Where did that five months go?
Can you remember where you were on Wednesday 12th February? I can! Along with a mate, I pitched up to take a pre-membership tour of Nottingham Hackspace. I had no idea what to expect…..
Right at the start I met a mumbling urchin and a very mouthy donation box, both living in a very comfortable room crammed with old technology (which, I hate to admit, I can mostly remember from when it wasn’t old) and some books covering many diverse subjects. Then the tour itself left me absolutely amazed at how much stuff was there and how many groups of people were around deeply engrossed in having fun with “stuff” – if I remember correctly, one group was playing a war game and another was exploring some radio technology. I shan’t waffle about the tour or the general introduction to the Hackspace, as a great guide can be found here, along with lots about some of the tools that are available to use here.
The Hackspace does have some rules because unlike at, for example a gym, you won’t find qualified staff members around to police what is going on – in fact the Hackspace has no staff at all, with all the members encouraged to help keep it running. Seven elected trustees do a fantastic job of oiling the wheels and preserving the sanity, as Dee explains.
So, having done the tour, did I join up? Yes, you bet I did! I had no idea what I wanted to do, but had the strong feeling that there was going to be something.
Mothers’ Day
Soon after joining, it was Mothers’ Day with the usual challenge of what do you get for the mother who has everything already! My mate and I both have dogs (they are brother and sister) and our mothers both adore the dogs. One evening we were chatting and remembered that there was dye sublimation printing equipment at the Hackspace which would allow us to produce drinking mugs complete with pictures of the dogs. It took us a couple of goes to get it right, but the result was two delighted mothers.
Keeping the Kitchen Tidy
A very few tools at the Hackspace need an induction before you are allowed to use them – either for safety reasons, or because they are difficult to use. One of those is the laser cutter, affectionately known as Boxanne. After my induction, I went just a little bit mad and made around ten boxes, in various sizes, out of MDF.
Our new kitchen has loads of space, but the challenge of having space is that stuff just gets thrown inside the new cupboards. It is so nice now to see a place for everything and everything in its place, or should I say box!
But I didn’t stop there. The Hackspace also has a selection of 3D printers, so I learned how to use those and, of course, how to use the appropriate software to design what I wanted to 3D print and then “slice” it ready for printing.
With all this stuff, there is a lot to learn, but the Hackspace members are always very happy to chat and to share their knowledge and experience to help other people.
The next domestic challenge that I was given was to create a holder/dispenser for Oxo cubes (I’m sure other makes of stock cube are available!).
I was quite pleased with the result.
Then my mother-in-law decided that she would like one too, but with eight columns of cubes rather than two (I still haven’t dared to ask why!).
The software told me that the larger version would take around nine hours to print – and I wasn’t going to wait for that. So, plan B was to laser cut some more MDF, assemble it and then paint it white – yuk, it didn’t look right at all.
Then I had a light-bulb moment and realised that the laser cutter can also handle acrylic, so a few days later and the, way too big (in my view!), cube holder is ready to be delivered!
And, before anyone asks, no you don’t put any cubes down the central column – I may decide to cut another small piece of acrylic to block that off.
Electronics
Something I have always been interested in since I was at school, I just double-checked that on my school report from 1967.
I can solder a kit together, but wouldn’t really know where to start with a design from scratch (occasional production of magic smoke confirms that). I can also hand-solder small surface-mount components fairly well, but had never tried using a reflow oven. So, I was really pleased to do the “build an Arduino” workshop recently, as that focussed on using the Hackspace’s reflow oven to solder the components. I had absolutely no need for an Arduino, but something in my brain must have clicked as I am now using one in the context of my model railway. Talking of which……
The Model Railway
Yep, a retirement project to build a model railway in the garage. Still very early days, but I have used the 3D printer to print some small items of scenery to go on the layout. That has made me realise just how much there is to learn about how to use a 3D printer to best effect when printing very small, tricky pieces – again, there are loads of people willing to offer advice (and a sympathetic ear when the room fills with plastic spaghetti because something didn’t quite go according to plan).
I still have one baseboard to build and I don’t enjoy cutting loads of little holes into a piece of plywood.
I wondered whether Boxanne could help me and have now had a go at laser cutting that baseboard.
Until I get around to laying the track on the board, I will not know whether it has been a success, but I am feeling positive.
I also realised that model railways need cleaning, ideally with well-focussed suction.
So, back to the 3D printer to make a custom nozzle for my little vacuum cleaner.
What’s Next?
For me the space is about doing things that I haven’t done before, even if there is no real reason for me to do them – the classic “why?” question which prompts the “because I can” answer. Maybe it will be the computer-controlled embroidery machine, as being able to make nice fabric badges feels like a good skill to have.
I forgot to mention that I joined the Membership Team, as it felt like a good way to give something back to the Hackspace. That means that I sometimes lead people who are thinking of joining the Hackspace on their Wednesday night tour. So, if you are not already a member, come along to a tour – and I might just see you there!
Thanks for reading!