May 2025 Newsletter

Monthly Membership Meeting

  (Online) 5/07/2025 7:30 - 8:30 pm

Leesburg Workday: 5/31/2025 9am - 2pm

(If you can't make it on the day, a list of lite duty Volunteer

Opportunities is always posted in the Main Room)

Purcellville Workday: 6/07/2025 9am - 12pm

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

New Member Orientation

(register online)

MS-L  5/06/2025 6:30 - 8:00 pm

MS-L  5/20/2025 6:30 - 8:00 pm

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Announcements

President's Message

Nedim Ogelman

Friends and Fellow Members,

I hope this note finds you well and that you are as excited as I am about the journey ahead for Makersmiths. This week on Wednesday, May 7, at 7:30 pm, we’ll gather—both in person and online—to hear from four dedicated candidates wanting to represent you on the Board of Directors. This meeting is a great opportunity to hear from each of them, what they envision for our community, and how they plan to help us grow stronger together.The members of the Makersmiths Board of Directors champion our mission by guiding strategy, safeguarding our values, and turning bold ideas into meaningful action.

When fellow members volunteer their time and talents to serve, they amplify every voice in our Makersmiths community—driving innovation, fostering trust, and ensuring we all thrive.  These are the Makersmiths volunteers who set policies, approve budgets, and appoint members to leadership roles like steward, treasurer, and president.Please join us for this important conversation. Bring your questions and ideas, and join us at the Makersmith’s Leesburg location at 106 Royal St SW, Leesburg, VA 20175, or online at: http://meet.google.com/ubz-ykxr-kiu

Your voice—and your vote—will decide which of these outstanding candidates will help guide us toward our future. I look forward to seeing you this Wednesday at 7:30pm, virtually or in person.Your engagement, curiosity, and thoughtful vote ensure a resilient and informed Makersmiths, and gives us the opportunity to Be Excellent to Each Other.Best wishes,Nedim

Board of Directors Update

Scott Silvers

Highlights of actions taken by the board:

• Accepted a grant from Microsoft for service in the Azure cloud. The current plan is to use this for RAG AI development.  Interested members should join the #ai and/or #electronics channels on Slack.
• Approved the selection of a Non-Profit Tax Attorney to provide guidance to the Treasurer and the Board regarding a variety of financial questions
• Appoved the purchase of a new controller for the CNC Plasma Table at Purcellville.
• Approved the purchase of two Bambu Labs X1C 3D printers with AMS units.
• Approved several updates to the Standing Rules and Bylaws to improve consistency of terms and incorporate feedback from our CPA.

From the Secretary: Annual Election Update

Voting in the Annual Election will begin after the Membership Meeting on May 7th and continue until the start of the Annual Meeting of the Membership on June 4th.  We have four candidates running for the two seats on the board of directors for the 2025-2028 term.  The candidates are Diane Bollinger, John Carter, Brad Hess, & Jim Waldron. The candidates will have an opportunity to address the membership at the May 7th Membership Meeting.

We will be using OpaVote again to conduct the election. Please make sure your email address is up to date in your profile on the Makersmiths website. You will receive an email from OpaVote that will contain a link to your ballot. Voting is anonymous, only the results are provided back to us.

Per our bylaws, we must have at least 1/3 of the voting members of the organization participate for the vote to be official. We currently have 288 voting members identified in our database, which sets quorum at 96. Every vote counts so please keep an eye out for the email from OpaVote.

Meet the Candidates

Emma Pinto

This week, on May 7th, Makersmiths will hold a meeting to hear from the
candidates for the open positions in our Board of Directors. Please see Nedim’s “President’s Message” for details on that meeting. Here’s a quick glimpse into each candidate, and if you want to hear more, we will see you on Wednesday!

Brad Hess:

Brad is a founding member of Makersmiths and a long-serving board
member, committed to the organization's mission of growth and community
engagement. With deep institutional knowledge and professional leadership
experience, he is seeking another term to help navigate key challenges ahead. His priorities include strengthening Makersmiths’ financial foundation to support new and existing equipment, building reserves toward purchasing a permanent facility, and securing long-term leases at the current locations in Leesburg and Purcellville.

Diane Bollinger:

Diane has been an active Makersmiths member for over two years. Initially
joining for access to specific tools, she quickly became involved in the community through teaching, volunteering, and committee work. She is the current Registrar and serves on the Scheduling, Curriculum, Marketing, and Grant committees. She also volunteers as steward of the Sublimation area, the BN2-20, the UV Printer, and Leatherworking. With over 15 years of experience in sublimation and a background in graphic design, she has taught numerous classes that have generated over $13,000 in revenue for Makersmiths, with nearly $5,500 in net profit directly supporting the organization.

She has attended nearly every Board of Directors meeting over the past year, despite not being a board member, to stay informed and involved. She has run a successful small business for over a decade, creating and selling handcrafted products using techniques like sublimation, laser cutting, and leatherwork. Now stepping back from her business, she is focused on teaching and contributing to Makersmiths and is running for the Board of Directors to help the organization grow, thrive, and provide more opportunities for members.

Jim Waldron:

Jim is seeking to return to the Board of Directors after previously serving
and currently filling in for a resigned member. He wants to help address ongoing challenges and support the continuation and implementation of new projects.

John Carter:

John is a deeply involved and passionate member of the Makersmiths
community, serving in multiple roles including Instructor, Tool Steward, Shop
Steward, Site Steward, and active committee participant. His commitment stems not just from a love of tools and learning, but from a strong desire to support and connect with fellow members. Having personally benefited from Makersmiths, e.g., gaining access to equipment, developing new skills, and growing professionally, he now dedicates much of his energy to improving the daily experience for all who use the space. As a Board Member, he pledges to make thoughtful, inclusive decisions focused on the well-being and growth of the entire community, in line with the organization's core values as a member-run space.

Marketing Initiatives

Diane Painter

Here is my take on why I think it is important for Makersmiths to be involved in community events such as these. First, at both sites Makersmiths members came together to promote the organization. In doing so, they talked with one another, shared stories and reminisced about experiences they have at Makersmiths with those who stopped by to learn what we are all about. Second, by being visible in community events, we make meaningful connections to other community people and groups. For example, the booth next to ours was manned by the Girl Scouts.

Makersmiths member, Carol Grigg, talked with a scout mother about our sewing circle and sewing classes. Purcellville’s town lawyer stopped by our booth and told me the town is thrilled to have us as a tenant in the space we occupy on South 20th Street. Another woman shared with me how she supports foster teens and adoptive families. She is working with an 18-year-old boy who wants to learn maker skills! Right now our Marketing Committee needs a chairperson.

The Marketing Slack Channel has 36 members, and along with others in our organization, a chairperson will find folks willing to help with other community events such as the Bluemont Fair, Purcellville’s fall Tag Sale, etc. Please let us know if you are willing to help us better connect with our communities and become our next Marketing Chairperson! Contact Jon White, our Board of Directors Chairperson, or Nedim Ogelman, our president.

AI & Cloud Night at Makersmiths

Rob Donahue

Diane Painter

on display and participate in a Q&A.

Please follow this LINK to access the online application. Diane Painter will put out a call in June to receive your artwork at MSL and MSP and she will volunteer to arrange your artwork in the gallery. Of course, she would love a volunteer or two to help me when we need to arrange the items in the gallery!

Please contact

Amy Copley

Makersmiths is excited to highlight our expanding lineup of Make and Take
classes, offering a wide-ranging selection of skills such as leather working,
sublimation, UV printing, pen turning, sewing, soap making, Adobe
Illustrator, electronics, ceramics, and many more! With summer
approaching, it’s the perfect opportunity to inspire creativity and learning
through engaging workshops for both adults and children.

We strongly encourage all members to consider becoming instructors—sharing your unique talents not only enhances our community but also provides a deeply rewarding experience for you personally. Whether you're ready to teach solo or prefer to co-teach with others, our team is here to support you in developing your classes, providing guidance, and ensuring you feel confident every step of the way.

Our goal is to have a variety of classes from all departments on the calendar, ideally posted one or two months in advance to allow for effective marketing and full enrollment. This is a wonderful way to connect with local community members, promote your skills, earn volunteer hours, and help generate revenue—all in support of Makersmiths’ mission to outreach and serve our community through education and creativity. So don’t hesitate—join our #class_instructors channel on Slack or contact Amy Copley to discuss your ideas. Your expertise can inspire others, and together, we can make Makersmiths an even more vibrant hub of innovation and community outreach. We look forward to seeing the fantastic classes you’ll create and supporting you in sharing your passions!

Education Initiatives

Diane Painter

Mentoring at Makersmiths

Makersmiths members also work with students in our community who need
mentoring support to complete STEM projects for science fairs or class
credit. This year, Diane Painter and Robert Johnson mentored Jocelyn Ro, a
third-year student at Oakton High School who completed an AP science
project entitled, What’s Optimal? Jocelyn wanted to know if blade shape
made a difference in how small turbines perform when generating
electricity.  Makersmiths’ 3D instructor, Robert Johnson, worked with
Jocelyn to 3D print three sets of blades she designed in Tinkercad. Diane
Painter provided logistical support by working with Jocelyn to test her
blades in Makersmiths’ wind tunnel, recording data through a Go-Direct
sensor and software program called Graphical Analysis by Vernier. The data
showed that the cambered blade performed the best.

On April 22, Diane Painter attended Jocelyn’s AP project presentation at
Oakton HS. She gave an outstanding presentation and answered her
teachers’ questions with confidence and enthusiasm. What is the take-away
from this experience? Jocelyn has been involved in KidWind activities with
Makersmiths since she was in 7th grade. Because of her experiences
creating, making, testing and reporting on KidWind projects for a number of
years, she has decided that she wants to become an engineer and work in
the renewable energy field. Her teachers at Oakton High School learned
about KidWind and Makersmiths as community supports for students.
Please let Diane.Painter@makersmiths.org know if you are interested in
becoming a Makersmiths mentor. Each year we get calls from schools and
students looking for a mentor.

Makersmiths’ KidWind Program Recognized in Partnership with
LEEA

Diane Painter

The Loudoun Environmental Education Alliance (LEEA) is a 501(c)(3) non-
profit group made up of environmental organization members that provide
programs, events, and resources that help Loudoun students and families
connect with nature. The LEEA board has approved Loudoun Makersmiths
(KidWind) for community partner membership. To learn more about LEEA’s
mission, vision and strategies to promote environmental stewardship, visit:
https://loudounnature.org/about/mission

One of LEEA’s initiatives this year was the The 2025 Student Environmental
Action Showcase.  Two of our Makersmiths’ Kidwind solar teams, Andrew
Taylor’s middle school team called HDP, and Justin McMillen and Maria
Busuioceanu’s Sub-4 solar team, displayed their projects at this showcase
on May 2 from 5pm to 8pm at the Academies of Loudoun cafeteria. Both
projects drew a crowd of parents and students to learn how KidWind
teaches students about the importance of renewable energies to help with
sustainable environmental practices.

Stories

Solidworks License

Jim

Makersmiths to get a free Solidworks license.

while to learn to navigate around the application.

I’d suggest a Udemy.com course to learn how to use it. Register with them and you can search for Solidworks courses.

(By registering the course prices drop to around 14 bucks.)

I kind of like the Complete Solidworks Beginners Course.

You can preview it here:

https://www.udemy.com/course/solidworks-beginners-course/?couponCode=JUST4U02223

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE WHOLE TUTORIAL!

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

MS-L

Woodworking Red Tool

5/07/2025 6:00pm - 9:00pm

Sublimation Printer Red Tool

5/23/2025 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Wood Lathe Red Tool

5/14/2025 10:00am - 1:00pm

Print Vinyl Stickers Red Tool

5/19/2025 6:00pm - 9:00pm

MS-P

Woodworking Basics Red Tool

5/08/2025 6:30pm - 9:00pm

Welding (Gas Basic Workshop) Red Tool

5/17/2025 10:00am - 12:00pm

Woodworking Advanced Red Tool

5/18/2025 1:00pm - 3:30pm

Metalworking Basics Red Tool

5/21/2025 6:00pm - 8:30pm

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

Board Name/Officer | Position | Term

Brad Hess | Board Member | 2022 - 2025

Bo Wernick | Board Member/Secretary | 2024 - 2027

Scott Silvers | Board Member | 2023 - 2026

Evin Grano | Board Member | 2024 - 2027

Jonathan White | Board Member/Chairperson | 2023 - 2026

Jennifer Chu | Board Member | 2024 - 2027

Nedim Ogelman | President | 2024 - 2025

Mary Waldron | Treasurer | 2024 - 2025

Jim Waldron | Board Member | 2024 - 2025

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