Awl Mk. III Machining

I haven't posted in a while because I was sick, and wasn't working on any projects. I'm doing better now, and have started making more awls. Two of them are reserved for specific buyers, the third aluminum one will be for sale to anyone. The brass bodied one will be up for sale at a higher price, to be determined. I don't know when they will be finished exactly, but just that they will be finished. They take a long time to make because I'm using very small machines, and I make them as nice and as accurate as I can.

If you'd like to buy one, I'd still be happy to make more. It would probably be four weeks before I could start a second batch.

Late Night Construction

I should preface this with, this was not for my sister. I made this one to keep intact, she made a second one for the regional competition herself. I thought the work area looked interesting:

I fixed the tines of an inking compass I got on Ebay for cheap, and here is the result:

Luxray Papercraft

It's cold and dark outside; there's not much I'd rather be doing than papercraft. Here is a Chibi Luxray from PaperPokés. If the days keep being as mellow as they are, Mudkip and a Concorde (aircraft) are to follow. It is 2.5" tall. 

I cut off all the tabs on this model to make butted edges. When I was working on Mudkip today, I realized how much this reminds me of TIG welding. It's steady, methodical, gentle, and much effort just goes into keeping the components looking nice. After all, they're both material joining processes. Below is the inside of the head and inside of the body, to get an idea for how many pieces I added for the tabs.

Craft Knife Proposal

This is a drawing I made of a craft knife that I'd like to machine but don't have the tooling for. It's based on a knife made by Olfa. I originally posted with the intent to make a small batch of these for sale, but it would be too much an undertaking for me alone. If anyone in the future is interested in this, I'd like to hear from you!

The jaws would be made of tempered O1 or A2 steel, the grip of 303 stainless, and the stem of the handle would be brass. The grip pattern itself could take on many forms, but I was imagining something similar to the drawing.

In case you're curious, the drawing was done on my little drafting board in pencil.

Bridge Update

Well, she did alright. It held 87 pounds*, and it weighed 16.8 grams** itself. This meant an efficiency of 2350:1. The good news is that this was better than anyone at the school. The bad news is the runner-up's bridge had an efficiency around half of hers, so she's got to make a second one for the regional competition.

*weights from the gym
**scale from the chemistry room

Paper Ball

Hand Warmers Etc

I made this pattern and sewed these.

They hold bags of rice, which are microwaved to warmth.

The pockets act as insulation, and can be washed if the cold paws are also dirty ones.

Not a stitch is showing. Even the bottom of the liner is hand-stitched so the thread is hidden.

I made this, though I'm not entirely sure why. Inside is nothing but a 7-segment LED module. Unlit, of course.

And some food. Important too.

I gave the honeycomb sandwich another go, this time with some degree of success. Made with strips of corrugated cardboard.

Useful? Eh! I'll know how to make it when I need it, though.