International Day of Kitty Twitty
Congrats to Maker Shed Product Development Sensei Marc de Vinck (and his adorable cat) for the coverage of his Kitty Twitty twittering cat toy in the UK’s Daily Mail.
Year: 2012
CNC Milling a Spherical Ice Mold
We have covered these spherical ice molds before. I have used one, myself, and they work pretty well. A chunk of ice is sandwiched between two halves of a metal mold, and fast conduction of heat away from the ice, through the metal, causes it to melt wherever the mold makes contact. The mold halves slide on rods to maintain their alignment, and gravity does the rest. With a mold that starts at room temperature, it only takes a few minutes to make a nice shiny ice sphere.
Project: Colorful Canvas Containers
By Sonya Nimri For those of us who have painted a wall or two, have an extra drop cloth lying around, and need containers for our craft supplies, this project cannot be beat. It’s economical, highly functional, and easily coordinated with your home décor. It’s just a bit of simple sewing combined with a good […]
MakeIt Labs in New Hampshire Shut Down For Code Violations
Nashua’s hackerspace MakeIt Labs opened last July but found its doors closed months later when city inspectors shut it down for code and permit violations like wiring issues, the failure to provide a handicapped-accessible toilet, and so on. Board member Adam Shrey described the situation in a blog post: [T]he city of Nashua paid us […]
How-To: Fabric-Covered Button Hair Accessories
Lydia from DreamPatch is a self-proclaimed “multitasking kinda of gal.” Eager to be able to use the notions that she makes in more ways than one, she came up a whole list of ideas for using her stash of fabric-covered buttons, and this hair tie tutorial is just one of them! Head on over to […]
The Tesla Valve: One Way Flow With No Moving Parts
Here’s yet another delightful mechanical curiosity from among Nikola Tesla’s nearly 300 known patents. Shown above is the sole drawing page from US patent #1,329,559, “Valvular Conduit,” issued 1920. You may have to stare at the upper section, for a moment, to figure out what’s going on: Flow from left to right, as illustrated, is against the valve’s bias—the stream is broken up and diverted in circular paths that return to interfere with each other. Flow from right to left, however, is not so impeded.
How-To: Make Your Own Leaf Skeletons
Perfect leaf skeletons look amazing in home decorating or decoupage projects, but it’s next to impossible to find one that’s fully intact outside. Though there’s something undeniably magical about finding one in nature, did you know that you can also make your own? Heather of The Other White House shared her leaf skeleton tutorial on […]