June 13

It’s The Perfect Kitchen Accessory

DeadpoolKnifeBlock

When preparing your tacos and chimichangas, you’ve got to have the right tools on hand. Inspired by a French comic, Instructables user BrittLiv set out on a journey to build a knife block of their very own.  After a lot of trial and error, research, and more trial and error, BrittLive finally arrived at the delightful creation pictured above.  It was 3D printed in sections, assembled, coated in a special resin, and then painted.  BrittLiv has included all the files they created, along with a detailed narrative of their process, all on Instructables. If  you’ve got a 3D printer, a love for the merc-with-a-mouth, and a lot of perseverence, you too can create your very own Deadpool Knife Block.

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August 23

Using a 3D Printer for Cosplay Props

San dagger from Princess Mononoke by Jade Falcon

At each MakerFaire I’ve attended, 3D printers always have a large presence. So I was intrigued when I saw Jade Falcon’s post about using a 3D printer to create cosplay props. The photo above features her prop of San’s dagger from Princess Mononoke.

In her post, she talks about finding free 3D printing source files on Thingiverse. I also recently took advantage of their file archive to create a Father’s Day gift for my husband.

It was a cool group effort. My son came up with the idea of 3D printing a small dagger for him, but couldn’t find a cheap way to handle it in New York. Our local library in Kansas City offers free 3D printing, so I found a Thingiverse file for Bilbo’s Sting blade. My brother coordinated with the library to print the dagger via email and I went and picked it up. Bonus: the library offered to print two blade options – one black and one GLOW-IN-THE-DARK. Very cool.

Sting-3dprinted

Have you done any 3D printing, for cosplay or otherwise? Share your experience in the comments!

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June 28

Maker Faire KC 2015

Photos from Maker Faire Kansas City 2015

Have you been to a Maker Faire? A celebration of things people make themselves, Maker Faires are organized by MAKE Magazine, and started in San Mateo, California in 2006. Now these events take place across the country. My hometown, Kansas City, happens to be one of the “featured” Faires, where more than 200 makers participate. I have shared Faires in the past, in 2011 and 2012, so I figured it was time for an update.

Above is a montage of photos I took – here are the highlights, starting in the upper left corner, and working around clockwise:

  1. 3D printers were big again, as they have been at each Faire I’ve attended. These were some 3D-printed TARDISes and Star Trek Lego figures.
  2. Some more examples of 3D printed items – these were very ornate vases by Sage Kaneko.
  3. A chainmail demonstration by Michael of Amanda Lynn Chainmaille Creations.
  4. The Artifex 2 desktop 3D printer – it printed in the usual hard plastic filament, but also wood and a flexible “NinjaFlex” thermoplastic elastomer.
  5. Eco Elvis performed – he was all shook up about the effects of acid rain.
  6. The Flipbookits were a cool find in the Maker Store – it’s a DIY kit to make your own motorized flipbook, designed by kinetic artists.
  7. Artists from Dare to Dabble were on hand to help attendees create gelli prints with acrylic paints, brayers, stamps and stencils.
  8. I made my own glycerin soap with Feto Soap! It smells like cinnamon and I chose a cute little gnome as the “prize” in the center.
  9. There were speakers scheduled throughout the day, discussing all sorts of interesting make-y type topics. The one I heard was about the use of hydraulics in Hollywood.
  10. Many booths encouraged attendees, particularly kids, to try their hand at a variety of tasks. This booth by Leela Village School for Purposeful Play offered a DIY playground with robots made from found materials. (P.S. Did you know “Leela” means “divine play” in Sanskrit?)
  11. A steampunk dirigible
  12. There was a table for Raspberry Pi Geek magazine – we got my husband one of these little credit card-sized computers for his birthday this year, so I was sure to pick up one of their sample magazines.

There was so much to see, and scrolling through the Instagram feed for #MakerFaireKC, I can see I missed quite a bit! Be sure to allow a few hours at least if a Maker Faire hits your area, if not a whole day!

What have been your favorite things to see at a Maker Faire? Share with us in the comments below!

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August 13

It’s Dangerous To Go Alone! Take this. And this. And this.

It's Dangerous To Go Alone! Take This. And This. And This.

Sometimes it seems that crafting is all about the revival of ‘outdated and old fashioned stuff your grandmother did’. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t embrace new technology when it comes to geeky creations.

Today I’d like to show you Hyrule Foundry, “a blog that combines the ever-changing world of 3D printing and the timeless Zelda Universe.” They explore the benefits and limits of 3D printing and of various printers and software, while working with objects from The Legend of Zelda.

Once printers are cheaper and (therefore) more accessible, 3D printing is certainly going to chance the way we think about safety, property and ownership. Despite some problems a printing culture might cause, such as the recent ‘recipe’ for a gun or copyright infrignments, I sincerely hope it will make crafting even more interesting. Hyrule Foundry is a good sneak preview of what we might expect in the future.

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