This is a slightly older project, but since I’m waiting for the new knitting machine design to print, I thought I’d write it up. One of our standard lamps needed a new shade, so I decided to make one! Ingredients 2mm + 3mm transparent Perspex (from Edinburgh Hacklab) Copper Leaf (from Ebay) “Size” (gilding adhesive)Continue reading “Making a Copper Leaf and Perspex Lampshade”
Author Archives: adq
Epoxy Resin Casting Attempt #2
I tried the resin again, this time using the vacuum chamber. I mixed it up (using a different glow in the dark colour this time), and cycled it in the vacuum chamber a couple of times. The resin mixture also did the boiling in a vacuum thing! Yay! Once I removed it, the liquid lookedContinue reading “Epoxy Resin Casting Attempt #2”
Boiling Water in a Vacuum at Room Temperature
My Vacuum pump and chamber arrived! I went for a Bacoeng 3 CFM Single Stage Oil Filled Rotary Vane Pump (BA-1) and a slightly more expensive tempered-glass-topped 6.8L vacuum chamber. I could have got the slightly cheaper perspex topped vacuum chamber, but this wasn’t that much more expensive. The glass one is safe against variousContinue reading “Boiling Water in a Vacuum at Room Temperature”
Epoxy Resin Casting Attempt #1
I wanted to try something different so I thought I’d give Epoxy Resin casting a go. I have this cute Greek holiday trinket I inherited from my dad which I felt would make a good test piece: So, to cast it I first need to make a mould, then I need to fill the mouldContinue reading “Epoxy Resin Casting Attempt #1”
Knitting Machine: Needle Movement Controller First Test Print
I decided it was time to try out the prototype design! I printed half of the needle movement model to save on time and materials. As a result you need to move the carriage in both directions to see the full needle movement. I also adjusted the design slightly, adding in some fillets to roundContinue reading “Knitting Machine: Needle Movement Controller First Test Print”
Knitting Machine: Needle Movement Model
I spent some time this evening turning the sketch into a proper Fusion360 3D model, as above. Key features: I’ve inserted holes for all the M3 bolts I need to use to hold the moving parts together. I’ve also added some more chunks of plastic to try to prevent needles getting stuck. I’ve already gotContinue reading “Knitting Machine: Needle Movement Model”
Knitting Machine: Needle Movement Controller Design
I’ve been busy in Fusion 360 this morning. Previously I had mocked up a design for the needle movement controller on my whiteboard: This morning, I’ve been translating this into a “Sketch” in Fusion 360: I designed the left hand side and then simply mirrored the design to create the right hand side (remember, itContinue reading “Knitting Machine: Needle Movement Controller Design”
Nikon DSLR to Lomo Biolam Microscope Adapter
The actual project I wanted to do was attach my Nikon D90 SLR to my Lomo Biolam microscope. However, I had to detour into fixing the microscope first, as described here. Once I had that working, the actual adapter was pretty simple. I started off using a toilet roll tube and some masking tape asContinue reading “Nikon DSLR to Lomo Biolam Microscope Adapter”
Restoring a 1977 USSR Lomo Biolam Microscope
“In Soviet Russia, Microscopes”.. er wait. I inherited this from my dad. It has quite a few condenser attachments as well as a nice set of sample slides. Some research on its serial number (N773137) implies this means it was manufactured in 1977.. so the 3137th microscope of 1977? The thing is built like aContinue reading “Restoring a 1977 USSR Lomo Biolam Microscope”
Knitting Machine: Needle Movement Analysis
I had a look into how the needle is controlled by the carriage in this video (I’ve removed a few needles to help with the video). Obviously the yarn wouldn’t actually pop up on top (it would be caught beneath the bed), but it shows what happens. There are four “needle positions” on my machine:Continue reading “Knitting Machine: Needle Movement Analysis”
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