Post a picture and description of anything you are working on this month at the 'Space here!
It can be anything from a small craft project to a large CNC router project to building a table to 3D printing to a science experiment and so much more. There are lots of people doing cool things at DMS all the time, but most of us don’t get to see it. Post it here and share the interesting things you are doing at Dallas Makerspace this month!
Posting here helps not only promote Dallas Makerspace, but could inspire others to make something. It will also help PR post a monthly look at what can be done here on a blog post or other social media (with attribution to each maker of course).
NOTE: Please try to include the following on each post, to help make for richer social media content!
Relief printed holiday cards, using an laser-engraved MDF block.
Also lasered an EVA foam stamp for the return address using same font, but I can’t show that because personal info. Rats, because it really completed the look and saved me so much time.
Font: Berlin Sans Demi, for all you font fans out there!
Printing Press: a repurposed die-cutting machine, XCut Xpress. Thank you, @Print_Witch, for introducing me to a FB group that uses craft machines as presses. Thank you, @Scott_Blevins and @HankCowdog, for woodshop magic, turning my 24"x18" HDPE cutting board into two extended print beds. If you’d like to learn more about this machine for printmaking, Printing with the Xcut Xpress. The Xcut has been discontinued, but you can still find it popping up on the market from time to time as shops deplete their stock or even on Ebay. For less than $150, I have a great little press that fits on my kitchen table and allowed me to make about 40 cards/hour.
Envelopes: Very pleased with the quality. Thick paper that feels luxurious.
I don’t really like to share things, but Ben seemed to think I should share these. These are some name plates we worked on together. They’re for a friend of mine’s horses.
I very much like this thread ripper style since the sharp pointy ends slide into the base. You can easily store it in a sewing bag/box or your pocket without it stabbing something critical.
I made one of these out of wood, but the acrylic one @malcolmputer made is better. Reason? The tolerance is tight enough that if/when the wood shifts you can’t pull the ripper out of the handle to turn it around. That doesn’t happen with acrylic.
I forgot to post my home Raku kiln. It’s working great. Big Thanks to the guys in the Metal shop, April Burke, and John Gorman. ! Now I need to get more wheel time in ceramics to have things to fire.
Today I hosted an acrylic pouring class and my first alcohol ink class.
Both classes went really well, especially considering that I forgot to limit the class size and ended up with 24 (9 non-members) and 16 (8 non-members) students respectively. Several of the non-members found my classes through the KERA Art and Seek page. I also posted on the CA facebook page and my own social media, but neglected to post on the Meetups.com page (by the time I remembered I already had a glut of students, so I’ll hit that one next time). Many of the non-members were taken on a tour after the classes.
I have notes for myself for things to make the class better or make things easier on myself, but otherwise everyone seemed to have a good time, thanked me for teaching the class, and left with some awesome art. I’m going to send out a follow-up email for feedback tomorrow.
There are a lot of pictures, so rather than inundate this thread with them here is an imgur album:
Fooling around on the lathe yesterday and made a few rings as well as the mandrels to shape and sand them - I’ll be making another set of mandrels with sizing guides and putting them in the drawer with the pen making supplies for use and may put a class on the calendar soon.
NOTE: Please try to include the following on each post, to help make for richer social media content!
