being listed and shown. It sold the weekend it was first shown. Seeing how slowly things were going that I was listing. my leisurely plan to sell everything was ended. I started giving stuff away. That wasn't going to work either. I did have a 30 day exit after the sale clause in the contract so that's all the time I had and it got down to 2 weeks left and a crap load of stuff still in the house. One visit was a guy with a pick up truck that came to get some single item and it dawned on me, "Hey, do you want..." and I loaded him up with evrmerything he'd need to finish a house. I emptied the house in that 2 weeks. Oddly enough I gave away stuff I'd bought and sold stuff I'd gotten for free. Junk I'd put on the curb for trash pick up, people asked what I would take for it. It made the whole process fun. I unloaded 3000 sqdt of stuff in that 2 weeks and the last thing I sold I sold at a massive discount and it was picked up the day before my deadline. Getting rid of stuff is a good feeling. I didn't really end up throwing much away. I did spend almost a week burning financial records that were decades past being necessary to retain.

Leaving an abundance of stuff for your family to deal with is something that’s is ok to talk about, good topic. The older I get the more I take catalog on the items I collect or tools I purchase. In the last few years I definitely have not purchased items because of it being so specific/unique and maybe hard for my family to dispose of, more items that are expensive or for a very specific purpose. All in all, no matter the age, I think it’s a good thing to think about if we really need an item or not. It has inspired me to collect less items or just focus my collections on a smaller more healthly amount. Also, I am getting over the rush of buying stuff, which is addicting. I enjoy Adam’s collections, and glad he can share these detailed stories about them and not let the cool knowledge be forgotten.

1:07 this is exactly why seeing warbirds at airshows is so fun, some of those planes saw combat and the idea that they get to spend their time in old age inspiring and entertaining people while being cared for by a mind bogglingly devoted team of people is just really nice to think about

It's always nice hearing the shared philosophy of what a garage sale should be. It's nice to make a little money, but the stuff should be priced as you said, "getting your stuff into someone else's house". It sparks a childhood memory of my family holding a garage sale on Black Friday almost every year when I was growing up. My mother made a point to have things priced to move, and it was such a good deal for our community that the one year we didn't hold it, we had people driving by our house all day to see if we were going to have said sale. Heck, we even had a handful of people knock on our door and ask. I took that memory, and use it whenever I do my own sales now. I price the things to move so people can enjoy them. Yes I may have paid X dollars on a table 10 years ago, but the simple matter is I got my money out of it. The fact that I used it and cared for it, is payment enough. So selling it for cheap ensures that cycle continues. Side note, if you want to see a fantastic maker space, I highly recommend visiting the InVenture Studio on Georgia Tech's campus, next time you find yourself in Atlanta.

there needs too be an adam savage museum one day. I would travel to visit that and see all the exhibits

You've made a massive impact on generations and you seem determined to continue that legacy and I love it

I love your partner’s nom-de-guerre, “Mrs Don’t-Try-This;” it’s so perfect.

I really glad you're out here pushing the inheritance issue. I've seen so many of my friends having to deal with parents' stuff, we're dealing with my Mother in Law's quilting shop right now. Helped someone else out sell off my friend's game figures and SCA armor when he died. Not to mention the woman in Florida who threw out over $100K in model trains because she was tired of all the "toy junk" in her house. Its just so much trouble if we don't prep for those contingencies for them. As for the lighting, that's what made the huge difference for my in my workspace. Just a bunch of LED lights turned it from a crypt to something I enjoyed being in. You'll really appreciate the difference.

I love that you brought up the armory at the Met! As someone who does Medieval Armored Combat (which if you're interested in trying, please reach out), I'm fascinated by the continued use of historical artifacts in the creation and maintenance of armor, especially since 90% of the stuff we use NOW isn't too far off from those original tools. ⚔✨