I really like candle making. Despite the mess, the cost of materials, the burns, and the constant fear of spilling hot wax over everything I hold dear, it’s completely worth it. If you remember, a long time ago I made a set of candles cast from impala horns. I’ve wanted to do more projects like this, especially as I ramp up to doing an absurd huge candle project based on much larger and more elaborate horns.
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After many trials and tribulations, false starts and disappointments, I have designed, made, and sent off the most complex and difficult of the Anywhere Organ Kickstarter rewards. This was the last of the rewards, which means that the long and winding process of fulfilling my campaign promises for the Anywhere Organ can now switch from making rewards to growing the instrument.
Many of you will be familiar with the tall, elegant Sapporo steel Sapporo can pictured on the right. It’s a lovely tapered pint glass shape, with subtle creases every half inch along its surface. You might be curious as to why cans are almost never this shape, how the standard beer can is made, and what sets this one apart from a manufacturing perspective. In this post, I’m going to hunt through the clues left on the can itself to diagnose how this thing was made, and how the manufacturing process elegantly dictates the product’s final form.
The story of the standard aluminum can is fascinating. It goes from a simple disc of aluminum metal to a fully formed can in a scant few steps. How It’s Made has done a very complete diagnosis of the process, and The Engineer Guy has a brilliant video describing the function of the pull tab. However, the process for making one of them has almost nothing to do with the construction of one of Sapporo’s steel cans.
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So, after some trial and error, I finally have some lovely TARDIS rings to show off. They’re cast from a high resolution 3d print generated in SolidWorks. One of the beautiful bits about using a CAD program to drive the design is that I can change the proportions of the ring, shank, and TARDIS independently while keeping it within some attractive, reasonable proportions.
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After seeing protests erupt all over the world I wanted to make something that could change the game a little. I want people to be able to protest with OWS without the risk of being fired for showing solidarity. I wanted to make something useful, portable, something that could make the biggest difference to the most people. I came up with this mask.
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As a follow up on my previous post, I’d like to show you how the door for Pork Pie Hatters looks all installed on its building. After many hours, repeated calls to the contracting dispatching depot, bribes, and stress everything’s settled. Now there’s a beautiful, stylish, and above all functional door on the front of that business.
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It’s interesting seeing friends from long ago reaching that age where they become the people that they’re going to be for the rest of their lives. I’m seeing people unfold, becoming adventurers, business owners, makers, builders, and thinkers. It’s exciting.
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In just a few days I’ll be revealing the fruits of an effort that has lasted months. I’ve designed some adorably tiny TARDIS and Dalek rings for your wearing pleasure, and the final silver castings will be arriving before the ides of October.
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Look at this. The folks from Dangerous Prototypes are totally rolling with the Hackerspace Passport train. It’s beautiful watching the stamp design progress on their forum. Their design features a check box for the continent where the visa was applied and a line for the location and notary’s signature.
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