#MakerMonday | DIY Fiesta Medal

If you’re from San Antonio you’re all too familiar with Fiesta -- from the parades to the craziness of collecting Fiesta medals. Fiesta is definitely a time to embrace your creative side. Although official Fiesta medals are pretty cool collectors items, as makers we like to take things from a DIY approach. This past week, Make San Antonio team member, Jennifer, made a few limited edition DIY Fiesta medals for attendees of our Second Saturday Makers Showcase art show. If you were one of the lucky few to grab a medal … congrats! If not, we have you covered. Below is a quick instructional on how to make your very own Fiesta medal. 

Materials
aluminum bottle caps
flat-head screwdriver
hammer
mallet
scissors
straight tin snips (or hacksaw blade, wire cutters)
hard working surface
hot glue gun (and, glue sticks)*
bar pins (I used 1 in.)
fabric ribbon
Dremmel grinding stone (or sand paper)
permanent markers
spray paint (paint, or nail polish which is what I used for this medal)

I used the straight tin snips to snip the edges of the bottle cap. After I made my cuts, I grabbed a flat-head screwdriver and applied pressure to the cut pieces of bottle cap to help flatten to speed up the flattening process. On a hard working surface, I used a hammer and with a few hits I flattened the bottle cap. I made sure the bottle cap was really flat with a few extra hits from the mallet. Now, that the bottle cap is flat its edges are pretty rough. I used a Dremmel grinding stone (or, you could opt for sandpaper) to sand off any jagged edges of the bottle cap.

With the flattened and newly smooth-edged bottle cap it’s ready to be painted, I used two coats of nail polish because I have an abundance of bright yellow nail polish (Wet n Wild, color D’oh!, currently $.99 at Walgreens). After applying two coats of nail polish, and waiting at least an hour I used my marker to scribble down some words.

I then cut some pieces of fabric ribbons and hot glued the fabric to the bottle cap, and then glued the bar pin. I found that gluing the steel bar pin to the bottle cap was more likely to detach quicker. I think gluing the fabric directly to the bottle cap, and then gluing the bar pin to the fabric makes it sturdier and less likely to detach.

And, you’re set! You’ve made your very own DIY Fiesta medal now you’re ready to hit the Fiesta parade circuit in style.

¡Viva Fiesta from your friends at Make San Antonio!


* We made about 30 medals, and about two to three of the bottle caps detached from the bar pins. If you'd like to check out alternative adhesives, I strongly advise you check out this blog from Lemon Jitters. It's a super helpful overview of various adhesives for crafting.  

Make San Antonio Membership Drive Update

A big thank you to all those who have supported us, gave us feedback, suggestions and well wishes. We appreciate all the help during this membership drive. As our membership drive comes to a close, we're well aware that we will not be reaching our 100 member sign-up goal. Therefore we will not be charging the members who did support us. Although this is a huge set-back for us we are going to take what we've learned through this process, make any necessary changes to what we had originally envisioned, discuss with our team how to proceed and continue to update you on our progress.

What's Next for Make San Antonio?

• We are going to bundle all our progress and set-backs to this point and present that to prospective investors to gauge interest. There are several avenues we can pursue beyond this investment but we would love to have a local investor mentoring and backing us in this endeavor before we move forward.
• Our January Second Saturday event was postponed due to inclement weather but we have committed to participating in an upcoming Second Saturday so we will be curating an art show at the Lullwood Group on April 11. Mark your calendar! 

Here's a recap of what we accomplished during our short push to our membership drive and the all of the lessons learned.

Lessons Learned:
The concept of a comprehensive makerspace (that doesn't actually exist yet) is a hard sell. What we had envisioned was to sign up people who were already familiar with the makerspace model and were excited about this type of space coming to San Antonio. Instead we came across many people who were not familiar with what a makerspace is and the benefits that this type of space would bring to the San Antonio community. We were eager to share our knowledge and enthusiasm of makerspaces with all those willing to hear us out. Many people suggested that if we already had a space where they could visit, see our vision and use some of the tools they would be more willing to back us.

Pricing was a question that most prospective members had which relates quite heavily to the above. Asking for a signup of $55 without seeing the value returned in that investment was what many people had difficulties with. Our pricing for our membership drive was set based on comparable makerspaces around Texas and the nation but we have since decided to work on different methods of membership as an initial option. We want our pricing to be customizable so that as members grow into the space they can add or remove certain areas of their membership and grow their skill set accordingly.

Who are the people behind Make San Antonio?

Greg Reyes is an IT Engineer who is passionate about making. He grew up surrounded by tradesmen from ASE certified master mechanics to metalworkers to old carpenters who showed him a love for building with his own hands and taking pride in his work. His formal education in Computer Science allowed him to expand on his passion for making into software and engineering concepts. His experience and hands on knowledge of a vast array of tools, software and equipment will help Make San Antonio's members become more proficient makers.

Jennifer Herrera works for a local non-profit specializing in community outreach and public relations. She is a professional Pinterest pinner, and an aspiring maker. Her interests include photography, arts & crafts and upcycling projects. Jennifer is a Communication Studies graduate student at St. Mary's University, and volunteers with organizations such as spare parts, San Anto Cultural Arts and Gemini Ink. Her dedication to community outreach will help Make San Antonio truly become a community-oriented makerspace.

Mark Barnett is a long time maker advocate and educator. He operates a nonprofit in San Antonio that helps to provide opportunities for students to work with technologies like 3D printers, circuit boards and robotics. He also works on a National level promoting the idea of makerspaces in schools, libraries and community centers. His expertise in the Maker Movement along with his passion for education will help Make San Antonio be home for those who want to learn and grow.

Dale "Termite" Bracey is a Swiss Army Knife at work and in the community. Known for being a jack-of-all, his co-workers branded him as D.A.L.E. for Does A Lot of Everything. Over a decade at Rackspace, he spends his days promoting and dabbling in OpenStack on the Private Cloud side, and various other tasks. Award winning Artist. Education in design, photography, electronics, engineering, architecture, programming, computer science. Hobbies are collecting and restoring cars, building things, restoring his 1925 home, helping others, volunteering, and being social! His love for learning and teaching, community connections, social interactions, and just being D.A.L.E. are another wrench in the toolbox to help Make San Antonio make San Antonio!

We each have unique knowledge and experience that we bring to the table but the one thing that unites us is our passion for making. We hope to instill this maker passion in anyone we meet and we are all just as eager to teach as we are to learn.

Why Join Make San Antonio's Membership Drive Now?

We're a week into our membership drive, and we're at 9 percent of our goal of reaching 100 members within our five week campaign. Since we've kicked off our drive, we've been met with a few questions including; "Why join now when I can just wait until Make San Antonio opens their doors, and join then?" The answer is not as easy as it sounds.

We're calling on our community, that means you, to help us get to a point where we can open our doors. We don't have a physical space so we need to demonstrate that San Antonio has a thriving community of makers to sustain a place such as Make San Antonio. We're kicking off this campaign as a way to show investors the desire for this type of space in San Antonio. This campaign alone will not be enough to get our space off the ground, but our final membership numbers will give Make San Antonio the backing to show that a makerspace is viable in our San Antonio community. Once this campaign is complete, we will have a better understanding of what our membership-base will look like and what size and scope Make San Antonio will be able to provide to our members and the community.

We're about building a community of makers. Our team is comprised of like-minded individuals with a vast array of interests from 3D printing to photography who want nothing more than to help provide a space for San Antonians to geek out over the same things.

Can we count on you to help us reach our goal? Join today at makesanantonio.com. Still have questions? Shoot us an e-mail at makesanantonio@gmail.com, and we'll answer any and all questions.

Knowledge is Power - Francis Bacon

We've all heard the phrase quoted, "Knowledge is Power" but in my opinion it’s a bit misleading.  Knowledge is amazing!  Learning is what drives us to become who we are and what we want to be.  Prior to these last two decades however, an individual had to have a formal education in order to gain what was considered knowledge.  The great thing about learning now is that we've seen an emergence of the internet as the great equalizer.  You no longer need to come from a formal education to gain the knowledge needed to get ahead in the world.  Let me clarify, a formal education is not a bad thing, the more you know, the more opportunities present themselves.  But, this is the first time in human history where we are all on a level playing field when it comes to learning.  The internet isn't biased and won’t judge whether you're tall, short, purple, blue, rich or poor… If you have a computer and the internet you've got this treasure trove of knowledge available at your fingertips.  If you don’t have the internet, take your computer to a local coffee house, they’ll have free internet you can use.  No computer?  Head to your local public library, they’re sure to have one you can borrow.

So lets say we've learned everything there is to learn, memorized every single page of the internet, and can recite all of it word for word.  What good is all that knowledge if it’s never experienced or applied?  I've seen individuals who have had every privilege in their life but never amounted to more than a glorified chair warmer and individuals who from humble beginnings became millionaires.  What is the difference between the two?  How they applied the knowledge they had gained to better their lives.  “Knowledge is Power” is a great saying, used by many influential people, but not entirely true in this new era of human existence.  I think a better way to state the phrase would be “Applied Knowledge is Power”.  At Make San Antonio we’re looking to foster innovation, creativity and knowledge.  We will strive to maintain an atmosphere where you can gain knowledge and apply the knowledge you've learned in a creative environment, surrounded by enthusiastic and creative people.

What is a makerspace?

Make San Antonio of course! Well, that still doesn't answer the burning question. The best way to describe a makerspace is a gym for creatives. You become a member of a gym to use unique gym equipment, maybe take a few classes or training, and build your health. A makerspace has the same concept. At a makerspace you’ll become a member to use amazing tools, be able to cultivate your skills with general and advanced classes, maybe even start your own business or help someone else start theirs, but most importantly build your knowledge via the maker mantra of “learning by doing.” A makerspace is a DIY environment where members will be able to, after a familiarization class, use tools and software they would otherwise not be able to afford on their own and have access to a myriad of machines that will help them create anything they could imagine. Makerspaces focus on rapid prototyping and manufacturing, so a few common areas/tools a makerspace would contain would be:

• Woodworking tools
• Metalworking tools
• Textiles
• Electronics
• Rapid prototyping (3D Printing, Laser Cutting)

Each makerspace will be unique in what tools they provide for their members but all makerspaces thrive on building a creative community. You can think of a makerspace as a unique entity who is in essence owned by a community of creators. Makerspaces are a unique way for members to engage in a community of supportive individuals who can come together to create amazing things together.

The Endless Possibilities of 3D Printing

Doctors, makers, and inventors are using 3D printing in some creative ways to do some amazing things. The versatility of 3D printing coupled with a good imagination is all you really need. You could go out, show a group of people how to use a 3D printer, and each one of them would think up a different use for it. That's the power of creating and making. What could the inventor, the artist, the junior high school student come up with if they only knew about 3D printing and had access to one of those machines? Bill Gates once said, "I think it's fair to say that personal computers have become the most empowering tool we've ever created. They're tools of communication, they're tools of creativity, and they can be shaped by their user." Bill, I think the computer may have a contender to look out for.

Check out the following links to various ways 3D printing is changing the world:

Multi-material 3D printer

Doctors creating human ears

3D printed prosthetic

Paste Extrusion