{"id":39853,"date":"2022-04-14T09:00:45","date_gmt":"2022-04-14T16:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=39853"},"modified":"2022-04-12T15:26:44","modified_gmt":"2022-04-12T22:26:44","slug":"tips-on-working-with-epoxy-clay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/tips-on-working-with-epoxy-clay\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips on Working with Epoxy Clay"},"content":{"rendered":"

Maker Update<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Gar\u2019s Tips<\/em>\u00a0are doing a giveaway! We\u2019ll be giving away 5 copies of my new book,\u00a0Tips and Tales from the Workshop, Vol 2<\/a>\u00a0and a grand prize of\u00a0Volume 1<\/a>, Vol 2, and the beautiful 3rd edition gift box of\u00a0The Maker\u2019s Notebook<\/a>\u00a0(one of my projects while I was at\u00a0Make:<\/em>). All you have to do is go to\u00a0this Maker Update episode<\/a>\u00a0on YouTube and leave a tip, tool, hack, whatever, in the comments. We\u2019ll select the winners from there.<\/p>\n

Tips on Working with Epoxy Clay<\/strong>
\n\"epoxyclay\"
\nIn this\u00a0SteadyCraftin video<\/a>, the always entertaining and informative\u00a0CrafsMan<\/strong>\u00a0offers up his favorite tips for working with epoxy clay. There are a few things I was aware of (and agree on), like using\u00a0silicone sculpting tools<\/a>\u00a0and letting the clay firm up a bit before working it. But I had never heard of\u00a0Safety Solvent<\/a>\u00a0(an alternative to using water to reduce the stickiness of epoxy clay) or why air-drying\u00a0Apoxie<\/a>\u00a0is superior to\u00a0Super Sculpey<\/a>\u00a0in many ways (doesn\u2019t need to be baked, it\u2019s easier to build upon, and it can be readily sanded). A miniatures sculptor from Games Workshop once told me that working with two-part epoxy putty was like sculpting with stale bubble gum. So, anything that can make that process easier is more than welcome.<\/p>\n

How Safe is a SawStop Really?<\/strong>
\n\"sawstop\"
\nEach year, more over 65,000 professional woodworkers and DIYers have an ugly encounter with a tablesaw. To address the dangers of these tools, a company called\u00a0SawStop<\/a>\u00a0created a tablesaw that instantly seizes the blade if it comes into contact with your fingers or similar meaty bits. This saw has been a game-changer in shop safety. But how reliable is its safety mechanism? Responding to common critical questions online about the saw,\u00a0Jonathan Katz-Moses<\/strong>\u00a0did some testing and recording<\/a>\u00a0using super slo-mo photography (19,000 FPS HD). The results are amazing, even when using a heavy, multi-blade dado stack.<\/p>\n

Maker Slang<\/strong>
\nJargon, slang, and tech terms from the many worlds of making.<\/em><\/p>\n

Dross<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 The solid impurities that float on the surface of low-melting-point metals like tin, lead, zinc, aluminum. Not to be confused with\u00a0slag<\/strong>\u00a0which is dross\u2019 liquid sibling.<\/p>\n

MIG like TIG<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 A type of MIG (Metal Inert Gas) welding where you greatly reduce the feed-rate of the wire and weld slowly so that you build up a glob of metal that you can deposit into the \u201clittle row of dimes\u201d that\u2019s the hallmark of TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welding.<\/p>\n

Schmoo<\/strong> \u2013 Slang term for any liquid or gelatinous substance oozing out of something that you\u2019re working on. \u201cRelease the schmoo!\u201d Popularized by the potty-mouthed YouTube maker, AvE.<\/p>\n

Using Plastic Razors on Resin Printer Screens<\/strong>
\n\"plasticrazors\"
\nI\u2019m a huge fan of\u00a0plastic razor blades<\/a>. First developed for the boating industry, these blades are great for removing stubborn stickers and labels and other gummy gunk from hard surfaces without marring them. So, I was thrilled to see\u00a0this application<\/a>\u00a0for using them to remove cured resin from a 3D printer projection screen after a spill. I use my blade almost daily. I will now keep one handy by my recently-acquired\u00a0Photon S printer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

TOYS! The iFixIt Precision Driver Set<\/strong>
\n\"iFixitdriver\"
\nSomeone on Facebook recently asked about a screwdriver set for electronics and similar precision work. I rushed to recommend the\u00a0iFixit set<\/a>\u00a0but several people had already beat me to it. This kit is so well thought out and designed, solidly built, with 64 bits of every configuration you\u2019re likely to encounter: Slotted, Phillips, Torx, Torx Security, Square, Pentalobe, Hex, five nutdrivers, and more. There is also a flex extension shaft and the lid acts as a small parts sorting tray.<\/p>\n

Book Recommendations<\/strong>
\n\"bookrecommendations\"
\nReader\u00a0Dale Grover<\/strong>\u00a0was kind enough to send me a copy of his book,\u00a0The Intentional Makerspace: Operations<\/a>\u00a0(co-written with\u00a0Tom Root<\/strong>). The two run\u00a0Maker Works<\/a>, a 14,000 sq. ft. space in Ann Arbor, MI. Anyone who\u2019s been involved in creating and maintaining a makerspace can tell you that there\u2019s a staggering number of moving parts involved. And we\u2019re not talking about the machines! So many challenges in getting, finding, and maintaining a physical space, recruiting and keeping members, teaching members how to use the tools, safety issues, organizing spaces that work well and encourage members to clean up and put their tools back, and on and on. This book thoughfully and methodically covers a lot of this (on both a meta and practical level). Most of the book is designed around the concept of SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures). They describe a SOP as similar to a recipe in cooking. A SOP identifies the issue being addressed, the ingredients required, and the steps to put it all together and achieve the desired goal.\u00a0The Intentional Makerspace: Operations<\/a>\u00a0is largely a cookbook for operating a makerspace. Any makerspace\/hackerspace\/communal shop, large or small, will find lots of enticing and inspiring recipes in this book.<\/p>\n

Shop Talk<\/strong>
\n\"shoptalk\"
\nWhen I published the piece \u201cWhat\u2019s the Deal with Flat Washers?\u201d in\u00a0<\/em>the last newsletter<\/em><\/a>, and included an image with a bunch of different washers, I knew I was in for some email. Several people, responding to the image not the article, ranted that lock washers don\u2019t really work, one person pointed out that a water-proofing washer is better known as a gasket, and people sent messages about the many washers that weren\u2019t in the picture. I knew I should\u2019ve just used a picture of common flat washers!<\/em><\/p>\n

Reader\u00a0<\/em>Reid Fisher<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0wrote in to say:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou might want to add that there are spring washers, which are intended to reduce wobble in a pivot. I realized this when taking apart a pair of hand garden pruning shears. The nut that adjusts the pivot has a spring washer, so the handles can still be moved, but without binding or wobble. They\u2019re the ones that look like a regular thin washer, but are bent. A friend replaced a lost spring washer with a flat one and couldn\u2019t get the handles to pivot right until we realized it needed a spring washer.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Cool Tools,\u00a0<\/em>KokoTheTalking Ape<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0said (and others emailed with similar):<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBesides the ones listed, washers have another purpose, which is to protect materials from the twisting action of the fastener, which can cause one piece to twist and misalign, or perhaps distort or damage it (say when you\u2019re screwing some canvas to a wood beam). Another purpose is to act as a standoff, to create space between the two pieces being joined.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steven Kelby Mclachlan:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe only lock washers that actually work are made by\u00a0Nordlock<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gareth’s Tips, Tools, and Shop Tales – Issue #116<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":39856,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[2371],"tags":[2372],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39853"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39853"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39853\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39864,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39853\/revisions\/39864"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}