Would anyone (other than me) be interested in a class on brazing metals? Welding is great but brazing looks like it might do a similar job on some pieces (even aluminum ones) while requiring less training/practice/equipment. The little bit of reading I've done about it suggests that a $40 Mapp gas torch from Wal-Mart is all that's needed (aside from flux, wire and safety equipment) for small pieces, and larger pieces could be brazed with the OA gear.

I have been looking online and am tempted to try it. Has anyone on this list actually done it?

Thanks,

Alan

I'm trying to reverse engineer a circuit board by drawing it up but it's hard to see the copper lines on the board due to a layer of screen printing... Does anyone know what I can put on the board to remove this coating without damaging the copper lines?

I am looking for a font to use on the laser in vector mode. For large graphics I usually pick any normal true type font, select no fill and a hairline outline. For small graphics this results in something difficult to read.

What I'm looking for is a simple font constructed out of single lines as if you were writing with a very thin pencil. No matter how big or how small, the thickness of the letters should remain the same.

Does anyone know of anything like that? I've read discussions about similar font issues for things like the ShopBot but don't know of any specific results.

Thanks!

Matt Plonski

Does anyone have suggestions of resources (books, websites, etc) to help improve my corel draw skills? Most of the books assume you want to make website artwork, but I am using it mostly with the laser at Techshop.

Most of the useful tips I have picked up from talking to people at Techshop. So does anyone here have suggestions for how to be more productive (with less swearing) in Corel Draw?

Thanks in advance,

Alan

Thanks to TechShop, I finished my platter plans for the holidays with these six offerings. All are in the 11-12″ range and have been laser etched with family names and dates — weddings and birthdays — to personalize them.

After watching a Mike Mahoney demonstration on heirloom pieces, I got the idea to create platters that could serve to honor families in much the way we used to mark the inside cover of old bibles with the birth of each new child.

These are designed to be somewhat functional platters, but really intended to be displayed on the mantel or left on the family dining table to be seen, not filled.

I used the Epilog laser at TechShopRDU to etch the pieces after spending several hours planning the presentation and process.

You can read the blog post if you want the full details of the etching process.

-- Norm

I'm thinking of making a photographic accessory which would attach to the front of a lens by the filter thread.

I haven't been too successful finding the specifications for filter threads. Does anyone have an online reference or know what say a 62mm filter thread maps to in something I can find in Machinery's handbook or the like.

Here's an unusual proposition: I want hire a skilled machinist for perhaps 6-8 weeks of steady work. Bridgeport, CNC, turning, surface-grinding, etc.

But I have no equipment. Nor do I have a floating corporate Techshop membership. So I would need to hire somebody that has a current membership, or is at least already "checked out" on the equipment.

Ideally, this person would be comfortable with CAD (Pro/E or SolidWorks) so he could look at existing 3D models, advise the design-engineers in case anything is troublesome, and then go ahead and make the parts.

If you know anybody that sounds like a good fit, please send him my way. kevin.carpenter@porticos.net

TechShop recently purchased a lathe tool sharpening jig for the grinder in the woodshop and we're looking forward to maintaining better-quality tools because of it.

After completing the setup Nathan started last night, I spoke with Evan about how we should manage this resource and make sure the tools stay sharp.

The idea is that, like other TechShop tools, no one should use that grinder setup without first taking a specific SBU. While the primary purpose is to ensure the usual safety precautions, this would also help us maintain a quality grind on all the shared tools and keep anyone from damaging them.

It's not rocket science, but using the jig improperly could damage and shorten the useful lifespan of the lathe tools TechShop has acquired. I think an SBU for using this could be a one-hour class -- tops.

Evan suggested we put a lock on the grinder plug to make sure users would need to seek front-desk access to the device and ensure only staff and other trained members can use it.

Members who haven't taken the SBU would have to rely on the current state of the tools or ask TechShop staff to sharpen them.

Open to anyone's thoughts on the matter. Would you take a class on lathe tool sharpening?

-- Norm
WeekendTurner