{"id":38444,"date":"2021-05-27T09:00:16","date_gmt":"2021-05-27T16:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=38444"},"modified":"2021-05-25T10:51:54","modified_gmt":"2021-05-25T17:51:54","slug":"skill-set-working-with-a-block-mold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/skill-set-working-with-a-block-mold\/","title":{"rendered":"Skill Set: Working with a Block Mold"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sorry for the few-weeks interruption in newsletter delivery. I was putting my house on the market and it has taken up most of my waking hours. If there are any further hiccups in service over the coming weeks, please bear with me.<\/p>\n

Skill Set: Working with a Block Mold<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"My

My casting of a New Rock boots keychain.<\/p><\/div>\n

Because of the home sale, I have been unable to do the next step in our Skill Set series: making the block mold. If you\u2019ve cast an object using the single mold method, please\u00a0send it to me<\/a>. Above is the one that I cast. I did a quick priming, painting, and drybrushing to try and make it look close to the original. I\u2019m sure if I had sanded it, used metallic paint, and spent more time with it, I could\u2019ve gotten it a closer match. But overall, I\u2019m pretty happy with how it turned out.<\/div>\n
\"Paige

Paige Russell’s rubber ducky block mold.<\/p><\/div>\n

If you\u2019re following along here and have not made your block mold yet [raises hand], as always, refer to\u00a0Paige Russell\u2019s Instructables course<\/a>. After the block mold casting, we\u2019ll do a 2-part mold and then our first Skill Set series will be finished.<\/p>\n

What Skill Sets would you like to see in the future? I saw someone doing some first-time metal casting in a YouTube video recently and thought that might be a fun follow-up to silicone and resin molding and casting. Would others here be interesting in learning basic metal casting? If so,\u00a0message me<\/a>\u00a0(or with other Skill Set ideas).<\/div>\n

Safety and First Aid: Eye Wash Cups<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Always

Always have eyewashing saline and cups on hand<\/p><\/div>\n

One of my readers, in response to my piece on first aid kits in the shop, shared a recommendation for these\u00a0silicone eyewash cups<\/a>\u00a0that he keeps on hand. Unfortunately, I can\u2019t find the email to credit him. If this was you, please\u00a0message me<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Crimping Connectors<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Don't

Don’t skimp on the crimp.<\/p><\/div>\n

Although I\u2019ve been a casual electronics hobbyist for much of my adult life, I have never owned a\u00a0crimping tool or a crimping connector set<\/a>. In this\u00a0Collin\u2019s Lab Notes video<\/a>,\u00a0Collin<\/strong>\u00a0shows how to use such a tool and why.<\/p>\n

Retrobrighting Chucks<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Love

Love me some Chucks.<\/p><\/div>\n

Retrobrighting<\/a>\u00a0(or Retrobriting) is a process for whitening\/lightening old plastic computer cases and other consumer electronics enclosures that have dimmed with age. The formula is usually hydrogen peroxide mixed with some OxiClean and then left under UV light (aka the sun) for several hours (8 is often recommended for electronics enclosures). On the\u00a0VintageChucks website<\/a>, they applied the same technique on the sidewalls of a pair of old Chucks, mixing\u00a0salon-grade hydrogen peroxide<\/a>\u00a0cream with\u00a0OxiClean<\/a>\u00a0and leaving the sneaks in the sun for three hours. The results speak for themselves.<\/p>\n

Making Tools from Concrete Nails<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Via

Via The Machinist’s Workshop.<\/p><\/div>\n

My friend and former Make: colleague,\u00a0<\/em>Sean Ragan<\/em><\/strong>, sent this excerpt from\u00a0<\/em>The Machinist\u2019s Workshop<\/em><\/a>\u00a0to me:<\/em><\/p>\n

Concrete Nails<\/strong><\/p>\n

by Don Peterson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Over the years, I\u2019ve made a number of tools from concrete nails, which are made from high-carbon steel and hardened.<\/p>\n

From left to right, they are: a .15″ diameter punch, a 1\/8″ punch, a prick punch, a 3\/32″ punch, a recessed punch (for driving finishing nails \u2013 the punch can\u2019t slip off), and a center punch. Heat the tip of the nail red hot with a propane torch and it will be machinable after it slowly cools. To reharden, heat and quench, then temper to a straw color.<\/p>\n

The prick and center punches can be ground without the need for annealing. Be sure to grind a flat on the heads of the tools to keep them from rolling off the bench.<\/p>\n

Putting “Smart Straws” on Your Shop Aerosols<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Apparently

Apparently these new straws are “smart.”<\/p><\/div>\n

A while back, I wrote about the ol\u2019 faithful way of attaching the WD-40 straw to the can with a rubber band. This is a proto shop \u201chack\u201d for sure. Of course, readers were quick to point out these newfangled\u00a0WD-40 cans with \u201csmart straws\u201d<\/a>\u00a0(aka a permanently attached straw). I\u2019ve seen several people online point out that, when your WD-40 is gone, you can reuse these smart straw tops on other shop aerosols. All you need to do is pop the cap off of the D-40, remove the cap from another spray, and pop on the smart top.<\/p>\n

Life Hacks<\/strong>
\nWhen\u00a0Cool Tools<\/em>\u00a0mastermind\u00a0Kevin Kelly<\/strong>\u00a0turned 68 last year, he published a list of\u00a068 unsolicited bits of advice<\/a>\u00a0(and not a single one was \u201cHey, you kids, get off my lawn!\u201d). For his 69th birthday, Kevin published another advice list,\u00a0this time of 99<\/a>\u00a0(no repeats, no filler). Many of these are quite lovely, useful, and wise. Here are some of the more practical bits for DIYers.<\/p>\n

\u2022 That thing that made you weird as a kid could make you great as an adult \u2014 if you don\u2019t lose it.
\n\u2022 If you have any doubt at all about being able to carry a load in one trip, do yourself a huge favor and make two trips.
\n\u2022 Learn how to tie a bowline knot. Practice in the dark. With one hand. For the rest of your life you\u2019ll use this knot more times than you would ever believe.
\n\u2022 If something fails where you thought it would fail, that is not a failure.
\n\u2022 If you borrow something, try to return it in better shape than you received it. Clean it, sharpen it, fill it up.
\n\u2022 A multitude of bad ideas is necessary for one good idea.
\n\u2022 Always cut away from yourself.
\n\u2022 When brainstorming, improvising, jamming with others, you\u2019ll go much further and deeper if you build upon each contribution with a playful \u201cyes \u2014 and\u201d example instead of a deflating \u201cno \u2014 but\u201d reply.<\/p>\n

See the\u00a0full list here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Maker’s Muse<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"I

I think I hear a cricket 100 yards away eating its lunch.<\/p><\/div>\n

Architecture students built giant megaphones in Austria to listen to the sounds of nature<\/p>\n

Shop Talk<\/strong>
\nIn response to my\u00a0<\/em>piece on shop gloves<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>Jason Duerr\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>writes:<\/em><\/p>\n

It took me about 5 boxes to figure out that I prefer Ammex as a brand. Ammex makes X3, Ammex, and Gloveworks brand gloves.<\/p>\n

I haven\u2019t tried the\u00a0X3 3mm gloves<\/a>, but the\u00a0Ammex \u201dProfessional\u201d 3mm<\/a>\u00a0are my go-to in my studio and the kitchen..<\/p>\n

I also keep a box of the\u00a0orange Gloveworks 8mm<\/a>\u00a0in my workshop for when I need something that will put up with more abuse and\/or have a grippier surface.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

In response to my piece on first aid in the shop, reader\u00a0<\/em>Tom<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0recommends\u00a0<\/em>this video<\/em><\/a>\u00a0on the always-excellent Stumpy Nubs channel. Tom is right. This video is great and the list of first aid supplies covered are very sensible and thorough. I especially like the\u00a0<\/em>wall-mounted first aid cabinet<\/em><\/a>\u00a0he recommends.<\/em><\/p>\n

And,\u00a0Joz Jonlin<\/strong>\u00a0writes:<\/p>\n

I spent decades working in Fire\/EMS services and for most of that time, places I worked used\u00a0Plano fishing tackle boxes<\/a>\u00a0for EMS responses. They were nothing but tackle boxes branded with a star of life logo so they could jack the price up to as much as $240.<\/p>\n

<\/div><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gareth’s Tips, Tools, and Shop Tales – Issue #89<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13684,"featured_media":38446,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[2371],"tags":[2372],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38444"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13684"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38444"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38453,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38444\/revisions\/38453"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38446"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}