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Archive: Toolbox
January 7, 2009
Contacts case for small parts
Here's something that never would have occurred to me -- using old contact lens cases to hold and organize surface-mount and other tiny electronics parts.
Small Parts Tray made from Contact Lens Cases
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Jan 7, 2009 11:00 AM
Electronics, Green, Remake, Toolbox |
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January 6, 2009
SliceModeler - fantasy to physical
Asteronimo writes about SliceModeler for Sketchup:
Based on TIG's Slicer script I wrote a plugin that slices a solid 3d model along 2 axes, f.i. an X- and a Z-axis. You can enter separate parameters for each axis. After the slices have been created it calculates the slots for each intersection which allow the cross sections to interlock in an open cell framework, like an egg crate. This process is used in rapid prototyping and can be used to create molds for casting or forming parts.
SliceModeler looks like it could be a neat resource. 3D landscapes, making physical models of data and more. Check out his project page for more info.
Slicemodeler is based on the work of John Sharp. You might want to check out this interview. Here are some photos that are also related to John Sharp's work. Sharp has a few books that have inspired these innovative ideas, Sliceforms: Mathematical Models from Paper Sections and Surfaces: Explorations With Sliceforms.
How do you turn your dreams into three dimensional reality? Are there any techniques or tools that your find essential? What inspires you to learn and create? Add your voice to the comments, and contribute your photos and video to the Make Flickr pool.
Posted by Chris Connors |
Jan 6, 2009 02:00 AM
Arts, Crafts, DIY Projects, hacks, How it's made, Imaging, Paper Crafts, Something I want to learn to do..., Toolbox, Virtual Worlds |
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January 5, 2009
HOW TO - Rolling Peg Board Tool Cart
Here's a neat instructable by user sensoryhouse on building a rolling peg board tool cart instead of buying an expensive tool chest. This way all your tools are visible, and you can still roll them out of the way when need be. He uses scrap metal to weld together the frame that holds the peg board. He welds the casters right onto the bottom of the frame, but I'd recommend welding an attachment plate and affixing them with fasteners in case one goes bad. As this is a beginning welding tutorial as well, don't forget to wear proper safety gear (including long sleeves and a high collar to prevent a sunburn)!
Posted by Becky Stern |
Jan 5, 2009 09:00 PM
DIY Projects, Instructables, Toolbox |
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January 2, 2009
Takira shows the thermistor
Thermistors are pretty cool little items. They convert heat into resistance. By having the temperature available as resistance, you can use the value to control other things like circuits and programs. Photo cells do the same thing with light, and they are in lots of common devices from night lights to dimmers on clock radios.
How could you use a thermistor with your shiny new Arduino? What could you measure with a thermistor? Have you got any videos like this where somebody demonstrates an interesting device? This video came from a summer youth program in Boston. Does your community have a similar opportunity for teenagers to learn incredible things and work on neat projects? Show your ideas in the comments, and iinclude your photos and video in the Make Flickr pool.
Posted by Chris Connors |
Jan 2, 2009 12:00 PM
Arduino, DIY Projects, How it's made, Interviews, Kids, Science, Something I want to learn to do..., Toolbox |
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Free, print n' make personal organizing tools
I don't know about you, but every new year, I come out of the gate with a new commitment to be more organized and work-efficient in my never-ending, nerfarious plans to take over the world. In searching out new organizing tools, I found this line-up of eight print, fold, make paper tools at Unplggd. I've been using the Hipster PDA version of the D*I*Y Planner (seen above) for years and still swear by it. I've also used the PocketMod and the printable graph paper.
And while we're on the subject, my fave electronic organizing tool for '08 was Evernote. I LOVE this app!
8 Cool Organizer Tools to Print For Free
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Jan 2, 2009 09:00 AM
Paper Crafts, Toolbox |
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Electricity Exploration Kit Concept
This morning, Ed Baafi, Amon Milner, Jacob William, and a number of the youth leaders at Learn 2 Teach, Teach 2 Learn developed an idea of how to teach electricity to youth with a new kit idea.
What we are looking to do is reinvent the Alternative Energy module in the summer program. The kit will be flexible enough that experimenters can have hands-on experiences with power generation, storage and output. We also hope that they will be able to add on various technologies as they become available to the experimenter.
The Electricity Experimenters' kit helps promote exploration and understanding of the ways that people can use store, and generate electricity. A focus is made on allowing the user to interchange a number of different modules for generating, making use of and storing small amounts of electric current. These modules will enable youth to gain hands on experience with creating, storing and using energy for personal exploration.
The result of exposure to this kit is that we want people to be able to think, say and believe:
I can make a choice between clean and nonclean generation and the electricity is the same.
and:
I can make my own electricity without harming the environment.
How do you teach electricity? What do you do to help people understand the systems in their lives? What could you add to this kit idea to make it better? What information would you want people to have when they do experiments with electricity? Do you have any existing projects that could be used with a kit like this? How would you make the physical objects? What activities would bring out valuable learning outcomes when experimenting with electricity generation, storage and use? How can we use modifiers like voltage regulators and resistors in ways that don't confuse experimenters? What do you tell or show people that helps them understand the workings of a multimeter?
Add your comments to the discussion, and post your photos in the Make Flickr pool.
Posted by Chris Connors |
Jan 2, 2009 01:00 AM
Electronics, How it's made, Interviews, Kids, Kits, LEGO, Remake, Science, Something I want to learn to do..., Toolbox |
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December 31, 2008
Screw heads demystified
We can thank instructables user arcticpenguin for this excellent explanation of cross-head, cross-point, cruciform, and square drive screws and drivers!
These screw types have a "+" shaped recess on the head and are driven by a cross-head screwdriver, designed originally for use with mass-production mechanical screwing machines. There are a few other recessed drive screws presented that you also want to be aware. So, why all the confusion? Why all the damaged screw heads and drivers? Why is this screw and driver thing so awkward? Read on and be amazed while I unravel the mystery of screw drives and present some you may have never seen.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Dec 31, 2008 06:00 AM
Instructables, Toolbox |
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December 29, 2008
Soldering- where to start?
Certainly there are lots of electronics and kits that have entered Makers' lives lately. Some people already know how to solder, but many people are just getting started. Amy posted a comment voicing her frustration at learning the seemingly guild like skill of soldering.
Below are my notes to Amy, which seemed like it would be handy information to others as well.
It can be done, this soldering thing.
Here are a few things that I try to keep in mind.
Workspace
Setting up on a reusable board or thick cardboard (not the corrugated kind) is good, because cleanup will be easy, and you won't run the risk of messing up the table.
Soldering iron
A decent iron is nice, but a cheap one can do. Turn off the cheap irons when not in use, because the tip seems to dissolve if left on. You don't need to spend lots of money on a fine expensive tool if you are just figuring it out. You can learn how to do it on a cheap or borrowed iron, then when and if you can recognize the difference and value, then spend the money or talk somebody into gifting you a good one. Lots of people like the temperature controlled ones from Weller.
Keep the tip clean. A wet sponge works, but I like steel wool better. Wipe the tip periodically. The sponge will cool the tip when you want it to be hot.
A soldering iron stand is good, but at least keep the business end of the iron from burning a hole through the board and onto the table.
Solder
Thin, lead free solder is good. Try to stay away from the lead based stuff. See the earlier comment about metals and the badness they cause.
Safety glasses
Most people only get one set of eyes. Replacements are difficult to have installed. You are better off to take care of the pair or one you have, than to get them repaired later. Wear your safety glasses while doing dangerous stuff.
Recognize the components:
Pretty much all electronic components have markings on them. Mostly they are done in small white print, but resistors are indicated with color bands. Look at the parts list, and search the markings on any components you are not familiar with. If you put a single diode or LED in backwards, that could be the problem that makes your circuit not work. Check and double check. Search for the things you have, and look at pictures of them. Check the documentation that comes with any kit you have for notes about what the components look like and how to handle them.
Looking at the pdf for the kit Amy mentioned, there are a few things that could slip you up. LEDs, transistors and capacitors are all polarized in this circuit. Make sure they are all in the right orientation. The transistor might be exotic, here is a page that has datasheets for it. l According to this page, you could use a 2N3904 to replace the BC547. The 3904 is a pretty common transistor, you should be able to harvest one out some junk device like a radio or toy.
Resistors are not polarized, but the color bands are completely essential to get right. Resistors regulate the flow of the current in the circuit. Electricity will always follow the path of least resistance. If you have a high value resistor in a place that calls for a low value one, electricity will not flow where it should. You can read them by looking at the colors. There are lots of great resistor color code calculators. Here is one that looks good, but there are many more online.
Multimeter
Resistance is measured in Ohms, often symbolized by an upside horseshoe, greek symbol for omega. If you can get your hands on a meter, you can set it for Ohms, and check your color band calculations against the numbers the meter will show. A multimeter is also handy to be able to check continuity and voltage. See this page for some info on how to use a multimeter.
Technique:
You are heating up the parts, not the solder. When the parts are hot enough, the solder will flow onto them. Touch the iron to the junction between the board and the component, let it heat up, then touch the solder to either the board or the component. Dumping it onto the tip will melt the solder, but often results in a cold solder joint.
Less is better in soldering
You should have the very least amount of solder needed to hold the component to the board. If you have blobby solder joints, you will likely have trouble with bad connections called cold solder joints.
Practice soldering
Sometimes it is a good idea to practice on junk. You can try soldering a wire onto a coin, US pennies work pretty good for that, they are mostly zinc with a bit of copper. Lots of other countries have other alloys, often with lots of aluminum in them, so I don't know about that. Aluminum wicks the heat too fast, so it probably wouldn't work.
You can also break apart an old radio or other device, cut some wires, get some parts and just solder some stuff together. After a bit you get the hang of it.
If you use the search box on any of the Maker Media sites and put in the word soldering, there are loads of resources that should help you get started.
You can watch the Make Weekend projects podcast on soldering, which is great.
Make Volume 1 had a primer on soldering.
Check out the post about a photo gallery of soldering basics.
Check out this great project for building your own fume extratctor.
There is lots of great information on soldering at Instructables.
This is not some mystical skill that people get handed to them from the tinkering gods. You learn it by doing it. You do it because you want to make something. You keep doing it because you want to make more interesting things. Learning this is just a process of getting some skills, and improving them by using them. Eventually, you can get to the point of designing your own circuits, but you can do lots of great things by following the path established by others. There are a small handful of tools that you can use with soldering and electronics. This kit has pretty much everything you need to get started.
Good luck, keep at it, and by all means, let us know about your progress.
You may have other tips for people who are new to electronics, kits and soldering. Please contribute your techniques and ideas in the comments. If you have photos and video, add them to the Make Flickr pool.
Posted by Chris Connors |
Dec 29, 2008 04:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, How it's made, Kits, Something I want to learn to do..., Toolbox |
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December 28, 2008
Reader built fume extractor from the MAKE blog
One of my first builds for the MAKE blog was the mint tin fume extractor. I was hoping someone would make a version and post it on the web, and it finally happened. Thanks for the link Phil, and a big Thank You to Shawn for posting a video of your mint tin fume extractor.
More about a Reader built fume extractor from the MAKE blog
Did you ever make a project from the MAKE blog? If so, send us a link so we can share it with our readers. Thanks!
More:
Make a Mint tin fume extractor
Posted by Marc de Vinck |
Dec 28, 2008 02:30 PM
Altoids and tin cases, DIY Projects, Electronics, Instructables, Toolbox |
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Prius as emergency generator
Chad sends this on how John Sweeney survived the recent bad patch of weather in the Northeast by using his hybrid car to power many devices in his house.
During an ice storm last week Sweeney, of Harvard, Mass., powered his house by hooking it up to his Toyota Prius. The Prius, a hybrid vehicle, starts the gasoline-burning mode of its engine every 30 minutes to recharge the battery with an internal generator. In turn, Sweeney ran his refrigerator and freezer, wood stove fan, lights and television off the car's battery.
So if you have a hybrid, do you need a generator? People have talked about hydrogen fuel cell cars being used in a similar manner to power houses, but does it come in a full size version yet? How do you use your hybrid or electric car for uses other than getting groceries? Are you still waiting for your mass produced plug in hybrid electric vehicle? How about a street legal battery electric vehicle? What are you doing to release yourself and others from the carbon bonds of foreign oil?
Join the discussion in the comments and add photos and video to the Make Flickr pool!
Posted by Chris Connors |
Dec 28, 2008 12:00 PM
Remake, Toolbox, Transportation |
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December 27, 2008
This kid can solder, can you?
Brad sends this about his son's gift project:
For Christmas this year, Lucas made his grandmom a battery powered amp for her guitar. This was a big project - first time with a soldering iron. Worked out well with only one minor burn. He did 80% of the soldering and drilled all the holes for the pots and LED. He turns 6 in Jan - seemed he should learn one last skill while he was still 5.
Great project! Parts to love: scrounging parts out of otherwise dead or useless devices...teaching new skills to kids...making something that couldn't be bought...online documentation...photos...
What have you made lately? Did it work right the first time? Did you catch some pictures/video/audio of the process? What is your experience teaching kids about electricity, electronics, soldering, programming, hacking? What should people do or not do when they venture out into projects with kids? What workspace, tools or materials would you suggest? Show us your stuff! Add your comments and park your photos and video in the Make Flickr pool.
Posted by Chris Connors |
Dec 27, 2008 05:00 PM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Holiday projects, How it's made, Kids, Music, Portable Audio and Video, Something I want to learn to do..., Toolbox |
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December 25, 2008
Hackable Christmas: cheap devices
How is your holiday hacking going? If you have been good, Santa has stocked you up with lots of clever goodies to keep you and yours entertained.
Below are a few things that I found in my stocking and am looking forward to fussing with:
Disposable battery/charger for cellphones.
At two dollars (frugal Santa), if this is what it might be, it could be really awesome. What I am hoping to find in here is a case that can be cracked open, batteries replaced and if I am really lucky a voltage regulator. Sort of like a Minty Boost, but cheaper. Will it work? Maybe. The fitting to the charge booster is proprietary, aimed at a Samsung phone user, but with a cut off a USB mini B cable fitting, it should fit most of the rechargeable devices in my life.
Kingston 8 Gig micro SD mobility kit
8 gigs will make my phone have pretty much unlimited storage (for now). It would also more than double one of my mp3 players' capacity. Probably the most happy thing about this kit is that it comes with a host of micro SD adapters. As more things move towards the Micro SD format, lots of adapters will be handy. They never seem to be around when things need to be uploaded. Between that and really high capacity cards, too many pictures are staying on the camera too long.
Sandisk M2 2 Gig adapter
Sony annoys me how they make everybody bend to their proprietary flash card format. If you want to jack up your PSP's storage, you have to do something like this. Video, audio, lots of applications, home brew apps, gotta have a memory card for the PSP.
Adhesive copper sheet
This stuff is neat for making circuits on the fly. Basically, it is wire with glue on the back. It can be cut with scissors, torn, scored with a knife and other wires can be taped to it or soldered into place. If you have access to a vinyl cutter, you can make a design in Gimp, open office or whatever and cut it mechanically. It seems like an easy, almost magical way of making circuits. No soldering if you don't want to. This may be a good way of getting kids into circuits without the safety issues of soldering.
Wireless Mouse and number pad
Maybe this could be something to make a soap controller out of, or maybe it could be a good controller for that Scratch game you create out of holiday wrappings and boxes. Or maybe it's just something to rig up to the computer.
12 volt to USB Mini B
Everything seems to run on Mini B lately. Now I can charge on the road. What I have been using is totally inefficient, 12 volt DC to AC 10 year old inverter to ac power adapter to DC. Too much conversion.
Little audio speakers
Frugal Santa does it again. $2 usd bought a pair of speakers with a little amplifier. It runs on 6 volts DC, and can be used with a battery pack or included AC to DC wall inverter. Certainly the speakers will be easy to use, with a stereo headphone jack, and they fold up nice.
Flashlight with a zillion white LEDs
Remember when white LEDs were like gold? Not anymore. Cheap enough at $15 usd, maybe this could be repurposed for photography lighting. maybe it could just be a big huge white light. It uses 3 D cell batteries, so at 4.5 volts, certainly something clever could be done with it. Underwater ROV lighting? Hmmmm.
Well there is certainly more to mess with under the tree and in the closets, but this is a start. What goodies are under your tree? If you aren't doing the Christmas thing, then how are you celebrating the hacking spirit lately? How could you use any of these materials and gadgets as classroom/school projects? What sneaky uses can you find for cheap stuff? What possibilities do you see in your holiday schwag? Add to the conversation in the comments and post your photos and video to the Make Flickr pool.
Posted by Chris Connors |
Dec 25, 2008 05:00 PM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Gadgets, Green, hacks, Holiday projects, Kids, Remake, Something I want to learn to do..., Toolbox |
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December 24, 2008
Remake: Tool Sharing
A recent visitor to TechShop in Menlo Park, CA said that he was amazed by a story he was told on his tour. Initially, there was concern that tools would walk out the door at TechShop. In practice, though, the opposite has proved to be true. Members of this community-based workshop brought tools from home and left them at TechShop for others to use. So TechShop was ending up with more tools than they started with. TechShop co-founder, Jim Newton, confirmed this story:
It is absolutely true. People have a real sense of community with TechShop, and bringing in tools from home is one of the ways that it is manifested. Makers are generally much more socially-responsible than outside folk. I think that's largely what drives the way people care for and contribute to TechShop.
The TechShop experience reminded me of a story on community tool-sharing that I read in our local paper earlier this year. Dustin Zuckerman started The Santa Rosa Tool Library, a lending library for tools. It's a terrific Remake idea. Not everyone can afford to buy each and every tool they need. Many tools are needed for a single project and won't be used much otherwise. Renting is always an option, but it's not cheap. Almost as importantly, storage is a premium for many people and finding space for a collection of tools can be a problem.
Tool sharing is not a new concept. The previous news article points out examples in Berkeley of tool lending under the auspices of public libraries. Here's an article on how to start a tool sharing program from Mother Earth News. Tool sharing just makes more and more sense today, whether organized as a community resource, a maker co-op, or an informal neighborhood arrangement where individuals simply let their neighbors know they are willing to share their tools. Perhaps someone will develop a website app for small groups to create an inventory of tools that are available for sharing. (Anyone?)
In a recent discussion of this topic among friends, one person suggested that she found people reluctant to borrow tools, even when they were offered to them. Telling people you were willing to share a tool wasn't enough to make it happen, at least in her experience. Some people may think that borrowing creates a sense of obligation, which makes them uncomfortable. Perhaps makers can help change this mindset, by choosing to value interdependence over independence and recognizing how it fosters a better sense of community.
I'd enjoy learning about your experiences, large-scale or small, at home or work, with tool sharing.
Posted by Dale Dougherty |
Dec 24, 2008 12:42 AM
Remake, Toolbox |
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December 19, 2008
Antique Sock Knitting Machines at Maker Faire Austin - CRAFT Video Podcast
I caught up with Shelly Hatton at Maker Faire Austin, where she was demonstrating antique circular sock knitting machines!
Download the MP4 Video or HD Version | Subscribe to CRAFT in iTunes | mov | 3g2
Shelly got interested in these machines when she heard a friend had knitted a pair of sock in two hours!Circular sock machines have been around since the early 1900's and were built so sturdily that they still survive and work to this day. The machines were originally advertised as a way for homemakers to make money at home by cranking out socks, but the learning curve was really high. Currently, there are a number of enthusiasts around the globe who help each other figure out how to use these really nifty antique machines.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Dec 19, 2008 01:00 PM
Crafts, MAKE Podcast, Toolbox |
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December 18, 2008
Designer Moleskines
One of the longest standing information systems has got to be the notebook. With a notebook, you can put any idea down on paper, and get it out of your mind. Often this will give you more room for new and maybe even better ideas. Sometimes, the notebook itself can become a wonderful object in its own right. The Familiar Strangers have a great rundown of some incredible modifications for Moleskines. Inside the post are lots of example pictures, dozens of links and a bit of Make and Craft's own Becky.
If dogs are human's best friend, I dare to say Moleskines are artists' and designers' best friend. Rumors says Picasso, Matisse, and Hemingway were using their Moleskine to sketch. It was select as the best designer's sketchbook in LifeHacker. I bet many of you guys are having one in your pocket. Here in this post, TFS will discover how to customize the moleskine to better suit for designers.
Where do you park your ideas? Having a trusted system to hold onto the imaginings of your daily life is essential to developing your creativity and following through on your great ideas. Moleskines are a wonderful way to hold onto them so you can temporarily forget. Paper has a much longer holding time for ideas than the gooey stuff between our ears.
The Maker's Notebook has a ton of great features, and is nice and hackable. Your notebook can be just about anything you desire. Lights,. pockets, circuits and more.
What does your information system look like? Do you have a favorite size, shape and orientation for your notebooks? Lined, gridded or blank pages? How have you customized your notebooks? Do you like Moleskines, or is that too commercial, perhaps you would rather make your own notebook. Share your ideas with us in the comments below and add your photos and video to the Make Flickr pool.
Posted by Chris Connors |
Dec 18, 2008 04:00 AM
Arts, Crafts, DIY Projects, hacks, Imaging, Toolbox |
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December 17, 2008
Win 20K in Instructables contest - deadline Jan 4th!
This contest by Instructables is a great opportunity to trick out your workshop! And your entry instructable can be about almost anything, as long as it uses tools! The deadline is coming up, so get your entires in! From the site:
The Craftsman Workshop of the Future Contest is here and we have $20,000 worth of tools to give away to the best Instructable that uses tools to make something awesome. Seriously... twenty-thousand dollars of gear! You could build some incredible things with that in your workshop and the best part is that the Instructable can be about anything! Show us your skills and your passion for building in an amazing Instructable and be sure to provide plenty of details and tips to help others out. We want to see what tools you use and how you use them. We also want to see enough instruction that others can follow in your footsteps to make it themselves.
The entry deadline is January 4.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Dec 17, 2008 05:00 PM
Instructables, Toolbox |
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Uncle Mark 2009 Gift Guide and Almanac
Today's Cool Tool mailing reminded me about one of my favorite year-end publications: the Uncle Mark 2009 Gift Guide and Almanac. Put out yearly (this year and last, anyway) by Mark Hurst, who runs the Gel Conference, this guide is tremendously unglamourous (in a great way). It's laid out (and spelled out) in a rather simple, straightforward style, and covers stuff that Mark likes and believes in, regardless of whether it's the latest or most popular. On my site, Street Tech, we used to do an annual tech guide we dubbed "the world's least sexy gadget guide" ('cause we covered stuff that worked, regardless of whether it was this year's tech or not). Mark's guide is equally unsexy.
Along with his reviews of landline phones, board games, cooking tools, books on religion, "essential items" (TiVo, a wallet pen, and The Economist), the Almanac covers such how-tos as preventing a sneeze, how to always have an umbrella when you need one, leaving good voice messages, how to make sure you always have batteries in your camera, and other handy tips.
Quirky. Fun. Useful. Free.
Uncle Mark 2009 Gift Guide and Almanac
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Dec 17, 2008 03:03 PM
Computers, Gadgets, Holiday projects, Toolbox, Toys and Games |
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DIY Panavise base
Adam writes in -
You can buy weighted bases that are specifically made for the Panavise 201 Jr; but I had the materials lying around and a lot of times making stuff is funner than buying it.- Easy (and cheep) Panavise weighted baseI used a 2.5lb plate weight (or dumbbell weight) for the weighted base. The only modification needed was the drilling of three holes for mounting the Panavise.
More:
HOW TO - build the Arms of Assistance
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Dec 17, 2008 05:00 AM
DIY Projects, Toolbox |
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Roadside blind welding in Malawi
Next to an intersection with the main road to Mulanje works a group of men with basic tools. One of them was actively welding with a scratch built arc welder.
Wire was wrapped around a group of metal plates, and the whole thing was housed in a basic wooden frame.
To turn it on, the power wires to the transformer were connected hook style to the AC electric supply coming out of the store room.
There was one guy doing the welding, and he was also alternating between bashing away at a brake disk from a Toyota, trying to remove a part of the wheel hub. The banging was what originally caught my attention. He was beating away at it with a hunk of steel, fatiguing the metal of the hub for removal.
While I was there, he repaired two bikes, one by welding the pedal post back on to the crank.
While shooting the pictures of him welding, I protected my eyes by looking at the display of the camera and shielding my eyes by placing the camera in the line with the arc. The welder used no goggles. US safety inspectors would not have been pleased if they had been with me. I didn't realize it until I looked at the photos afterwards, but his technique was to do 'blind welding' He would attach the ground to the bike, close his eyes, and scratch at the point he wanted to work with the electrode. When the current flowed and the electrode melted, he worked it until it was close, then would stop, open his eyes, check his work, and continue on or finish up.
Since most Malawians have little or no access to the energy of fossil fuels, people get around by either walking or using bicycles. These bikes are used for everything, carrying heavy loads, personal transportation and serving as taxis. They almost all have sturdy steel racks on the back. The bikes are made in China or India, Humber was a common brand name.
If you lived a life with very little access to the leverage of fossil fuels, like the people of Malawi and many other countries, how would you get things done? Have you seen or done a project like this? how could access to a tool like this change a person's or a community's possibilities? What are your safety procedures for welding? Contribute to the discussion in the comments and add your photos and videos to the Make Flickr pool.
Posted by Chris Connors |
Dec 17, 2008 02:00 AM
Bicycles, DIY Projects, Makers, Remake, Something I want to learn to do..., Toolbox |
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December 15, 2008
Breathtaking Moleskine art
Lisa Laughly, aka Ninth Wave Designs, has done some absolutely stunning Moleskine art projects, including the Alchemy Notebook, seen here. Lisa incorporated her own modified versions of existing rune script, and then further obscured it by using a cipher wheel and grid (also built into the book). So the text has meaning, but good luck teasing it out -- she also changes the rules of encipherment as she goes. The book even has pop-up features. I want to draw like this when I grow up.
Alchemy Notebook: Moleskine Pocket Sketchbook [via BibliOdyssey]
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Dec 15, 2008 12:00 PM
Crafts, Makers, Toolbox, Virtual Worlds |
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The online premiere of Make: television is January 3rd 2009, visit makezine.tv or iTunes to see the entire first episode! The broadcast premiere will follow shortly after depending on when your local Public Television station airs it.
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Collin Cunningham
Marc de Vinck
Mike Dixon
Peter Horvath(intern)
Kip Kay
Luke Iseman
John Park
Patti Schiendelman
Becky Stern
Jason Striegel
Current Podcast
Maker Profile - Bicycle Rodeo
Introducing Cyclecide, an inventive band of Bay Area performance artists who make creations out of materials from the junkyard. These Makers create everything from amusement park rides to outrageous bicycle contraptions to found-object sculpture. Plus, we take a historical...
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