Would you like to learn about lock picking? Come to our meeting Tuesday July 10th @ 7pm.
The meeting will feature a talk from a member of Toool.us (The Open Organization of Lockpickers), Steve Beck.
Steve will cover three topics, two of which are a little more hands on-ish, the first will be a basic lockpicking talk, the second will be a re-keying talk with a demo and the third will be about making your own picks with a demo.
Stick around after the talk for socializing and Makery Shenanigans.
At next Tuesday’s meeting (December 13th), we’ll be doing a pizza/potluck dinner. The idea is that everyone throw in a few bucks for pizza and bring whatever else they’d like to share. Food is planned for 6:30, but it’s a pretty casual sort of thing. Â If you’re interested, RSVP here.
The presentation for the meeting will be Dave, talking about the piezoelectric effect, and demonstrating how make Rochelle Salt (a piezoelectric material).
The piezoelectric effect is the linkage between an electric charge and the mechanical distortion of a material. It occurs in many materials, from crystals and ceramics to bone and DNA. We use the piezoelectric effect in many ways, but we most commonly encounter it in small speakers, audio pick-ups, and grill starters and lighters. Most commercial piezoelectric materials are engineered compounds that are relatively tough and exhibit a strong piezoelectric behavior, but are difficult to create for oneself. However, one of the earliest piezoelectric materials, Rochelle salt, can easily and safely be made at home, allowing us to explore the piezoelectric effect from the ground up.
Even if you’ve never been down to the Makery, or you’ll be a little late, please come join us!
Last night, the Makery hosted a Nerf Gun Mod contest, previously announced here. Â We had 5 total entrants, after a few people had things come up at the last minute, and about twice that many spectators.
Only Brandon and Eric made an attempt in this category; Â Brandon did a functional “pseudo-steampunk” mod (with an extended brass barrel and integrated laser sight), while Eric gave his Nightfinder a complete color revamp using Sharpie markers (Which did come off on his hands). Â Â Eric won almost unanimously, earning him an extra 10% in the distance competition.
The accuracy contest was run next, in a series of 8 rounds, with a point going to the entrant who could hit a whiteboard (At about 15 feet) closest to the center mark. The entrant with the most points won this category. Â The contest itself came down to a shootout between Brandon and Dave, (2.5 points each) with Brandon emerging victorious. Eric (2 pts) and Kevin (1 pt).
This contest measured total distance to rest, thereby including any beneficial or harmful rolling or tumbling that a dart did. A slight accuracy component was involved, in that if a dart went more than 75 feet or so, it had to clear a 5 foot wide doorway. Â The low ceiling also proved challenging to some contestants, as it limited the amount that a dart could be arced.
Distance was scored as “best of 8 darts”, with each entrant shooting all 8 in succession. Â Brandon’s was the only dart to clear the doorway, making him the winner. Â A few darts bounced off the wall, though. Â Eric’s 10% bonus (2.2 paces, very scientific) was enough to propel him into 3rd place over Dave, leaving the results Brandon, Kevin, Eric, Dave, Patrick.
Overall, Brandon was the supreme winner, having taken first place in both categories.  Even with a smaller-than-expected field, everyone involved had a great time.  Thanks to all involved for making last night a success! A few photos from the event are below.
The date has been set for the OMG open house and cookout — Saturday, June 25th. Things will run 11:00 am to 4:00pm (or how ever late people feel like staying). Food will be served at noon. RSVP to here
Hey all, we are currently trying to get a handle on what things people have and are planning on donating to the space.  Look to your right in Resources  for a google spreadsheet with current planned equipment donations. or click here!