It’s always a pleasure when a maker that we’ve met at Maker Faire turns up in an unexpected place. That’s just what happened this week when Maker Faire Bay Area maker Leif Maginnis was put to the test on the History Channel show Assembly Required. Last we saw his work, he was busy in the MFBA 2018 Dark Expo Hall with his Light Bodies exhibit, an interactive light sculpture using motion sensors, lasers, and phosphorescence to capture eerie outlines of bodies in motion.
This time, he was competing against other talented makers for the chance of a prize. The challenge: a dog house. Watch the full episode (#4) and check out Leif’s winning, ultra-modern canine palace as well as the other stellar entries.
This is not the first time Leif has joined a maker-focused reality TV show. Back in the early 2000’s he competed in, and won, an episode of Monster House. After spotting him online, we caught up with Leif to find out what he’s been making since we last met up at Maker Faire.
First and last name:
Leif Maginnis
Where are you located?
Los Angeles, CA
What is your day job?
Maker, Fabricator, Welder
Do you attend a makerspace/fablab/hackerspace?
Find Leif on Instagram
What kinds of stuff do you make?
Small precision things from brass, stainless, and titanium.
How did you get started making stuff?
Art school!
What is something that you’ve made that you’re really proud of?
A titanium dice set.
What is next on your project list?
Infrared video of welding
What is something you’d like to work with but you haven’t yet?
High speed camera for build videos.
Any advice for people reading this?
There is no excuse to not know stuff. You can learn basically anything from watching videos online. Before the internet, learning new skills or doing research often meant spending lots of time at a library. It was incredibly inefficient compared to what is available now. Take advantage of it!
Or show others how to do something…
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