May 2011
3 posts
3D Printing, Using Eagle, Windowfarms and more Fun...
Our workshop and makeshop schedule is now up for the rest of May and June! Call or come by to sign up for these workshops and makeshops.
Start your summer with a foray into 3D printing: check out our Intro to OpenSCAD Workshop and 3D Printing Makeshop on Sunday, June 19. Or learn how to make your own custom printed circuit board with our two part workshop on Using Eagle on Tuesdays, June 7...
6 tags
Capitol Hill, The Capitol and Creative Capital
Sometimes it’s hard for us to realize there is a life outside of our Capitol Hill basement, especially when we do venture out and everything sounds the same.
Last week I headed out with Open3DP to Washington DC, for a whirlwind trip of 3D printing in our Nation’s Capital. I showed off the Clonedel and some of our new powder-printing skills to the House of Representatives and met up...
April 2011
3 posts
Local Maker Event Looking for Participants
The Kitsap Maker community is hosting a Maker Event on Sunday, June 5 in Poulsbo, WA. They would love to invite all of you to participate. If you’re interested in demoing at the event (and you should), come by tomorrow and meet some of the minds behind the event. They’ll be making the trek from Poulsbo all the way here to meet YOU and talk shop.
So, come by, meet some new...
Mother's Day Card Makeshop
This coming Saturday, April 30 from 2-5, I will be teaching my second makeshop! Just like the first, everyone will be learning how to design special holiday cards, this time for Mother’s Day. The makeshop is $25, and you get $5 off if you bring your mom!! We’ll be providing materials, and I’ll be leading you through a quick session on Inkscape so you know how to use the laser...
8 tags
An update from the cage.
Last month was pretty crazy around the shop. We pushed out over 50 sets of RepRap Clonedel parts, and we sent molds out far and wide. We got a visit this weekend from the Electromagnate folks doing their Kickstarter-funded Documentary, and we got invited to 3D DC, a conference in the other Washington to do some dog and pony about 3D printing and Intellectual Property (check out their...
March 2011
6 posts
Get your learn on...
Workshops! Makeshops!
All workshops are $50 unless otherwise noted. Makeshops are $25 unless otherwise noted. To sign up, call or stop by. See you here!
TOMORROW from 7-9pm: Arduino Shields! Sunday, March 27 2-4pm: Open SCAD Saturday, April 2 2-4pm: Basics of Working with EL Wire Working with EL wire is easy! In this workshop you will learn the basics of working with...
Capacitive Touch with LilyPad Arduino
A little while ago I wrote about a student in the industrial design program at the UW making some really neat packaging. The other day I saw a group of three other students in the same program working on making their final project. While they had several weeks to do the project, they were scrambling to finish (haven’t we all been there?). Of course it makes sense when you learn that they were...
4 tags
Some photos of the shop.
Today on Flickr, a slideshow after the jump.
8 tags
The Makerbot Challenge...
One of the things about Metrix Create:Space that makes me happy is that it has become a hub for DIY 3D printing. We have one of the first 100 makerbots, and we have seen that community grow. We have built printers from scratch and from kits, and have ripped apart commercial beasts. Bre Pettis saw his first RepRap Mendel print here. Saturdays are slated for 3D printer topics, and we have a lot...
Arduino Outreach
Several months ago, a teacher at Seattle’s Bush School, Marilyn, was looking for someone to help teach an Arduino based class to make little robots. Her son had taken a similar class and had a great time; she wanted to bring that experience to more high school students at her school. She Googled for Arduino and Seattle, and the first relevant link was to Metrix’s site. She emailed Matt, the owner,...
8 tags
Clone Factory Bootstrapping
As many of you know, we like to take action and move fast on things that excite us. A couple of weeks ago, Open3DP announced their clonedel process, and we decided that we were going to be the first to jump on board. I posted that we were going to do a Kickstarter project, and begin building a Distributed Clone Factory.
Unfortunately, Kickstarter didn’t see this project as fitting...
February 2011
6 posts
3D Stop-Motion Animation Workshop
If you’re looking for new ideas for what to print on your 3D printer, come to our new workshop on 3D Stop Motion Animation on Sunday, March 13 starting at 2pm. Digital Kitchen’s Sean Dekkers will be leading the workshop. Topics include preparation, pre-visualization, and processes using 3d printers, laser engravers, and other animation techniques to make just about anything move. The ...
Zigduino
I’m generally more of a crafter than a maker, so things like the Arduino (which is very well known and popular in the maker scene) are still pretty new to me. So it was pretty exciting when I got to talk to Pierce Nichols about an Arduino technology that he created himself. For those of you who aren’t aware, according to the Arduino website, it’s, “an open-source electronics prototyping platform...
Survival and the Distributed Clone Factory.
Metrix Create:Space is a unique place. It is one of the very first hackerspaces on the planet to try a straight-up commercial model. It is not a non-profit, it is not academically funded, the staff does not support the place on its hobby budget. This is our job.
We survive by charging for our services.
A lot of people have asked me how in the world this place can exist.
We exist because...
Cut-out Spines (In a Good Way!)
We all know Metrix is a great place to work on school or personal projects and create just for fun. However, I recently learned of someone using the space in a more professional manner. Kelly Golob recently graduated from Southern California University of Health Sciences and is now practicing chiropractic care at Tumwater Chiropractic Center. What’s the first thing all those business blogs, books,...
Clocks!
I ran into Oskar the other day at Metrix and got to talk to him about his really neat project. He’s working on building his own gravity powered gear driven clock! For those of you not in the clock-making scene (probably most of you), this clock works just as a traditional grandfather clock would. It uses gravity to turn its gears, and then the time is derived by the position of the gears. This is...
Makeshops Galore!
We are super excited to announce some new makeshops and workshops in the coming weeks.
You’ve already heard about the Valentine’s Card Makeshop on Monday, February 7th- there is still room; we’d <3 to have you. It will start at 7pm, costs $25, and includes an quick intro to Inkscape. You’ll walk away with custom Valentine’s Cards that you have made!
Next...
January 2011
6 posts
Valentine Card Makeshop and Self-Repair
We are excited to announce the next Makeshop! Come down on Monday, February 7th at 7pm, to creating unique, laser-cut valentine cards. Allison (of Inkscape for the Laser Cutter workshop) will host and provide a crash course in using Inkscape during the first 15 minutes. After that, we’ll have various papers and card stocks, glue, and the laser engraver waiting for you to use. Allison...
Craft Night
I wrote about Hacknight a couple of weeks ago, and I’m happy to say that a craft night appears to have started as well! I found Anna, Beca, Cheri and David all hanging out and crafting at Metrix the other night, and had to find out what they were up to. What started as a spontaneous meetup last week, has (hopefully) turned into a regular once a week event led by these crafty folk. They’ve decided...
Ping Pong
Ping pong balls. What does that remind you of? The racquet sports class you took as your gym requirement in high school? Rowdy parties in college? Forrest Gump? Would you believe there was anything cool that could come from ping pong? (Sorry table tennis players, your sport will never be cool.) Prepare to be surprised! I met someone at Metrix who was working on a class assignment for making...
