by Kristin Arzt

Are you ready for Maker Faire 2019? With countless inventors, brilliant educators, and hundreds of demonstrations heading to Maker Faire this weekend, we thought you might need some help knowing what you cannot miss.

maker faire 2019

Charlie the Turbine Robot by Justin Gray

Here is your Maker Faire 2019 to-do list:

  1. Check out Splinter Cycles and try out a hardwood bicycle frame for yourself. (This is something our Woodshop and Bike Shop are going to have to collaborate on.) Wood is not an obvious material choice for building a bike frame, but Splinter Cycles finds that a wood frame gives them more creative freedom when customizing and building bike frames.
  2. Go for a ride on the Golden Gate Live Steamers, functioning scale models of steam-powered trains. Home shop machining, the power of steam, and model engineering all come together under Golden Gate Live Steamers, a nonprofit organization based in Tilden Park.
  3. Learn how to convert your tracked 1959 El Camino from diesel to electric. (We know you’ve been meaning to get to that project.) Ten years ago, the “Maria del Camino” project started with rigging a 1959 El Camino with a hydraulics system, shooting the car into the sky, and even perpendicular to the ground. Now, the team has converted the car from diesel to electric.
  4. Don’t miss Adam Savage’s sermon on Sunday, May 19 at 12pm. Every year at Maker Faire, Adam takes on a sometimes overlooked, but equally important aspect of making: sharing your knowledge.
  5. Marvel at Oakland artist Justin Gray’s Cadillac rocket car MK3 and newest fire robots that continue to push the bounds of reality. Justin’s flaming Cadillac rocket car was most recently seen at our Fire & Light Soirée last month.
  6. Have you been curious about Woodturning? Watch Jolie Karno, Crucible Woodworking instructor and founder of Lower 48 Woodshop, turn wood on the lathe into a platter. In Oakland, you can find Jolie in our Woodshop and at Lower 48 in East Oakland.
  7. You have two chances to meet incredible glass flameworking artists and Crucible instructors! Ralph McCaskey will demonstrate his signature glass monster skills and Michael Dickinson will demo his incredible hollow form techniques.
maker faire 2019

Maria del Camino by Bruce Tomb

And of course, The Crucible!

  • Watch Crucible Blacksmiths demonstrate forging and team striking techniques. (That’s right, we’re bringing the smithy!)
  • You can get hands-on with Crucible artists and stamp your own copper pendant, brought to you by our Jewelry Department!
  • Practice your leather stamping and dyeing making your own leather choker or bracelet with our Leather, Textiles, and Fine Art Department!
  • Make our fire poofers come alive and shoot flames into the sky!

maker faire 2019Crucible Blacksmiths at Maker Faire 2018

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