Felt is a soft, warm, and beautiful material that is easy to make and use. Natural wool, simple tools, and a rewarding process have brought feltmaking into the repertoire of many artists. The creative results captivate crafters with very diverse aesthetics. As with any hobby, there are tons of wonderful fibers and supplies that make […]
This little robot is tough! Run by a single motor, the Co-Robot kit walks with a decidedly “angry” pace. If he falls over, he is able to pick himself up and continue marching about thanks to an amazing gear mechanism. up again! An awesome design with an amazing gear mechanism, he will not quit!
An “Advent wreath” is a horizontal wreath, traditionally with four candles which are lit successively to mark each of the four weeks of Advent in the liturgical calendar of some western-tradition Christian churches. Alexander Weber has produced a beautiful little electronic version which uses 4 LEDs, a coin cell, a coin cell holder, a paperclip, and an 8-bit microcontroller chip. It is light-responsive, and uses one of the LEDs in “reverse” mode as a photodiode to detect darkness. The LEDs flicker, and the number of LEDs lit at any point is cycled by briefly cutting the power. Awesome design.
This week in the CRAFT Flickr pool we saw: New sweater by Sirena con Jersey by Alícia, Tiny Thing Conversion Factory: Pandas to Gnomes by Mochimochi Land, Hand pieced pillow front by carriestrine, 2001: An Embroidery Odyssey by bushelsandapeck, Eyeball Monster Wreath by Sappymoosetree
I have written before about Thingiverse user fdavies’ ongoing project to produce a 3D-printer that requires no precision-ground shafting or bearings using printable hinged actuators based on the Sarrus linkage (Wikipedia). Why would you want to do that? Well, because precision shafting and bearings are currently beyond the abilities of most 3D printers, and if you can build the printer itself using printable substitutes for them, then you’re that much closer to a truly self-replicating home fab system. Keep it up, man!
Neil sent me this link to a cool trick for holding round-head screws while you cut the threads shorter. Cut a thin slit in a correspondingly-threaded nut, through one of the points. A rotary tool with an abrasive disk is probably a good tool for this. Then you can thread the screw in and grip the nut across the flats with pliers or a vise. Compression across the width of the slit will hold the screw firmly in place, and you can use the flat side of the nut to guide the saw.
This reversible cape and muff would be a charming way to bundle up your little tyke for the cold weather. Download a pattern and see how to make them over on Grosgrain.
