September 2024 Newsletter

Monthly Membership Committee Meeting

    MS-L September 15 6:30pm to 7:30pm

Leesburg Workday September 14 & 15 9am - 2pm

Check the white board in the main room for additional tasks

Purcellville Workday September 7 9am - 12pm

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

New Member Orientation

MS-L  9/9/2024 6:30-8:00 pm

register online

MS-P  9/23/2024 6:30-8:00 pm

register online

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President’s Message

Nedim Ogelman

Over the past several weeks I have focused my attention on getting to know
many of you at the Leesburg and Purcellville facilities, all the while observing and participating in some of the many activities. I enjoyed my first participation in the Leesburg Work Day and social gathering. I plan to be at the Purcellville Work Day next month. What a great way to meet members and get familiar with the spaces! I also attended the August Members Meeting and the Schedule Committee Meeting.

This past Sunday (August 25) I had an opportunity to meet some more members at the cabinet making class and the stained glass class, where I also took a novice’s try at soldering. I want to continue to familiarize myself with all things Makersmiths next month as well. However, what I am looking forward to the most is the 10-year anniversary party on September 29, at the Leesburg space. I hope you will be there to celebrate the organization’s founding anniversary and I look forward to meeting those who I have not yet met.

Best wishes,

Nedim Ogelman

Makersmiths Education Initiatives

Announcements

KidWind Coach Training

Makersmiths has offered a STEM program called KidWind for our youth since
2018. This is a national initiative to teach youth and their families about
clean energy as youth design, build, test out and showcase wind or solar
projects at KidWind challenges. Four Makersmiths members, Justin McMillen,
Maria Busuioceanu, Andrew Taylor and Diane Painter, assisted by members
Nick Richard and Oliver Arend coached one wind and two solar teams last
year. In total, 20 middle and high school boys and girls were involved in
KidWind from our organization. Each of our three teams did very well at the
Northern Virginia Regional KidWind Challenge in March 2014, and our high
school solar team (named La Wai) went to Worlds in Minneapolis and was
named the 2024 KidWind High School Solar Champions.

Because of our teams’ successes, each year we have new youth wanting to
join our teams. However, to keep our teams at a reasonable working size, we
are encouraging adult members to reach out to their children’s schools or
other nonprofit organizations such as 4-H clubs or scouts to form KidWind
teams. To do that, Diane Painter is offering coach training on Oct. 12 at
Shenandoah University from 8:30am-1PM. This will be a fun, hands-on build a
solar or wind project training. Please have any adult who likes to work with
youth and is interested in STEM initiatives to register for this FREE training.
They will also receive a wind or solar starter kit as part of the training.

For
questions, please contact the trainer, Diane Painter.

To register for the training, follow this link:  

Makersmiths’ Tenth Anniversary

Drop whatever you were planning to do on Sunday afternoon from 1PM to
6PM, September 29, and head over to Makersmiths-Leesburg and help us
celebrate the founding of Makersmiths in September 2014. This members’
party will feature our very own Chef Squirrl and his famous BBQ main dishes
of Jerk Chicken and Pulled Beef. Ken Fuentecilla has lined up live bands for
our entertainment, and several of our founding members will share stories
about Makersmiths that we are all dying to hear!  We are also planning raffle
prizes. Who knows? You might be a winner!

In order for the party planning
committee to know how many to expect, it is very important that you
register by Sept. 15 and tell us what side dish you are willing to bring.

Reminder to Check Before Coming

The scheduling committee tries to balance class needs with time for
members’ work to on projects. It is very important for members to check the
Makersmiths’ calendar on the website to see if classes are being held in the
space where you want to work on a project. We block off certain machines or
space locations when classes are held. As a reminder, the Purcellville
woodshop will have a cabinet-making class in the woodshop every Sunday
afternoon from 1-4PM from August 18 through September 15. The
participants are learning how to make professional grade cabinets, but their
hard work will benefit the organization because the cabinets will be going
into the Green Room at Purcellville-Makersmiths. Thank you for your patience
as we improve the space.

Miniature Halloween House Contest

Diane Painter

We are so excited to announce that PaperGlitterGlue.com will have its fifth
annual Miniature Halloween House Contest. Last year, Makersmiths had two
youth and three adults create miniature Halloween Haunted houses for this
challenge. How many of us will enter this year’s contest? The first day of the
contest is September 19, 2024. The contest closes at midnight on October
23. Prize awards will be announced by noon on October 27.

In preparation for this fun Halloween contest, Diane Painter is offering
Haunted Halloween House Cricut workshops on Sept. 21 in the lower building
classroom at Makersmiths-Purcellville. There will be two class offerings. Not
only will you learn how to use a Cricut to download and cut a haunted house
template of your choosing, but you will also learn some PaperGlitterGlue tips
for making twisted houses and texture paint for making houses look rustic
and spooky. You will also learn more about how to enter your house in the
contest if you want to do so.

The morning Class registration link is

https://makersmiths.org/event-5826045

The afternoon Class registration link is

https://makersmiths.org/event-5826064

Questions? Contact diane.painter@makersmiths.org

Makersmiths Artwork to be Displayed in Purcellville Town Hall

Oct 1 from 3-4PM is when Sally Soles and Diane Painter will be taking Makersmiths artwork to the Town Hall in Purcellville. Only artwork that was registered by the artists can be submitted.

Board of Directors Update

The Board of Directors met August 25th for our monthly meeting. We discussed several issues, including updates to the hourly rates on machines like the laser cutters and UV printer, starting garbage service at Purcellville, and preparing for the 10th anniversary parts at the Leesburg location. The new schedule of fees will be posted on the machines as well as on the wiki. The Board is also looking to bring on some leads for committees, including Marketing and Membership.

If you are interested in volunteering to help our space by supporting these efforts, please reach out to: boardofdirectors@makersmiths.org.

Fiber Laser at Makersmiths Coming Soon!

Makersmiths acquired a Fiber Laser that will be located in the lower building
Crafts Room with the Laser Cutter; at Purcellville. Jon White has more work to do before it is ready for to be used. He is creating an enclosure for it and applying a special film so you can see your project without burning your eyes. Special laser glasses also need to be purchased. Jon wants to attach accordion material on the back that adjusts with the height so everything is tightly enclosed, and cut holes for extraction and air assist. He will also prepare class slides for training purposes.

He is hoping that he will be able to start classes in mid to late September. In
preparation for learning how to use the fiber laser, Jon highly suggests
watching the Laser Everything LightBurn for Galvo Crash Course on YouTube.
Please skip the machine calibration videos, since Jon will calibrate the
machine correctly, but the rest like “Assigning Layers in Lightburn for
BEGINNERS” and “Lightburn for Galvo Hatching Basics” and “Exploring the
LASER tab and Framing in Lightburn...” videos are useful for anyone wanting
to use the fiber laser.

Jon states that the basic drawing functions are the same in Lightburn
between the CO2 lasers many people are already trained on, and the fiber
laser. The biggest difference with the fiber laser is that there are more
parameters beyond power, speed and interval on the CO2 laser that you
need for the fiber laser. Most users only run one pass, with one set of power
and speed settings on the CO2 laser. But when engraving metal, Jon
recommends doing multiple deep engraving passes followed by a cleanup
pass.

Jon is thinking of holding a “Bring your metal tool and engrave it with your
name!” demonstration day prior to offering classes, but no date for that has
been set.  If you have any questions, please direct message in SLACK Jon
White or Makersmiths member, Diane Bollinger, who knows how the machine
operates.

The Tinkercard Workshop

Robin Schenck

I was able to participate in the 4-session Tinkercad Workshop  this summer in
dual roles, I was a participant/student and co-facilitator. Diane Painter
planned out a phenomenal training plan and provided the most valuable
resources. As an educator myself, I am taking these materials back to my
school to aid in my work with and teaching students. This class was fun and
served both my personal and professional interests. There were five youths,
and three adults. One of the students was taking this to get ahead of his tech
ed class at school, and one of the adults was specifically taking the class to
aid in his professional role at work. It was neat to see the coming together of
ages and the merging of personal and professional goals.

The class focused on the free, web-based 3-D modeling program, Tinkercad.
Participants were able to follow along with instructional videos and at short
intervals, were given a task to try the new skill on their own. It was so neat to
see middle school students learning from the adults, the adults learning from
the students, and students teaching students. Everyone discovered
something on their own and were eager and excited to share it with the
group. Natalie’s wheels were turning as she was making connections and
plans for how she could use this knowledge in her designing a gear box as
part of a wind turbine KidWind project (also facilitated by Diane Painter).

Christopher (professional) expanded his understanding of Tinkercad to use at
work, specifically because the program has a circuit design platform. Shane
took the newly learned know-how of raising and lowering items along the Z-
axis to build a crime scene, which would leave any true crime junky envious.

The course covered a great introduction of view perspectives, orbiting,
panning, zooming, moving shapes, rotating, duplicating, shape manipulation,
scaling, text, grouping, algin and mirror tools, and cruising. Then things really
got exciting as we learned how to flip the workplane and use the ruler tool,
how to use holes (negative space shapes) to remove areas from other
shapes, create linear and circular patterns, duplicating patterns, spiral
structures, slicing, and how to import files and export files to print on the 3D
printers at Makerspace. Ethan (10th grade) was a master at the actual
printing process and was able to provide tips on temperature ranges for the
heat beds and was able to share other projects he created, with the group.

All students were able to print their final designs. We had a basketball hoop
(Natalie), a playful figure (Charlene), a traffic cone (Shane), compass rose
(Christopher), a dog (Moksha), model airplane to assemble (Ethan), garden
stakes (Robin), and the cutest pair of gummy bear earrings (Moksha). Diane’s
design parameters allowed for short print times, so most students were able
to leave with their item and could see what worked and were making some
critiques and changes of their design for their next print. Everyone left with
excitement and motivation to continue designing! This was a true
Makersmiths class, everyone sharing ideas, learning from each other,
celebrating creations, and inspiring others.

Meet New Member Michael Asaro

Michael Asaro has a degree in materials science and engineering and worked
as an engineer for many years. He has some experience working in a
machine shop, mostly making engineering prototypes. He likes to do a lot of
home improvement projects that span from woodworking, to electrical and
plumbing. His software experience is with SOLIDWORKS. As a past manager
at a non-profit community bike shop, he helped fix bikes and taught people
how to fix their bikes.

At Makersmiths, there are things that he would like to make and skills that he
would like to learn. For instance, he is looking forward to using the laser to
burn/etch some artistic patterns into some wood, and he has some jigs and
adapter pieces that he would like to 3D print for woodworking projects. Since
he likes to camp, he would like to build a custom kitchenette that can fit into
the trailer hitch on his car.  He is also interest in making homemade kitchen
cabinets.

Learning to use the 3D printers to do some "lost-PLA" castings that he has
never done is also on his interest list.  His other interest is ironworking,
whether that means with the blacksmithing or, welding.
Others interests are automation, robotics, and home electronics. He has a lot
of soldering experience, and a little experience working with an Arduino, but
he would like to learn a lot more about it.

Although he has a long list of interests, he says, “I very much jive with the
idea of shop class  as soulcraft because I love making things and
understanding how things work. I also like the "see it, do it, teach it" method,
so I would be happy to teach about anything that I already know or learn
about, though I don't have anything specific in mind at this point.”
In terms of his teaching experience, Michael spent a year as
a physics teacher teaching basic Newtonian physics, and another a year as a
middle school science teacher.

We welcome Michael to Makersmiths and hope that he is able to work his
way through his long list of “learn to do” items. Please feel free to reach out
to Michael on Slack and involve him in whatever project or initiative you are
doing that is along the line of both of your interests. As soon as he gets his
Makersmiths’ bearings, we hope that he will share his knowledge and skills
with other members.

Pedal Making Course

Peat Bilby

As I‘m sure many of you can probably relate, I have way too many hobbies
and projects. During COVID times, I purchased everything I needed to make
about 20 guitar pedals. I got everything I needed: a new soldering iron,
helping hands stands, and every part I needed. I did all the research,
watched tons of tutorials on YouTube and scoured every site I could find.  I
found myself in a familiar place; I had everything I needed, but where did I
begin?  So, life got in the way for a while.  Then “Poof!” on the Makersmiths’
website, a Create Your Own Distortion Guitar Pedal with Custom
Enclosure class appeared.  I was stoked! Finally, an opportunity to learn
how to build something from the ground up with like-minded folk.

Our instructor Chris Cook, guided us through the basics of electronics. Chris’
day gig is teaching, and it really came in handy when explaining the different
parts of guitar pedals.  For me, coming from a family of Electrical Engineers
(and not being one myself), I appreciate how clearly Chris explained each
component and its functionality.

We began with breadboarding (prototyping) our pedals and ensuring we had
proper connectivity and power throughout the process.

Once that was confirmed, we moved on to building the pedal. We used a
small circuit board where we added all of the components and soldered them
in place.  Throughout the process, we did a lot of troubleshooting.
      
To me, this was the most important part of the course.  To truly understand
where you went wrong and solve it.  We all had a few hurdles in the build
process, but in the end, we had a great Fuzz tone coming out of our pedals.  
In addition to learning how to design and build a pedal, I met some great
people and we’ve started a Pedal Making group in Slack.  I now have the
knowledge and confidence to build my pedals at home.  Thanks so much to
our great instructor, Chris Cook! Cheers to Makersmiths!

From #Whatcha_make_today

Sean Crane's Blacksmith Knife

Em Wang's Stickers!

Ken Fuentecilla's Makersmiths Stained Glass Window

Purcellville Flowers in Bloom

Dawn Martin

Here are a few photos of the flowers in Purcellville. There are also cosmos about to bloom. These are from Dahlia seeds I was given by a local lady named Olga. She lives in the neighborhood right behind our building.

Red Tool Classes are an important step in your Maker journey!

MS-L

MS-L BN2-20 Red Tool - Print Vinyl Stickers

9/06/2024 5:00pm - 8:00pm

MS-L Laser Cutter Rotary Tool Red Tool

9/07/2024 6:00pm - 9:00pm

MS-L Big Red CnC Operation

9/11/2024 6:30am - 9:30pm

MS-P

MS-P Red Tool Woodworking – Basics

9/11/2024 6:30pm - 9:00pm

MS-P Red Tool Woodworking-Advanced

9/12/2024 6:30pm - 9:00pm

Makersmiths runs on volunteers!

Consider teaching a class or holding a workshop! check out the #class_planning_and_requests channel on Slack and join a meeting to get some help with your idea!

Tool Authorization Groups

Dean Williamson

Makersmiths has lots of cool and useful tools, machines, and equipment.  Many of them require training or authorization before you can use the equipment.  The training can be as simple as an orientation, to a more formal “red tool” class, to demonstrating proficiency to the tool steward. Such mandatory training helps ensure that all users understand how to use the equipment properly and safely, thus helping to keep the equipment running smoothly and minimize maintenance downtime as well as ensuring the safety of our members.

Below is a link to the list of tools which require training and authorization from a Steward. Please contact the steward for more information about each tool. This list is not exhaustive of the tools available at Makersmiths and is updated regularly as we get new equipment or as needed:

By clicking above, you can view the most current list posted on the Makersmiths wiki. Consider checking it out, you might discover a new tool that you didn’t realize Makersmiths had.

Makersmith Board Officers

Did You Know...

You can find the newsletters from the last several years archived on our website?

Makersmiths also has a Blog, Instagram, and YouTube!

The Newsletter could always use some new blood - share your projects, pitch some article ideas, tell us about something cool you've seen in your Maker travels!

Makersmiths Leesburg: 106 Royal St SW, Leesburg, VA 20175

Makersmiths Purcellville: 785 S. 20th St, Purcellville, VA 20132