Demonstration by George Carlson of using 3D printed models to make metal castings using sand. The parts are upgrades for the TronXY X1 3D Printer.
“What is Air” Demonstration with George Carlson
“What is Air” presentation done at The MakerBarn 2nd Anniversary. Some experiments measuring air using a vacuum chamber. Footage from a GoPro.
Investment Casting at The MakerBarn
A demonstration of Investment Casting using a 3D printed model. The printer was a Wanhao D7 using Senertek Castable Resin.
Using the Dado Saw at MakerBarn
A tutorial on setting up and using the dedicated dado saw at The MakerBarn.
George Carlson’s Overview of The MakerBarn
George Carlson was interviewed at last year’s Houston Maker Faire by Spaceboy. It’s a nice overview of the history and philosophy of The MakerBarn. Video courtesy of SpaceboyUniverse on Youtube.
Sand Casting at The MakerBarn
The MakerBarn recently added the capability to cast non-ferrous metals. One of the simpler ways to cast metal is to use sand to make the mold. At the Barn we have Petrobond, a special sand mix for casting. This training video shows the making of a branding iron with “The MakerBarn” on it. First a pattern was cut from Corian using the CNC router. This pattern was used to make the sand mold. Scrap aluminum is then melted and poured into the mold.
Metalworking at the barn
Woodworking has always been a big part of the work going on at The MakerBarn, but now we are seeing more metal projects being built. With the completion of the machine shop, addition of powder coating, and the near completion of the welding shop, expect to see even more heavy iron at The MakerBarn in the near future. Jody Cochran is powder coating a small weldment used on the new miter saw table being built by Kyle Fraczek. It’s just a large washer with a 1/2″ nut welded in, but you could never find one at the hardware store. It’s used for mounting the feet on the large cabinet. Rob Nixon made this super dial indicator holder for the lathe. Made from 6061 aluminum, brass, and steel, it should last a lifetime. This is a special quick-clamp designed for the new welding table. It is a good example of offset … Read More
CNC Router Class
The CNC Router Class held on March 26 was a success. The class covered CNC (computer numerical control) in general, and specifically for the CNC Router. In the last half or the class, V-Carve was discussed and examples were done. V-Carve is the CAD/CAM software used for controlling the CNC router. It is a very powerful design program that can be used to generate DXF files for the laser cutters as well as G-Code to drive the CNC routers. The MakerBarn is fortunate to have a makerspace license for V-Carve which allows members to use V-Carve free of charge on their own computer. The next class will be held on April 23rd. There are only 8 openings, so be sure to sign up early. Contact George at geotekds@swbell.net for questions or reservations. This is a members only class, there is no fee for this class.
Welding and Fabrication shop almost ready
The welding and fabrication area is almost ready. The area is located in the South-East corner of the barn. It is about 14×20 feet, not real big, but should do well for our purposes. We covered the outside walls with steel panels, which assures there is no exposed wood in the shop. A six-foot high fence with a gate was built to control access to the area. An exhaust fan will be installed on the far wall to provide good air exchange. The area has it’s own electrical sub-panel, so installing power for welding machines should be easy. A bit more relocating the material on the west wall, and we should be able to start setting up equipment. We a very nice oxy-acetylene rig and also some equipment that members are willing to loan to get us going.
Powder Coating at The MakerBarn
With the completion of the downdraft table/powder coating booth, and the acquisition of a new oven, we now have the facility to do powder coating. Powder coating is a process where a dry powder-like paint is applied to a metal piece using electrostatic attraction. The piece is then baked in an oven, causing the powder to melt then polymerize into a very durable coating. Here’s an example. This is a butterfly cut from a piece of 1/4″ steel using a plasma cutter. The butterfly was cleaned and then blasted in the abrasive blaster to remove the mill scale and give a nice even surface for the power coating to adhere to. After this point in the process you should use gloves to protect the clean object from oils on your skin. Oils on the surface of the part are not good for the powder coating. The powder is then … Read More