Makersmiths Inc. Makersmiths News, Updates and Everything Else Fun

Makersmiths KidWind Teams Win Big at the KidWind State Challenge

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 22:40:04 GMT

The Middle School Solar Team- 1st Place KidWind VA State

On April 11, five Makersmiths, Inc. KidWind teams competed in both the wind and solar events at the KidWind Virginia State Challenge at James Madison University. The Middle school solar team (called Error 404: Team Not Found) came in first place in their grade division and will go on to the KidWind Worlds Challenge at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin May 16-20. Other Makersmiths winning teams were the high school solar team (called Salamander 6) that tied for second place, the high school wind team (called the Cardinal Directions) came in third place, and the middle school wind team (called Microsoft Wind Support) came in third place. Although the elementary wind team (called the Hurricanes) did not place at the state level, the team won first place in the Northern Virginia Regional Challenge at George Mason University’s Potomac Science Center in Woodbridge on March 17.

While participating in a KidWind initiatives, KidWind teams learn about physics, engineering, environmental science and green energy initiatives as they:

Conduct background research, plan and build an innovative and functional turbine or solar project that will produce power.
Test their team’s turbine or solar project and calculate its power output to improve its design.
Compete in challenges that include showcasing their projects, completing a knowledge quiz and explaining their projects to judges that are energy experts, science educators and energy industry representatives.

To learn more about this fantastic STEM initiative that teaches youth about renewable energies, visit www.kidwind.org.

Makersmiths KidWind Teams Are 2026 NOVA Winners!

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 17:27:03 GMT

Five KidWind teams from Makersmiths came home winners from the March 17 Northern Virginia Regional KidWind Challenge at the Potomac Science Center in Woodbridge, VA. All three wind teams came in first place in their divisions and the middle school solar team came in first place and the high school solar team came in second place in their divisions. All five teams qualify to go to the KidWind-Virginia State Challenge on April 11 at James Madison University. Congratulations to all the coaches, teammates and parents from Makersmiths that support KidWind at Makersmiths!

Featured on Make: Building a Rocket Ship in the Basement

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 13:17:59 GMT

The follow is a post featured on Make's Substack:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FBO1C6M2Bc

A video that received far more airtime in our house than I would like to admit this past summer, was a 2014 Make: video showcasing a dad’s home-built rocket playhouse for his two boys. My four-year-old son was obsessed with it. Again and again, he wanted to study every detail of the project, marvel at the fabulous control panel, and always end with the same question: “Dad, when are we building ours?”

You see my son shares my love of making, and we spend countless hours “inventing” spaceships and lasers out of Lego, blocks, or whatever we can get our hands on. Seeing those maker traits begin to blossom, I’ve shown him the movies that inspired me: Apollo 13, Back to the Future, and others. I see in him that same spark I’ve always had and so who was I to disappoint him by not building a rocket?

After sketching out several ideas in my notebook — as much as I’m a techie, brainstorming is still best as an analog process for me — and reviewing the concept with both my son and my wife to gain her tacit approval, we set out to build. (She manages to be both incredibly enthusiastic about, and patient with, my and now my son’s ever-growing flights of weekend project fantasy.) There was much I loved about the original, but in my version I chose to iterate and interpret in a few key ways.

Rocket ship sketches.

First, rather than constructing a highly literal rocket shape, I followed a design principle from architecture known as the “decorated shed.” The idea is simple: if something is meant to resemble a specific object — say, a duck — you can either replicate that form exactly, embracing all the complexity that comes with it, or you can build a straightforward structure and use surface details to evoke the same feeling. My design leaned firmly toward the decorated shed: two basic geometric forms, easy to construct from stock lumber, enhanced with details that suggest a rocket ready to reach orbit.

Second, because the project would live in a generous corner of our basement playroom, I allowed the scale to grow slightly beyond the original. The added size created room for a second level of play, should extend the life of the playhouse as our boys grow, and made it a little less awkward for adults to climb in and out during missions.

Third, after building a few electronic gizmos for my son, I’ve come to appreciate the diminishing returns of painstakingly soldering a hyper-complex control panel. For this build, I focused instead on quality and gameplay rather than sheer volume of knobs and switches.

Building the frame.

Construction was, quite literally, a blast. My son spent much of the build in the garage with me, sharing elaborate plans for the rocket and serving as job foreman while I dutifully cut, assembled, and painted in the summer Virginia heat. I approached the build in two phases: first constructing the basic carcass in the garage where dust and scrap piles were no concern, then transferring the frame in large sections to the basement for final assembly and detail work.

Like most projects, we came off the starting line fast and I was able to get the basic structure cut and assembled in the basement in just a few days. The basic frame and a few side panels were impressive, but it wasn’t a rocket yet. With projects like this, those first major steps of assembly have the most promise and are the most exciting as you see your creation literally take shape before you, but that long tail of detail work can grind you to a halt. However pushing me through, for better or for worse, were my son’s constant inquiries of “when will it be done?” “Soon, buddy. Hopefully soon.” Pressing on was a challenge at times but eventually, the dust settled and the rocket structure was ready. The moment I saw the entire interior freshly furnished with its moving blanket walls, I realized this creation was no longer a simple wooden structure. It was now truly a rocketship.

While the basic frame and structure are within reach for anyone with fundamental carpentry skills and off-the-shelf tools, I fabricated several specialized components using more advanced, quasi-industrial equipment at my community makerspace, Makersmiths, in Leesburg, Virginia. Access to a large laser cutter, UV printer, and a high-end vinyl cutter allowed me to produce precision openings, a realistic control panel, and a bold NASA decal for the exterior.

Makerspace tools put to good use.

Tools like these are often out of reach for hobbyists due to their size and cost, but a community makerspace with this equipment moves once-unattainable projects firmly into the realm of the possible. Making is often a solitary way to express creativity and care for others, yet a makerspace expands that experience entirely. Being surrounded by innovators, artists, builders, and tinkerers in a shared “third space” where ideas constantly circulate continues to fuel my own desire to create and grow.

The control panel reflects that same balance between simplicity and experience. While I reduced the wiring complexity compared to the original inspiration, I kept my favorite feature: immersive audio. Using an Adafruit soundboard, a small amplifier, and a bass shaker, the panel plays real audio from the Freedom 7 and Apollo 11 missions along with Apollo 13 movie audio clips, including, of course, the classic “Houston, we have a problem.”

To enhance the impact, I edited the recordings in Audacity and layered in additional low-frequency rumble and explosion effects. When the Apollo 11 launch sequence plays now, the entire rocket vibrates with convincing force and my son, along with anyone who hasn’t experienced the full spectacle of this project, squeals with excitement.

The installed control panel.

From the moment my pen first touched my notebook to the instant our son climbed inside and pressed the launch button, just over a month had passed. But the finished rocket isn’t really about the wood, the laser-cut panels, or even the rumbling bass shaker hidden behind the controls. What matters most is that it became a place where imagination takes over. It’s a launchpad in the corner of a basement where countdowns happen daily and missions to the Moon somehow conclude just in time for bed.

Rocket ship interior.

When I showed the finished rocket to my own parents and explained that Jack simply wanted a rocket playhouse of his own, my dad smiled and said, “Yeah, so did I when I was a boy, but not many kids have a dad who can actually make one.”

Like most projects built for kids, it isn’t perfect. Some trim doesn’t quite line up, the hatch window has already endured a few hard landings, and there are still upgrades I’d love to add someday. My son and I occasionally brainstorm what version two might include. None of those imperfections seem to matter, though, when a four-year-old climbs inside, flips a switch, and very seriously announces that liftoff is imminent. He even takes to his own devices and often adds on pieces to the spaceship with pillows and blankets and anything else he can lift in his playroom. Nothing stops a maker.

Projects like this remind us why many of us started making things in the first place. It’s not because we needed a rocket ship in the basement, but because building something a little unreasonable, especially with and for the people we love, creates memories that last far longer than the materials themselves. What’s even better here is seeing that spirit come alive in my son. My wife and I marvel at the creative and often wacky ideas he brings to life, and it further feeds my own passion to keep building.

If you’d like to see the full journey from sketchbook to launch sequence, you can watch the complete build on my channel, John Builds Things. And if it inspires you to build something wildly unnecessary of your own, even better.

Every good mission starts with someone saying, “Why not?”

Makersmiths Participated in LCPS CTE Expansion Plan Dinner

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 19:40:52 GMT

On February 26, Makersmiths members Jeff Irland and Diane Painter had the pleasure of participating in the LCPS Career, Technical and Adult Education Five-Year Plan dinner and small table discussions about the 5-year CTE expansion plan. This plan, under the direction of the superintendent and managed by the Department of Career, Technical and Adult Education (CTAE) was discussed. Three primary areas were addressed at the small discussion tables: Industry news assessment (hard and soft skills currently missing in entry-level hires); Course Sequencing and Competencies; and Certification Opportunities. To read more about LCPS' CTE expansion plans, visit LCPS CONVENES STAKEHOLDERS TO ADVANCE CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION FIVE-YEAR PLAN.

LCPS CTE Robot at the CTE Five-Year Plan Dinner

2025 Makersmiths' Parade Float

Sun, 06 Jul 2025 14:21:33 GMT

This year Lane Waldren, Isaac Bowser, Tom Hill, Dave and Diane Painter, KidWind participant, Natalie Johnson, created the Makersmiths float using four handcarts. The theme of the parade was Let Freedom Ring. The handcarts represented things we can make at Makersmiths (Tom’s CNC sign and Lane’s CosPlay costumes) and we also had a cart that represented the parade’s theme, Let Freedom Ring. KidWind team members Max and Nick Burrus and Syndney Clough and Truett De Luise and their coach, Diane Painter, walked along with the float carrying a KidWind banner.

It is always so much fun to see what Makersmiths members can do to a float to make it festive. Please let Diane.Painter@makersmiths.org if you would like to adopt a float for next year’s 2026 4^th of July parade.

Makersmiths Teams at KidWind Challenge Finals

Wed, 21 May 2025 23:43:17 GMT

The Virginia State KidWind Challenge was held at James Madison University on April 12 in King Hall. Six Makersmiths teams competed, three wind teams and three solar teams. The competition from Kidwind teams throughout Virginia was very strong. In the end, our High School solar team, Sub 4, came in third place and our middle school wind team, Recreational Renewables, came in second place. The Recreational Renewables, coached by Oliver Arend, competed at KidWind Worlds May 18-21 at the convention center in Phoenix, Arizona. Although the team did not win in their middle school wind turbine division, they had a memorable time meeting teams from all around the USA, Mexico and Taiwan. For more information about this challenge, visit https://kidwind.org/worlds/2025/

Makersmiths' KidWind Teams Score Big at Regional

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 18:40:22 GMT

Seven Makersmiths members coached seven KidWind teams this year. Students in grades 4-11 competed in three divisions, Elementary, Middle School and High School wind and solar divisions at the March 14 Winchester Regional KidWind Challenge at Shenandoah University. The Elementary Wind Team- Champion Charges, came in 1st place with their wind turbine. The Middle School Wind Team, Recreational Renewables, came in 1st place and the Middle School Wind turbine team, Vivacious Voltages, came in second place. The Middle School Solar Team, Home Defense Protection, came in first place with their solar project, and the team also won the Knowledge Award with a perfect score on their Kahoot quiz. The High School Solar Team, Terrasol, won first place, scored the highest on the high school knowledge quiz, and won the People’s Choice award. The High School Solar Team, Sub 4, won 3rd place. All the first through third place winning teams will now advance to the Virginia State KidWind Challenge on April 12 at James Madison University.

The Ungnome Planet

Wed, 03 Jul 2024 16:19:02 GMT

Not long ago, on the Fourth of July, the Makersmiths’ Middle School Solar Flares KidWind team built a solar-powered rocket to explore the universe. They brought with them Makersmiths’ High School solar team called La Wai and the team’s solar-powered desalination project. They wanted to be sure to have clean water to drink if they landed on a planet with only salty water. They also included the Makersmiths’ Middle School Wind Turbine team, called the Vivacious Voltages, so when they landed on a planet and it was dark, they could generate power if there was wind.

As the three KindWind teams soared through the universe, they approached a planet that seemed dark but intriguing. When the rocket landed, a gnome by the name of Sir Gerald Chadwick greeted them with a peace sign. He said, “Welcome to the Ungnome Planet!” He told the teams that he was the leader of all the gnomes who lived on this planet.

He invited the teams into his little hobbit house. The KidWind teams explored his house and then the land around the hobbit house. They found that Sir Chadwick was burning fossil fuels to keep warm and to cook his food. So the Kidwind teams told the gnome leader they could help him and all the other gnomes on the planet to learn to use clean energy because they were ruining their planet with greenhouse gases emitted by burning fossil fuels. The KidWind teams showed the gnomes a better way of powering their planet with wind turbines that produce energy day and night as long as the wind blows. They can also generate energy with solar panels when the planet’s sun was shining!

The gnomes of the Ungnome Planet were so grateful that they invited the teams to stay with them. They all lived a good clean life, happily ever after.

Seriously, we needed a story to go with our KidWind FLOAT for the Purcellville 4th of July parade!

Coaches Andrew Taylor and Diane Painter are seen here with members of the 2024 KidWind teams.

HS Solar Team- Worlds Champion Solar Team

Sat, 11 May 2024 21:49:22 GMT

The Makersmiths High School Solar team called La Wai won the Solar High School Division on May 8, 2024 at the KidWind Worlds Challenge in Minneapolis, MN! Coached by Justin McMillen and Maria Busuioceanu, the team wowed the judges with their solar operated Distillation Project! Not only did they do well presenting to the judges, they performed well on a knowledge quiz and several instant challenges. When visiting the Convention Center vendors, they met many Green Energy industry leaders. The other fun part of the experience was meeting other KidWind teams from the USA, Mexico and Taiwan!

KidWind Teams Win at the 2024 NOVA Kidwind Challenge

Sat, 16 Mar 2024 16:55:19 GMT

The three 2024 KidWind teams sponsored by Makersmiths competed in the Northern Virginia Challenge at Shenandoah University on March 14. The high school solar team (La Wai) won first place in their division, the middle school solar team (Solar Flares) won third place in their division, and the middle school wind turbine team (Vivacious Voltages) won second place in their division. All first and second place wind turbine winners automatically qualify to compete in the Virginia State KidWind Challenge on April 6, 2024 at James Madison University. First through third place solar teams qualify for the state challenge. This means all three Makersmiths KidWind teams qualify for the state challenge!

Above, La Wai, the High School Solar Team coached by Makersmiths members Justin McMillen and Maria Busuioceanu, won first place in their division. They also were awarded the Dream Big Award for their ambitious, forward-thinking water distillation solar project.

Above, Vivacious Voltages, the Middle School Wind Turbine Team coached by Makersmiths member Diane Painter, won second place in their division.

Below, Solar Flares, the Middle School Solar Team coached by Makersmiths member Andrew Taylor assisted by team parents Nick Richard and Oliver Arend. The team came in third place in their division for their rocket launch pad run by solar project and won the Solar Guru Award for a perfect quiz score. Pictured right is Remy Pangle from JMU who heads KidWind-Virginia.

Makersmiths' Solar Teams Win at the 2023 KidWind State Challenge

Mon, 10 Apr 2023 14:20:31 GMT

Sixteen youth on three KidWind teams sponsored by Loudoun County’s community-based nonprofit Makersmiths, Inc. competed in the KidWind Virginia State Challenge on April 8 at James Madison University. The solar team named Operation Cheap and Clean coached by Adam Pricer came in second place in the middle school solar division. The solar team named The Neighborhood WATTs coached by Justin McMillen came in first place in the high school solar division. Both those teams qualify to advance to the KidWind National Solar Challenge that will be held May 14-17 at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

Northern VA Kidwind Regional Challenge 2023 Wind and Solar Winners

Sat, 18 Mar 2023 16:39:59 GMT

Makersmiths' KidWind middle school teams competed in the Northern VA Regional Kidwind Challenge on March 15, 2023 at Shenandoah University and came home as winning teams. The middle school solar team (called Operation Cheap and Clean) won first place in the solar challenge and they also won the knowledge award (meaning they aced the knowledge quiz on renewable energies!) The middle school wind turbine team (called The Hot HAWTs) came in second place in the wind challenge. Both these teams and the high school KidWind solar team (called The Neighborhood WATTS) will go on to compete in the Virginia State KidWind Challenge on April 8 at James Madison University.

KidWind Solar and Wind Turbine Winners- 2022

Sun, 01 May 2022 14:13:06 GMT

This year Makersmiths coached three KidWind middle school teams. All three teams competed in Virginia's Western Regional (March 9, 2022) and the Virginia State (April 23, 2022) Renewable Energy Challenges. The 8th grade solar team (Pictured above) won first place in the Western Regional and the Virginia State Renewable Energy Challenges! Their solar smart house used recyclable shopping bags melted into bricks for the house steps and foundation, vacuum-formed PET for sides and roof and an Arduino Mini Pro that controls sensors to make the ceiling fan and lights automatically operate when it gets warm and hot. The solar panels keep the battery charged that is needed to operate the Arduino and its sensors.

The Silver Blades wind turbine tied for first place in the Western Regional Renewable Energy Challenge and came in 3rd place at the Virginia State Renewable Energy Challenge.

Silver Blades Middle School Wind Turbine Team

The Golden Wind Blades Middle School Team won second place in the Western Regional Renewable Challenge.

Golden Wind Blades Middle School Team

To learn more about KidWind at Makersmiths, visit Makersmiths Renewable Energy Teams 2022. This website explains the process our youth go through when designing, constructing and testing out solar and wind projects.

Makersmiths KidWind Wind Turbines Win National Recognitions

Fri, 21 May 2021 15:12:19 GMT

Makersmiths' KidWind STEM group won national KidWind recognitions today. Two of our wind turbine projects are now published on the KidWind.org website! Team Caleb can be viewed at https://www.kidwind.org/online-challenge/wind-turbine/projects/recOnbcjYlYrx0yJy. Team Connor and Soren can be viewed at https://www.kidwind.org/online-challenge/wind-turbine/projects/recd9qMprhqJTKYkw

Solar Powered KidWind Projects

Thu, 20 May 2021 12:55:03 GMT

During this school year, five middle school students participating in Makersmiths' KidWind STEM group completed three solar powered KidWind Projects that were entered into the KidWind-VA 2021 Challenge. Winners will be announced on May 25 at 4PM at James Madison University.

Seventh graders Connor, Caleb and Soren created a prototype kiosk that contains a sound box. The sound box detects movement and plays a train sound whenever someone walks by it. The purpose of the sound is to catch the attention of that person and draw them back to the kiosk to read what information is displayed. The sound box needs three AA batteries to operate. In order for the batteries to remain charged, the boys used three rechargeable batteries in a storage device that is wired to two solar panels on a platform at the top of the kiosk that can be rotated to follow the sun and is tilted at an optimal angle to capture the direct sunlight during spring-summer. Why did they want to make a kiosk as their solar powered structure? Makersmiths is making a large kiosk for the Town of Purcellville to put by the former train station located downtown. The boys thought the town might be interested in their KidWind Kiosk structure and incorporate their design into the town's kiosk. To learn more and see pictures and a movie of their project's development, visit Kiosk Solar Panel Project.

Seventh grade student Katie was interested in finding a way to clean pond or stream water that can be used to water plants. She created a system that uses a fish tank filter box with a charcoal filter, two water pumps and three solar panels on a platform that can be adjusted to obtain the optimum angle to capture direct sunlight at different times of the year. The solar panels operate the two water pumps. To see her movies and images of her project's development, visit Vegetable Garden Watering System.

Eighth grader Sofi initially wanted to create a way to use solar panels to run a system that filters out salt from seawater to make the water drinkable. However, she found that obtaining suitable filter material to use was not easy to find. She then decided to figure out a way to use solar power to run a system that captures hydrogen from water that would fuel vehicles instead of vehicles using fossil fuels. Her Google Slideshow and movie documents the steps she took, first using batteries to produce power to run her electrolysis system, then switching to solar power. To see her project's development, visit Solar Powered Electrolysis.

Makersmiths wants to thank Makersmiths members Diane Painter, Jennifer Chu, Ralph Pugh and Dave Painter for their time and expertise in helping the students learn about solar power, help the students build their projects, and work through the steps they needed to collect and document the effectiveness of their projects using solar power.

KidWind Wind Turbine Testing

Sat, 01 May 2021 19:57:30 GMT

On Saturday, May 1, 2021, Makersmiths hosted the Northern Virginia KidWind wind turbine testing for youth participating in the 2021 KidWind Turbine Challenge. Two teams from Makersmiths (Team 1: Caleb Nicholson and Team 2: Connor Ellis and Soren Ogelman) and one team from Cardinal Ridge ES brought the wind turbines they created this past year to test them in a wind tunnel that James Madison University set up in our Makersmiths-Purcellville location.

Makersmiths members, Diane Painter and Jennifer Chu, served as coaches for our Makersmiths KidWind teams. During the work sessions (November 2020-Feb 2021 before COVID caused us to go online), the team members learned about the function of gears from Makersmiths member, Ralph Pugh who is an electrical engineer. They learned to design gears using a program found online at http://geargenerator.com. They then designed their blades in a CAD program called Tinkercad. Pictured is Caleb's wind turbine blades that he 3D printed. Caleb used a direct drive, meaning he did not make a gear box for it.

KidWind team members, Soren and Connor, used their Tinkercad designs to laser print the blades (shown below). Soren built a wooden 3:1 gear ratio generator with help from Makersmiths member, Dave Painter.

How did the wind tunnel testing go? The wind turbines with a gear box out powered the wind turbine using direct drive. However, Team 2: Connor and Soren's wind turbine spun so quickly that one of the blades broke off! In the end, the team from Cardinal Ridge ES out performed both our Makersmiths teams. They used cardboard to create their blades but used a 8:1 gear ratio gearbox. What can we say about our KidWind wind turbine experience? Our teams learned a lot about solar power, wind turbines, designing blades in a CAD program, and how to create things on 3D printers and a laser cutter. They also discovered the value of adding a gear box to a wind turbine since the wind turbines with gear boxes produced the most power. Team members also learned about pitch (angle of the blades) and how to collect performance data. So in the end, they learned a lot of making skills, and after all, isn't that what Makersmiths is all about?

Member Profile - Erin Werling

Sun, 25 Apr 2021 16:59:52 GMT

Member Profile - Erin Werling

Erin has been a Makersmiths member from the beginning of Makersmiths, and she currently serves on the Board of Directors. She loves to sew, quilt, and use her Cricut machine to create all kinds of things such as cutouts to make paper flowers. She even learned basic blacksmithing skills at Makersmiths-Purcellville! As a Makersmiths community outreach volunteer, Erin participated in a Maker Faire hosted by Loudoun County’s Rust Library to teach families how to make sidewalk chalk! Erin and fellow Makersmiths member, Jessee Maloney, like to host Crafts Nights at Makersmiths in Leesburg twice a month, and hopes to resume this family-friendly event at Makersmiths once COVID-19 restrictions end.

Makersmiths Gets Down in the Weeds!

Sun, 18 Apr 2021 16:29:34 GMT

Makersmiths Gets Down in the Weeds!

By: Shereef Sayed

Because Makersmiths is a non-profit, community-based organization, we do work with youth groups in a variety of ways. One of our partnerships is with Loudoun County Public Schools. This academic year, two students from Woodgrove High School taking an independent science research course contacted us for mentorship help.

For two Woodgrove High School students (Go Badgers!) and their Independent Research class, they needed to submit a research proposal that would address a problem. While visiting family in Italy, one of the students noticed that her Mom could eat foods containing gluten, unlike eating similar foods back home. “Why is that?”, she wondered. With help from her research partner, they came across a research paper that showed a strong correlation between Celiac disease and certain herbicides that are applied to wheat fields to hold weeds in check. They also learned that countries in Europe have banned the use of herbicides, but we are still using herbicides in the USA. “Hmm, how can we fix this?” they wondered. They determined that they should build a robot that can only spray herbicides on weeds, but not crops.

It turns out that their idea is one of a growing industry (pun intended) called Precision Agriculture. From academia to start-ups to corporations, the agriculture industry is developing innovative solutions to make better use of farm resources, including herbicides.

My background is as a systems engineer and I volunteered to mentor the students. When they described their initial research plan, it seemed like an awful lot of ground to cover in one academic year (pun intended). In order for a robot to spray only weeds, it seemed that we should first focus on solving the problem of distinguishing crops from non- crops. All you need is a neural network, right? They’re everywhere, right?

Siri? Alexa? How do you build a neural network?

To build a neural network you need to first train it with pictures of the objects you want to find. All we had to do was search the Internet for a bunch of pictures of weeds in a field, but we needed to find a lot of pictures...like, hundreds of pictures. Despite our best efforts to search the Internet, the only comprehensive image database of weeds that we found currently comes from Australia. Just to be sure that our Internet search was complete, we contacted a Professor at Virginia Tech in their Weed Sciences department, and asked what database his students use for their research. Turns out they use a database from Denmark! Well, I explained to the students, if the Internet is a sum of all human knowledge, and your search leads you back where you started, then you’ve just found a hole in the Internet; a place of incomplete knowledge. So, the research project was beginning to become more focused. The students decided that their research for this year's research class is to fill that gap and create the first North American Weed image database for training neural networks to find weeds in a field.

Right now, the team is focused on finding a camera that can take pictures in both the visible light and infrared spectrums. They are also learning how to annotate images to help train a neural network.

With the help from a conservation specialist with Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District, the students now have two farms that they can visit that are growing winter wheat. Once the weather warms up, they will be busy taking lots of pictures, changing the world, one weed at a time.

Chairman’s Message - April 2021

Fri, 16 Apr 2021 00:26:03 GMT

The monthly (socially distanced!) work days in Purcellville are returning!

As we did in pre-COVID times, we are inviting members at 9:00 AM until at least noon on the first Saturday of each month to our Purcellville location to drink coffee, eat

donuts, and maintain and improve the space. This is also a great opportunity for prospective members who want to see the space to drop by and know that a member will be at Purcellville to show you around.

For members, this is al

so one of the easiest ways for you to fulfill the volunteer hours that are a requirement of your membership. It’s not all work, though, this a great way to meet other members, forge new friendships and sometimes learn new skills.

Group Build Project

Makersmiths will be doing a group build of an information kiosk for the town of Purcellville that will be located at the old train station. It will be built of steel and powder coated. The design calls for a modular build approach. Each piece must be small enough to fit in our powder coat oven that also means that each piece must be easily transported to the location, assembled on site, and then bolted together. This is a great opportunity to dust off some old skills or learn some new ones. We will be laying out patterns on sheet metal, cutting them out, using the box and pan brake to bend them, and MIG welders to weld them together.

Do you want to see what's inside at Makersmiths?

Tue, 13 Apr 2021 03:50:09 GMT

The ongoing pandemic has made it more difficult for prospective members to see what's actually inside our Makersmiths locations without our regular Open House nights. What kind of tools do we have? We could list them out on a website, but if a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a million. And in this case we have two videos so we have two million words! Check out our latest tour videos on Youtube at the links below. Some of the tools and rooms have already been upgraded since the videos were shot so watch this space for new videos in the coming months.

Leesburg Tour Video
Purcellville Tour Video

Member Spotlight - Jessee Maloney

Sat, 10 Apr 2021 18:48:44 GMT

Jessee Maloney, owner and operator of the brand Art School Dropout for the last 18 years (https://www.artschooldropout.net), is a professional quilter and freelance artist. She joined Makersmiths in 2017 to learn how to use the laser cutter. Since then she has learned to use the 3D printers, vinyl cutter, t-shirt press, welding equipment, woodshop, and CNC machines to make the art work and products that she sells online and at various craft shows and conventions. Jessee also assists our Cosplay members in helping them design and sew costumes. During our COVD-19 initiatives, she made many face masks and has helped been instrumental in developing the new member orientation classes.

A message from Makersmiths President John Dubelko

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 23:00:09 GMT

Welcome to Spring! Makersmiths gardeners are busy and now have a volunteer horticulturist to advise them. Both Leesburg and Purcellville have garden space, and Makersmiths has a plot at the community gardens at Ida Lee.

The Board has approved a UV flatbed printer for Makersmiths. Print samples are available at Makersmiths Leesburg to get a good look at what a UV printer can do, including monogrammed golf balls, printed acrylics, boxes, trophies, control boards, gauges, puzzles, and much more.

While the pandemic is hopefully waning, we still need to remain vigilant and follow the CDC and Virginia guidance on group gatherings. Members must wear a face mask at all times while inside our buildings and adhere to social distancing guidelines. Each site has hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes for use in the facilities. We have begun to offer limited in-person classes with one instructor and up to three students per class. All classes can be found on the Makersmiths website: https://makersmiths.org/events

While the pandemic continues, we are providing Associate Members full access to both the Leesburg and Purcellville spaces after they have taken New Member Orientation and at least one Red Tool Class. A Red Tool is a machine or tool with the potential for personal injury or damage if misused. Red Tool classes are available through the tool/room steward or the events link above. Red Tool training is required for woodshops, metal shops, welding areas, CNC machines, and laser cutters.

The Women of Makersmiths!

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 16:05:36 GMT

This March, the theme of Women’s History Month is “Women Inspiring Innovation through Imagination: Celebrating Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).” Women make up 48 percent of the workforce, but make up less than a third of STEM workers.

The burgeoning makerspace movement provides advantages for startups and entrepreneurs, and the most beneficial parts are the resources it provides and the connections members make…surrounded by like-minded, creative people sharing support, ideas, and opportunities—possibly sparking a collaboration.

We have many resourceful women that have been members for several years contributing to our community, some are highlighted here.

Beverly Murdock, a Makersmiths member since 2017, is a multi-talented maker. By trade, she is an engineer who consults in program management, compliance, and technology strategy in the wireless telecommunications industry. She grew up woodworking with her dad. Off hours, she enjoys cake decorating, nature photography, a variety of crafts, home renovation, and helping friends and family solve problems by making things. She uses the laser cutter for everything from etching pumpkins to wall signs. This Christmas, she and her sister constructed giant nutcrackers that evolved into hosting a class for friends to do theirs.

Erin Werling, a Makersmiths member since 2015, currently serves on the Board of Directors for Makersmiths. She loves to sew, quilt, and use her Cricut machine to create all kinds of things such as cutouts to make paper flowers. She even learned basic blacksmithing skills at Makersmiths-Purcellville! As a Makersmiths community outreach volunteer, Erin participated in a maker fare hosted by Loudoun County’s Rust Library to teach families how to make sidewalk chalk! Erin and fellow Makersmiths member, Jessee Maloney, like to host Crafts Nights at Makersmiths-Leesburg twice a month, and hopes to resume this family-friendly event at Makersmiths once COVID-19 restrictions end.

Jessee Maloney, owner and operator of the brand Art School Dropout for the last 18 years (https://www.art schooldropout.net), is a professional quilter and freelance artist. She joined Makersmiths in 2017 to learn how to use the laser cutter, and since then is now skilled using 3D printers, the vinyl cutter, t-shirt press, welding equipment, woodshop, and CNC machines to make her art work and products that she sells online and at various craft shows and conventions. Jessee also assists our Cosplay members in helping them design and sew costumes. During our COVD-19 initiatives, she made many face masks and has helped onboard members virtually.

Julie Borneman joined Makersmiths in 2018. Julie is a VNLA Certified Horticulturist Chesapeake Bay Landscaping certified. She also currently serves on the Rural Economic Development Council for Loudoun County and runs her business, Watermark Woods Native Plant Nursery (https://www.watermarkwoods.com) in Hamilton, Virginia, the only pesticide-free nursery in Loudoun County. She has her own workshop at the nursery, and makes various welded and ceramics garden art that grace native plant gardens. She is also currently serving on the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy as the board president. As a Makersmiths member, she has shared her ceramics skills in our ceramics shop, such as teaching how to make these nested soap dishes.

Tami Scannell and her husband, Pat, are founding members of Makersmiths. Tami has a long history of adventure and creativity. She skied for the United States Ski Team in the sport of inverted aerials, coached the largest freestyle skiing program in the nation and her corporate career included marketing for Olympic sports, telecommunications and technology. At Makersmiths, Tami enjoys using the CNC, laser cutter, woodshop, blacksmithing, kilns and welding equipment. Her favorite projects include: A welded wine bottle Christmas tree, mentored by Jim Waldron. Christmas ornaments and signs for Snickers Gap Christmas Tree Farm. An ocean themed towel rack on the CNC, supervised and guided by Jim. To date her "piece de resistance", is a replica of the Thomas Jefferson revolving book stand, she built under the tutelage of Mike Dewan. One of the few times, in 30 years, she was able to give Patrick something he needed and did not have. For Tami it is curative and rewarding to make items that solve for a need or create something that gives joy. Tami states the hidden beauty of Makersmiths is getting to know other makers, sharing ideas, learning and celebrating the accomplishments of working together. Makersmiths is a unique community of ingenious and inspiring people for whom she is incredibly thankful for. The only downside is, not having enough time to do all of the projects on her wish list.

Tami states the hidden beauty of Makersmiths is getting to know other makers, sharing ideas, learning and celebrating the accomplishments of working together. Makersmiths is a unique community of ingenious and inspiring people for whom she is incredibly thankful for. The only downside is, not having enough time to do all of the projects on her wish list.

Her next projects include:

* Pounding out an Irish Kilt Pin

* Building a toilet paper dispenser, in the wall that automatically replaces itself and discards the inner cardboard roll

* Catching up with Dave Painter to make a casting of a brass moon candle holder

These are just a handful of the amazing women that we are lucky to call members, and we'd love to wish each and every one of them a Happy Women's Month!

Educational Initiatives at Makersmiths

Sat, 07 Mar 2020 12:07:13 GMT

When giving tours at Makersmiths we are often asked, "What do you offer for kids?" There are a number of educational initiatives Makersmiths members offer to families. This is one. It is called the KidWind Challenge. We have five middle school students that Makersmiths members volunteer to mentor. Jennifer Chu is pictured here working with students to learn to measure the pitch of the wind turbine blades the student on the right designed and created using woodworking skills. The five Middle School KidWind team members are preparing for the Northern Virginia Challenge on April 14, 2020 at the 4H Center in Front Royal, VA. They will enter the basic challenge event using a Vernier generator and a gearbox that another Makersmiths member, Ralph Pugh, is helping the students design and create. Prior to this KidWind Challenge event, the students will display their work at the Loudoun County Public Schools Student Maker Showcase on March 26, 2020 from 5:30-7:30 PM at the Academies of Loudoun. Won't you join us that night to meet our KidWind team and to also see the Shoo-B Robot research team, also mentored by Makersmiths members Dave Painter and Mark Millsap? For more information about these events, please visit:

LCPS Student Maker Showcase
Northern Virginia KidWind Challenge

Makersmiths Forge- Now Lit

Sat, 05 Oct 2019 15:59:56 GMT

On October 5, 2019, Makersmiths-Purcellville lit up its forge! We held an Open House from 1-4pm to share with the community of makers our newest making addition! If you missed the Forge Open House, please come visit us any Tuesday evening from 6-8 PM for a tour of our space. Address is 785 S. 20th Street, Purcellville, VA 20132.

How-to Festival at Rust Library

Wed, 02 Oct 2019 18:34:20 GMT

On Sept. 28 and 29, 2019, three Makersmiths members held "how-to" workshops at Rust Library in Leesburg during the library's weekend How-to Festival. On Saturday, Diane Painter taught adults and children how to make glycerin-based soaps. Dave Painter set up his laptop and a desktop CNC machine to show library visitors how he uses his computer and the CNC to create plagues. On Sunday, Erin Werling had a huge crowd at her sidewalk chalk-making station! This was a great example of how community-based maker spaces and libraries can work together to help the public understand the function and fun of maker spaces!

Relay for Life

Tue, 18 Jun 2019 22:16:26 GMT

On June 1st, 2019, Makersmiths had a team of six members participate in the Relay for Life of Loudoun County in the Villages of Leesburg near Wegmans. As a 1st year team, we finished as #18 of 47 total teams and raised over $1,980! The Leesburg event has raised just under $160,000 this year! Our booth received a lot of attention from Relay participants, as well as local shoppers. We raffled off several handmade items that were made and donated by our members including: resin river serving boards, horseshoe coat racks, homemade soaps, a quilt, challenge coin stands, and horseshoe wine racks. T-rex, aka Makersaurus, made several appearances sporting his Makersmiths t-shirt and he was a huge hit with people of all ages. He estimates that he was asked to take over 100 photos with people. We are already looking forward to next year’s Relay!

Contributed by Jennifer Netsch

KidWind Northern Virginia Challenge

Sat, 16 Mar 2019 16:39:02 GMT

On March 15, 2019, the Makersmiths' KidWind Middle School Team (Wind Overload) and Makersmiths' KidWind High School Team (Too HAWT to Handle) entered the Northern Virginia KidWind Challenge. The event was hosted by Shenandoah University and sponsored by James Madison University, Dominion Energy and others. The day was jammed packed with multiple events. Each team had to take a team quiz and participate in an instant problem-solving challenge. Then their turbines that they designed and built at Makersmiths and to be "tested" in wind tunnels to determine how much energy they can produce. Finally, they met with judges to explain the decision-making, design and construction processes they experienced when making their turbines. The highest of their trial run wind tunnel testing scores were recorded and combined with their knowledge scores and the judges' interview scores. The combined scores determined the winners of the Northern Virginia KidWind Challenge. The High School Team won first place in their Advanced Challenge division and now the team qualifies to go on to National KidWind competition (https://www.kidwindchallenge.org/p/28-2019-national-challenge). Although the Middle School team did not qualify for national competition, they did win awards for KNOWLEDGE and for Best Blade Design in the middle school division. Congrats to team members and their coaches! To learn more about the KidWind initiative at Makersmiths and see photos from the event, please visit https://sites.google.com/a/makersmiths.org/kidwind-challenge-teams/

KidWind Energy Workshops

Mon, 05 Nov 2018 20:36:11 GMT

On November 3, 2018, Makersmiths held KidWind Energy workshops in each location (Leesburg and Purcellville) for children in elementary through high school and their parents. The purpose of the workshops was to learn about wind energy, the difference between wind mills and wind turbines, and the best way to construct wind turbines to produce energy. The workshops were led by Remy Pangle from James Madison University, a KidWind Challenge coach and coordinator for KidWind-VA. Diane Painter and seven other Makersmiths members assisted in the workshops or gave facility tours to the families. At the end of the workshops, the children were invited to learn more about KidWind Challenge-VA. They were encouraged to form teams at their schools, or to join a Makersmiths sponsored middle or high school school challenge team. Registration for the Makersmiths Middle School team for students in grades 4-8 or Makersmiths High School team for students in grades 9-12 is still open through November 10, 2018. Go to https://makersmiths.org/event-3123069 to register. Any questions? Contact diane.painter@makersmiths.org.

Just in Time, We Made Creepy Bots!

Sun, 28 Oct 2018 16:30:00 GMT

On Saturday, Oct. 27, four Loudoun County fathers and their children completed a Creepy Bot workshop at Makersmiths-Purcellville. The purpose of the workshop was to review the Virginia's Standards of Learning (SOLs) on Force, Motion and Energy (specifically the Simple and Compound Machines Curriculum) as the participants assembled the Creepy Bot's parts (levers, wheels and axles, screws) to make a compound machine (the Creepy Bot). The Creepy Bot kit parts were made by Makersmiths' instructor, Ralph Pugh. Ralph downloaded the plans for the Creepy Bot from Clayton Boyer's Web site, modified them to make it easy to assemble for children working with a parent, then used the Makersmiths laser cutter to cut out the pieces. At the end of the workshop, children held Creepy Bot races! Our next family-oriented workshop is Nov. 8 from 5-6:30 PM at Makersmiths-Purcellville when participants will make soaps the whole family will enjoy! To register, go to https://makersmiths.org/event-3098468

Makersmiths Activities for Families (Especially Children)

Mon, 17 Sep 2018 17:38:36 GMT

There are a number of fun activities coming up for families, especially for children. Here are a few examples: Saturday, September 29, we will be having soap-making the whole family will enjoy (register at https://makersmiths.org/event-3038283?CalendarViewType=1&SelectedDate=9/17/2018). Boo at the Zoo at Wilson's Wild Animal Park will be on Saturday, Oct. 13, featuring Halloween activities and rides on our MS barrel train (https://makersmiths.org/event-3072629?CalendarViewType=1&SelectedDate=10/17/2018). The Farm Tour stop at Southern States on Oct. 20-21 in Purcellville will also feature rides on our barrel train as well as a pumpkin-decorating station. On Saturday, Nov. 3, we will have Wind Energy workshops at both our MS locations (in the morning at MS-Leesburg- registration is at https://makersmiths.org/event-3034446?CalendarViewType=1&SelectedDate=11/17/2018) and in the afternoon at our MS-Purcellville location (register at https://makersmiths.org/event-3034519?CalendarViewType=1&SelectedDate=11/17/2018).

Makersmiths Partners with Habitat for Humanity

Sun, 02 Sep 2018 23:05:28 GMT

On Sept. 2-3, 2018 Makersmiths partnered with Habitat for Humanity to help Loudoun County youth learn woodworking skills. The youth learned to build flower boxes for houses being built by Habitat for Humanity. Purcellville's Mayor Kwasi Fraser and his family stopped by to see this collaborative initiative in action at the Purcellville location. The event was repeated at the Makersmiths Leesburg location on Labor Day. Thank you to Makersmiths' Brad Hess for coordinating this partnership. We hope to have more collaborative events at Makersmiths locations in the future with Habitat for Humanity.

Leaning Shelf

Wed, 27 Jun 2018 19:57:17 GMT

There's a corner in my ladyfriend's house that is the "magic spot" for plants. It's got just the right temperature and just the right amount of sunlight for a lot of different plants.

We had a little cart there, but with so many plants doing so well there, we were running out of space quickly. I thought a ladder shelf would be perfect. I looked around and they were as high as $150!!! https://images.crateandbarrel.com/is/image/Crate/Sawyer24p5BookcaseMochaSHS15_16x9/?$web_zoom_furn_hero$&160105131027&wid=1008&hei=567

I decided that I could build one for far less.

I was initially thinking that I'd use oak because I love its warm look, but after pricing it out, I decided that stained pine would do very nicely.

I used 12" and 6" wide boards for the shelves, and 2x2" for the sides. After looking at a number of plans, I found that 10 degrees was about the right lean angle, so I used the chop saw and table saw to make the cuts.

I didn't use a plan, specifically, but looked at a lot of different ones. After getting it all together, I thought it was a bit too wobbly (side to side) so I ended up adding some bracing that stiffened it up nicely.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/iMtoQDegS93vtCqM8 (before staining and the addition of bracing)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/PBWa6kA7SXnA4u5u7

https://photos.app.goo.gl/TbajZ2vGF3aydpNE7

Educational Outreach

Wed, 20 Jun 2018 09:48:21 GMT

This week Makersmiths was represented at two educational outreach events. The first was Inspire Loudoun, a full-day conference for teachers at Riverside High School (a Loudoun County Public School). Member Erin W and her daughter entered the hard fought Battle of the Bots competition competing with their "bots" against two teachers. Even though our two Makersmiths contestants lost the battle, they had fun learning to guide their robotic balls under their custom-made cup bots around the gym floor trying to bust opponents' balloons secured to their bots. Diane P. manned the Makersmiths' exhibit table and handed out over 100 brochures and summer events & classes calendars to teachers and administrators who came to the table to see laser cut, 3D printed and wood-turned items that our Makersmiths members had made. The best "draw" to the table was Mike W's Photo Booth. Administrators loved the idea of having families take pictures during back-to-school, PTA and other school events and have the photos sent to them and the school that shows attendance at school events. Here is Josh A (Makersmiths member and educator for LCPS) using the Photo booth.

The second outreach event was LearnerPalooza 2018 held at Lord Fairfax Community College in Frederick, VA. Diane P represented Makersmiths and had the opportunity to meet with the executive director of VSTE.org (Karen Richardson) and Remy Pangle from James Madison University's Virginia Wind Center to talk about how Makersmiths can sponsor middle school and high school student teams for the Virginia KidWind Challenge hosted by Shenandoah University in March 2019. Learn more about this event at https://virginiakwc.wixsite.com/kwcva. If interested in having your children (grades 4-12) involved, please contact diane.painter@makersmiths.org.

Makersmiths Purcellville- The Grand Opening

Sun, 03 Jun 2018 15:28:03 GMT

On June 2, 2018, Makersmiths held a grand opening at its Purcellville location 785 S. 20th Street, Purcellville, VA. A very special THANK YOU to the Purcellville Town Council, merchants, donors and many volunteers who made this Grand Opening possible. Throughout the day Makersmiths members displayed projects that they created and held mini-"I Made This!" presentations. Visitors from the community, Purcellville Town Council members, and business folks interacted with Makersmiths members, networking and sharing ideas for future Makersmiths initiatives. A few of the day's highlights, including the mayor's ribbon-cutting statements, are presented in this slideshow!

First Class held at Makersmiths-Purcellville

Tue, 22 May 2018 01:20:52 GMT

On May 21, the first class at Makersmiths-Purcellville was a huge success. Participants used woodshop tools to create corn hole games. Hosted by Tom Hill and Jon White, the class consisted of men, women and teens who became acquainted with the space's woodshop area and made their own popular backyard party corn hole games that some say were invented by the Native Americans in Illinois- or maybe by a German cabinet maker- or by a pioneer in Kentucky...? Doesn't matter, it is fun to play!

LCPS Maker Showcase Event

Fri, 04 May 2018 18:50:59 GMT

Makersmiths, Inc. participated in Loudoun County Public Schools first Maker Showcase held at Brambleton MS on May 3, 2018. In this video, we captured amazing student projects created by a robot team, Girls in Gear after-school club, and maker spaces in schools that tie 3D printing into curricula initiatives. In addition, children and parents collaborated in building a Geo dome in the gym! Note in the movie our member Ralph Pugh's "creepy" bot that he created using a laser cutter! Makersmiths raffled free classes for teachers and administrators at this event. We hope the raffle winners will be encouraged to learn maker skills that they can use in maker spaces in their schools as well as at Makersmiths! We hope this will be an annual event.

Makersmiths at the Leesburg Flower and Garden Festival

Sat, 21 Apr 2018 00:16:55 GMT

We are all set for participating in the Leesburg Flower and Garden Festival April 21-22 from 9am-6pm on Saturday and 9am-5pm on Sunday. Please stop by our booth in the non-profit section of the festival on Church Street by the post office and learn more about Makersmiths. Then come see us in our "garden shop" in the Makersmiths-Leesburg location at 106 Royal Street, SW. We will be offering items made by members in exchange for donations that will support our Makersmiths-Purcellville location build out. See our table of items. Then visit our garden shop website to learn about the specific items.

Makersmiths Purcellville Brag Night

Fri, 20 Apr 2018 17:02:48 GMT

Makersmiths-Purcellville held its first Brag Night with six members sharing things they created. Dave displayed a wooden box he constructed that stores a diamond angle and radius dresser used for used for putting precise radius radii or angles on to grinding wheels. Todd explained how he uses Raspberry pi (a computer on a board) to create games. He also showed us a cell phone module he invented that allows him to take and display photos, check his Twitter account and send and receive text messages. It even has a cell tower finder. Michael is experimenting with using a 3D printer to create an armor glove. Diane and Dave shared how they used a 3D printer and a silicone mold kit to create the mold for making Makersmiths soaps. Jon shared a computer game he created. During this event, eight people dropped by the space for a tour. To see photos from the event, click on Brag Night Slideshow. Makersmiths-Purcellville plans to have this "brag night" a once a month event. Contact Tom Hill if interested in participating!

Makersmiths' 2018 Maker Award

Tue, 10 Apr 2018 12:19:21 GMT

The LCPS Regional Science & Engineering Fair was held on March 15, 2018 at Riverside High School This event involved 298 high school students from Loudoun County’s fifteen high schools, the LCPS Academy of Science, the LCPS Academy of Engineering & Technology and Monroe Technology Center. Winning students in a variety of science and engineering disciplines received over $30,000 in awards and prizes.

Two Makersmiths members served as judges for the Maker Award. The Makersmiths’ Maker Award is awarded to the science fair entrant who we feel represents outstanding maker ingenuity, creativity, and technical skills by constructing something that was used in some way during the scientific process of conducting research. We are pleased to announce that the 2018 Maker Award goes to Jacob Di Girolamo for his project entitled: The Designing and Prototyping of Pneumatic Tools That Are Capable of Being Produced Using Additive Manufacturing. The tool that Jacob created and tested out through an experimental approach to improve its performance consists of eight unique components, some by 3D printing, others machined. Jacob is now a Makersmiths member and we will enjoy having him collaborate with and share his expertise with other members.

We also have two honorable mention recipients. We would like to recognize Gwyneth Schloer for her project, Mathematically Accurate, Double-Axis Microgravity Simulator. Gwyneth stuck with her project idea for several years, and all on her own improved the design and construction of the double-axis simulator used in her research.

Our second honorable mention recipient is Corwin Warner for his project, Using Arduino Microcontrollers for Dual-Fuel Injection. Corwin’s engineering project involved the making of many 3D parts, but it also represents many different disciplines involved in his research.

The complete awards list is posted on the RSEF website:

http://www.lcps.org/rsef

To see photos of the event, visit RSEF 2018 Awards Ceremony

https://vicspix.smugmug.com/RSEF-2018

RSEF 2018 Candid photographs of the set-up, judging, first place announcement, and ceremony

https://vicspix.smugmug.com/LCPS-RSEF-Judging-2018/n-RK27bg

Mark your calendars for the 2019 LCPS RSEF on March 14, 2019 (Pi Day) at Riverside High School.

Science and Engineering Festival

Mon, 09 Apr 2018 16:51:30 GMT

Maker Education initiatives encourage our Makersmiths youth members to become problem-solvers and innovators that will lead to finding solutions to relevant problems. Through a variety of learning activities that integrate a variety of STEM and art fields, we encourage student-driven exploration, communication and collaboration. Participants learn within authentic maker environments to communicate and collaborate with other makers as they identify problems to solve, research, design, model, tinker, and test out their innovations.

To stimulate interest in becoming innovators, Makersmiths members were encouraged to attend the 2018 Science and Engineering Festival at the Washington, DC Convention Center the weekend of April 7-8. This festival showcased youth projects throughout the Washington, DC region that provide in-school and out-of- school opportunities to engage in robotics, 3D printing, laser cutting and much more. View a slideshow of the Science and Engineering Festival.

What is next? How can your family become involved in maker education initiatives? Please attend our next education event sponsored by the Loudoun County Public Schools. It is the Student Maker Showcase on Thursday, May 3, 2018 at Brambleton Middle School located at 23070 Learning Circle Ashburn, VA 20148. The event runs from 5:30 PM-8 PM. It is billed as a public showcase of student invention, creativity and resourcefulness. Dominion HS, Eagle Ridge MS, Loudoun Academy of Science and Harmony Middle Schools’s AT Maker Club will exhibit student projects as well as their maker spaces and hands on learning initiatives.

This event will be a mash-up of an art show, science fair, robotics competition, craft fair, STEM day and hackathon. Makersmiths, Inc. will have a display table of projects members have made and we will run a raffle for teachers and administrators to win free classes at Makersmiths locations in Leesburg and Purcellville. It is hoped that these educators will learn new maker skills and help establish maker spaces within their own schools.

Makersmiths- Purcellville Soft Opening

Sat, 07 Apr 2018 18:54:25 GMT

On April 7, 2018, Makersmiths had a soft opening of its Purcellville location at 785 S. 20th Street. For the past year, members have taught members how to use renovation tools, cut framing wood, hang drywall, and so much more. Although we are still working on the facility for a grand opening later this spring, please stop by on Saturdays and meet the members and learn how to join this incredible nonprofit, community-oriented organization and also make new friends! Click on the Purcellville location link to see what has been created so far.

Makersmiths Purcellville is gearing up for a soft opening...

Mon, 26 Mar 2018 01:30:06 GMT

Makersmiths second location in Purcellville is set for a soft opening Saturday, April 7th and we could really use your help!

An amazing group of members have been working night and day for months to get everything ready for this day. We are now on the final stretch and could really use some extra hands to reach our goals.

There are a couple opportunities in the next two weeks to stop by and lend a hand. The to do list is filled with a wide variety of tasks ranging from no skills to very specific skills. So don't feel like you wouldn't be useful. The faster this all gets done, the faster we all get to use the facilities.

The address is:

Makersmiths Purcellville

875 S. 20th St.

Purcellville, VA, 20132

You can find directions and more on Slack, Meetup or Makersmiths.org.

Specific times and events for the soft opening are still in the works, so keep an eye out for more info.

Upcoming Purcellville Workdays:

Tuesday, March 27th

6-9pm

A complete list of tasks are in the #purcellville channel on Slack.

Friday, March 30th

TBD

If you are free Friday, please contact Dave Painter through Slack and let him know!

Saturday, March 31st

9am-3pm

This is the last big workday and the day we could really use the most help! Even just stopping by for an hour to lend a hand will help out

Upcoming Classes & Events: March 12th - 31st

Mon, 12 Mar 2018 20:37:51 GMT

Every few weeks we will be sharing an updated list of all upcoming classes and events at the Makersmiths in both Leesburg and Purcellville. This will be a great way for you to see everything coming all at once as well as class samples.

Please note that dates and times may change from the time this was published, for the most updated calendar please visit meetup.

Ok, Now here are all the upcoming events from today, March 12th until Saturday March 31st:

Monday, March 12th:

3D Printing - Level 1 - 7:30-9:30pm in Leesburg

Tuesday, March 13th:

Create Homemade Soaps Friends and Family Will Love - 5-6:30pm in Leesburg

Thursday, March 15th:

Open House in Leesburg - 6:30-9pm

Friday, March 16th:

Fabric Baskets- quick and easy sewing - 6:30-8:30pm in Leesburg

Saturday, March 17th:

Workday in Purcellville - 9am-3pm

Monday, March 19th:

Easter-egg Bling Eggery Class - Level 1 - 7-9pm in Leesburg

Thursday, March 22nd:

Open House in Leesburg - 6:30-9pm

Friday, March 23rd:

Easter-egg Bling Eggery Class - Level 1 - 7-9pm in Leesburg

Saturday, March 24th:

Workday in Purcellville - 9am-3pm

Basic Sewing - Zig Zag Stitched Rope Bowls - 10am-12pm in Leesburg

Sunday, March 25th:

Block of the Month Quilt Party - 3-6pm in Leesburg

Monday, March 26th:

Red Tool Training Wood shop tools - 7-9:30pm in Leesburg

Tuesday, March 27th:

Laser Cutter Introduction - 7-9pm in Leesburg

Thursday, March 29th:

Open House in Leesburg - 6:30-9pm

Saturday, March 31st:

Workday in Purcellville - 9am-3pm

Beginner Weaving Class - Any Age / Kid Friendly - 12-3pm in Leesburg

Some of these events are free and some are paid classes or certifications.

Please make sure you register for any event you plan on coming to so the instructors or hosts can prepare.

Hopefully we will see you soon!

Monday, March 19th:

Easter-egg Bling Eggery Class - Level 1 - 7-9pm in Leesburg

Purcellville Workday: 2/24/18

Tue, 27 Feb 2018 03:13:12 GMT

Saturday’s rain kept us indoors, but there’s no lack of things to do getting our Purcellville location up and running!

Ten volunteers built out storage areas within our woodworking furniture, prepared ceiling electrical spool/plugs for mounting, measured out our lower building as part of our plan to make a ceramics shop, made some of our long-stored equipment look new again, and generally organized the wood shop.

Here are some pictures showing our equipment transformations...

There are still workdays coming up with loads of tasks on the to-do list, so if you have some time, please come by and help! More helps means everything gets done faster!!

Making Coasters

Tue, 13 Feb 2018 14:47:21 GMT

I saw someone at the space post about etching slate coasters using the laser cutter, and I thought, "Hey! That's a super cool idea. I should do that!"

So, I started looking around for blank slate coasters. I found some locally, but the price was *way* high. After a lot of searching, I found a guy on Ebay selling them for around $6 per set of 4, but I had to buy a case. Thinking that this would be a thing that I could resell, I went ahead and bought them.

I had no real guidance, but after taking the Laser cutter intro class, I had a clue as to how to go about it -- I'd need vector images that I could resize seamlessly so they'd fit.

Google was my friend, here, and with only a little effort, I was able to find what I was looking for: free vector silhouette images. As an aside - nearly all of the free image locations had sneaky redirect links to paid sites like istockphoto and shutterstock.

With my images located, I just followed the instructions from the Laser Cutter Intro class. (protip: KEEP THE HANDOUT THEY GIVE YOU!)

One thing that kept catching me out, though, was that someone had turned on "Auto Z", so after I'd set the Z (which is the distance from the laser to the item being etched) and hit go, the table would move! It took a while to find that setting (it's on the "Settings" tab of the print driver)

Each image took about 5 minutes to burn, and I did both front and back. 8 images, x 5 minutes == 40 minutes of cutter time

We Now Have a Blog!!

Mon, 05 Feb 2018 16:42:07 GMT

Keep an eye out on this space! Pretty soon it will be full of useful Makersmiths information, photos, tutorials and more...