Makersmiths Inc. - August 2025 Newsletter

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August 2025 Newsletter

August 2025 Newsletter

New Member Orientation

8/19/2025 6:30 - 8:00 pm (Leesburg)

Leesburg Workday: 8/30/2025 9am - 2pm

(There's something for everyone -get those volunteer hours in!)

Announcements

President's Message

Diane Bollinger

July was a busy month for our membership and a lot has gotten done. We approved $12k in new tools for multiple departments including Sublimation, Printmaking, Framing, and Woodworking.

We are working on finalizing the details for our upcoming Makers Market event to be held in conjunction with the Purcellville Tag Sale on October 11th, the budget for the event was approved by the BOD. I hope to see many of you there. If you have a small business or are looking to try out selling your crafted wares, please mark the date as we will be offering vendor booths to our membership. In addition, we are hoping to have multiple demos going for the different departments, the demos will be a combination of projects in action and examples of the projects. We are looking for volunteers to run each area and expect those volunteers to be able to also sell their wares. We would like for this event to raise money for Makersmiths, but to also help our membership sell their own products.

The classes for the new Bambu 3D printers have been posted. This is labeled as an introductory course but is also a refresher course for those who already have the FDM Red Tool. It IS required to use the new printers. Going forward, these printers will be the first step in the 3D printing course process and there is an advanced class for the other FDM and Resin printers which goes more in depth for setting up your prints, slicing, and troubleshooting.

If you already have experience with Bambu printers and are curious if you need to take this new Red tool, please contact myself or Scott Silvers.

Be sure to check out the calendar for upcoming events and classes, we have many great options on the schedule.

Diane Bollinger

Makersmith President

Board of Directors Meeting Report

Jim Waldron

The Makersmiths Board of Directors met for their monthly meeting on July 30 2025. The meeting was called to order by Chair Evan Grano at 7:08pm. Director Jonathan White was not available. Director Brad Hess arrived late. All other Directors, the President, Treasurer, and Bookkeeper were in attendance.

Minutes of the previous meeting were approved as published. There were no Consent Agenda Items. The Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, and President reports were heard. Committee reports from Membership, Leesburg Facility, Purcellville Facility, Scheduling Committee, Grant Committee, Standing Rules, and Finance Committee were reviewed where published. There was no Unfinished Business.

Financially, at the half-year point, we are slightly behind our projected income but our expenses have been significantly less that expected which leaves us in very good financial shape.

New Business included; Refreshing the Retainer for our Non-Profit Tax Attorney in order to get answers to some follow-on questions, Appointing Rob Donahue as new IT Co-Steward and dissolving the IT Committee, Approval of several high priority Steward requests for new equipment for their shops, and Establishing a Makersmiths Phone Number through Google Voice.

There were 4 last minute motions for which our 7-day advance notice was waived. These were; Funding repair of the Embroidery machine, Naming Erin Werling as new Arts & Crafts Co-Steward, Some additional funding for the Leesburg Facility budget, and Funding for the 2025 Makers Market to be held in conjunction with the Town of Purcellville Tag Sale in October.

Discussion items included an update on getting the new Bamboo printers on line with classes offered in August, Determining that a separate meeting will be held to review our Independent Contractor Agreement, Finding more volunteers to mow the grass at Purcellville, An initiative to inventory all of our machines to determine their life-span and plan for replacement, and decision to have a future discussion meeting on the possibility of purchasing the Leesburg building.

The meeting adjourned at 9:55.

Complete minutes of the meeting may be found on the Wiki.

Coming up this Fall! Tag Sale!

In the works are plans to engage in Purcellville’s annual Maker's Market Sale on Oct. 11 from 8AM to 6PM. We hope to open our Makersmiths Purcellville

location for visitors, and also have a booth in town. The Tag Sale committee

can use your help. If you are interested in helping with this event, please

contact John.Carter@makersmiths.org.

The next coordination meeting for the event will be held Wednesday, August 13th 7pm @ in the Leesburg Classroom.

The Makersmiths Ceramics Studio in Purcellville is Growing!

Kelly Zaiko

It has been exciting to see new members and lots of new work coming into

the studio. With the usage of the space increasing, there are a few things

we all need to keep in mind when using the Ceramics Studio. Being a good

steward at any of the spaces within Makersmiths is essential for the

functionality and enjoyment of all the members. Here are a few issues that

need addressing in our space. Please remember that there is no service that

maintains the spaces. It is important to clean up all clay debris, smears,

crumbles, and more as clay dries into dust, and that dust contains silica,

which is damaging to our lungs. Over time, breathing this dust causes a

medical condition known as Silicosis, an inflammatory lung disease. Both

glazes and clay are composed of materials that can be potentially dangerous

if not properly handled, so it is important to keep our spaces free of dust

and debris.

circumstances that would prohibit you from picking up your pieces on time

to the kiln stewards, Eleanor Corcoran or Kate Amstutz by Direct Message

on Slack.

The Ceramics Slack channel is active. If you have questions about how to

best utilize the space please post them. We all learn from those types of

conversations. There is a Ceramics Studio manual in the making, and a

draft of it is on the Slack channel. You should familiarize yourself with it

before using the studio for the first time. If you are new, please let us know

what type of clay and glazes you are using to make sure they are compatible

with our firing processes. Bearing all these things in mind we welcome you

to the Ceramics Studio and look forward to seeing new projects and relationships formed here!

Basic Electronics and Soldering Classes for Kids

In the August 2-3 Basic Electronics and Soldering for Kids workshop at

Makersmiths Leesburg, participants learned about basic electronic

components, tools, and circuits. They practiced soldering and then

constructed an electronics Lie Detector kit. Thank you to Gary Dufour and

Jeff DeWeese, the electronics instructors, and Robert Johnson for teaching

soldering to four middle school students and several adults.

On Sept 6 and 7 from 9 AM- 12PM, Alex Rice will offer a follow-up

introductory microprocessor class at Makersmiths Leesburg. He is in the

process of planning this and will soon have it added to our Events and

Classes calendar on the www.makersmiths.org website.

Frame Shop Red Tool Classes

Dawn Martin is now offering Frame Shop Red Tool classes. In this red tool

workshop at Makersmiths-Purcellville in the lower building’s Craft Room,

participants go over the safety and basic operation of the frame shop tools,

including the multi-material cutter, mat cutter, frame chopper, and

underpinner. If interested in learning to use this shop to make frames,

contact Dawn Martin at dawnandscottmartin@yahoo.com.

Leatherworking Skill Classes

Diane Bollinger is offering a series of leatherworking skills classes at Makersmiths Leesburg in August. Coming up are:

Leatherworking Skills- Finishing Edges on Aug. 6, 2025 https://makersmiths.org/event-6260698

Leatherworking Skills- Sewing and Stitches on Aug. 6, 2025 https://makersmiths.org/event-6260694

Leatherworking Skills- Setting Rivets on Aug. 6, 2025 https://makersmiths.org/event-6260693

Leather Armor Series- Bracers on Aug. 7, 2025 https://makersmiths.org/event-6260664

Make a Dopp Toiletry Bag on Aug. 12, 2025 https://makersmiths.org/event-6260658

Make a Guitar Strap on Aug. 12, 2025
https://makersmiths.org/event-6260685

Grant Writing Initiatives

The Grant Writing committee met online and discussed several grant

opportunities that might be a good fit for Makersmiths. Owen Doherty

signed up for a Virtual Meeting with the Dominion Charitable Grant

Foundation on Thursday, August 14 from 10-11 AM.

During this session, participants will learn about whether our organization

is eligible to apply for a grant from Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation

and if so, how to apply for a grant. Please contact Owen Doherty at

Owendoherty81@gmail.com if interested in joining him to learn more about

this organization and a possible grant opportunity. You will need to provide

our Tax EIN number to sign-up to join the meeting.

Workforce Summit and Job for a Day

Angela Fraser and Diane Painter

Angela Fraser, Work-Based Learning Resource Teacher from Loudoun

County Public Schools, has personally invited Makersmiths members to join

LCPS for two upcoming events that are central to the school system’s

mission of preparing students with real-world, relevant career skills.

Workforce Summit (October 24, 2025)

This annual summit brings together educators, students, and industry

professionals to foster meaningful partnerships and explore ways we can

work together to build our future workforce.

Job for a Day (November 19, 2025)

This signature experience connects high school students with local

businesses for a one-day career exploration. It’s a powerful opportunity for

students to "try on" a profession, ask questions, and make informed

decisions about their future.

Both events are incredible ways to engage with students and support

career-connected learning across Loudoun County. Our members’ time,

mentorship, and industry insight may make all the difference in a young

person’s life.

If interested in either of these initiatives, please contact

angela.fraser@lcps.org

Artists’ Reception at the Purcellville Town Hall

Diane Painter

On Friday, August 1, the Town of Purcellville honored Makersmiths artists

who have their artwork on display at Purcellville Town Hall’s art gallery in

July and August. The reception for the artists, their family members, and the

general public included a Q&A session where the artists explained how they

made their creations at Makersmiths. For example, Dave Painter explained

how he used a tablesaw to make a six-point elongated snowflake that was

then sliced to make snowflake Christmas ornaments.

Dawn Martin told us how she creates wool mushroom artwork. Russell Kelz explained that learning stained glass window making in his retirement has helped him to discover how relaxing this activity can be. Jim Waldron explained how he created displays using computer components. In one, he provides a magnifier to see how a computer memory chip displays a series of circles and colors that is very artistic. To see all the exhibits created by the eleven Makersmiths artists, please visit the Purcellville Town Hall Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM during the month of August.

Purcellville Artisans Tour

Our art gallery display at the Purcellville Town Hall for the summer is such

a hit that we were invited to be a STOP on the Purcellville Artisans Tour on

November 1 and 2. This means that we will be on the tour map of people

from Loudoun and beyond who will be stopping by artists' studios to see

their work and also buy items that are on sale. Learn about each of the tour

stops from this website: https://purcellvilleartisantour.com/artisans.

We would like to open the lower building at Makersmiths Purcellville to display

the ceramics, fiber art, paper art, metalwork, and stained glass created by

our members. We will need volunteers to offer items for display, to serve as

greeters to visitors, and to help us sell art items as a fundraiser for

ceramics and the lower classroom needs. If you have art items that we can

sell, please let us know. Please contact diane.painter@makersmiths.org

Education Initiatives

Getting to Know the Cricut

Diane Painter

Did you know that Makersmiths Leesburg has a Cricut Maker 3 (sewing

area in the main room) and Makersmiths Purcellville (under a counter in the

lower building classroom) has a Cricut Explore for members to use? For the

past two years, I gave Halloween haunted house workshops for those

wanting to enter Lucy Foxcroft’s Paperglitterglue.com Halloween House

contest. This year, there will be all kinds of fun things to make through the

2025 Great Halloween Spooktacular event.

Learn online all about the twenty days of Halloween paper crafting fun beginning August 10 at 2PM EDT. Each day, Lucy will introduce a brand-new Halloween project and share bonus crafts, tips, or techniques often related to that day’s project. It is totally free to join! Be sure to get your free ticket to attend.

Want to learn to use the Cricut? Contact me at diane.painter@makersmiths.org and tell me if you are a newbie user or have a Cricut and want to learn more about how to use it for all kinds of crafting ideas.

Stories

Well, Isn’t That Interesting?

Dilip Patel

How do you give directions to a location that does not have a street

address? And it may not be on a street? Use What3words.com – Visit https://what3words.com/about to learn more.

Want a challenge: Go to What3Words.com and then enter the three words as

shown in quotations below. Do not include quotation marks.

Exercise 1: What is located at “///cats.rounds.theme”

Exercise 2: What is located at “///electricity.rounds.assurances”

Exercise 3: One of the MakerSmiths members goes here “///expert.stomach.prominence” and here “///commit.expand.parted” to set up his telescope for astronomy.

Answer Hints: Weld Shop, Camp, Back Door, State Park.

How do you use it? Go to the What3Words.com, locate the square on their

map that you want to share, click on the square, click on the share button

on the side menu, copy the link, and then send the link to the person you

want to share that location.

What3words.com

What3words is a really simple way to talk about location. People use what3words to find their tents at festivals, navigate to B&B’s, and to direct emergency services to the right place.

Introduction to Electronically Assisted Astronomy (EAA)

Dilip Patel

We makers know how technology has lowered the barrier to entry to

machine-assisted arts and crafts. Using CAD/CAM, CNC, and Laser to

produce wonderful objects has become the norm. This impact of technology

is also true for amateur astronomers. You don’t need to haul large

telescopes and a box full of accessories out to the field, spend significant

time setting up the telescope, and then keep fiddling with the telescope to

make sure the telescope tracks the heavenly object you are trying to see.

Welcome to Electronically Assisted Astronomy (EAA). Telescope

manufacturers have integrated electronics and software control to make

astronomy accessible and expedient.

We will jump right into an excellent example of how technology has made

one of the EAA telescopes very accessible for any experienced-level

astronomer. Say hello to SeeStar S50! (Please note that I am not endorsing

this product or recommending this product. I am just using it as an

example. There are other similarly capable EAA telescopes. I just happen to

own this product. With this type of telescope, once you have downloaded

the app and have developed basic familiarity, you can set up and view the

first glimpse of a deep sky object (a galaxy, nebula, star cluster, star clouds,

etc., or even sun or moon) in less than ten minutes! This is possible because

the telescope is designed and integrated like a smartphone. The optics,

electronics, electric motors, Wi-Fi, imaging software, and the smartphone

app are developed to work seamlessly to a level that you tell the app which

object you want to see. The app, via Wi-Fi, tells the telescope where to look

and start collecting photons from millions of light-years away. The software

processes the image to give you a live image on your smartphone or tablet.

See figure 1- Image of M51 Whirlpool Galaxy. Whirlpool Galaxy is 23-30

million light-years away!

So, yes, in a matter of minutes, you can be an amateur astronomer taking

deep sky object images. And no, you didn’t even have to manually find the

deep sky object or keep tracking it since the SeeStar, using your

smartphone’s location data, orients itself and knows where to look. What

about light pollution? The SeeStar comes with a built-in light pollution filter,

so you can even take deep sky images from the middle of DC. What about

cost? Yes, it’s not cheap at around $550. There are similarly capable and

similarly priced smart telescopes out there. Alternatively, you can join

Northern Virginia Astronomy Club (NOVAC) for $35 a year, and then as a

member, you can borrow one of their two loaner SeeStar S50 telescopes for

a month at a time. Essentially, there are no barriers here! So, if you are

looking for inspiration for your next MakerSmiths’ project, don’t look

around, Look Up!

For makers, there are many other opportunities in astronomy, from hacking

software to modify telescope mounts, making carry cases/bags, to building

your own 3D printed telescope. However, since I haven’t done any of these

maker hacks, I can’t talk about it.