The Coast Makers’ second annual Mini Maker Faire on May 29 was double the size of the inaugural event last spring.
More than 25 makers, a dozen speakers and 10 hands-on workshops that ran throughout the day covered nearly everything from the making of toys to learning how to solder.
“There is a huge community of people on the Sunshine Coast with amazing talents for making,” said David Chisholm, executive producer of the Mini Maker Faire. “Whether it’s robots and technology or art and trade skills like blacksmiths, potters and weavers – there’s so much design and ingenuity that goes on in what they do and those things end up turning into the products that we take for granted every day.”
There was a lot to take in at the Mini Maker Faire. Chisholm recommended checking out the remote operated vehicle (ROV) made by Pender Harbour Secondary School students; the Society for Creative Anachronism who recreate historical artifacts – like weapons and armour – through a trial-and-error process of using traditional tools; and the Get Makered trailer, “where you can get yourself 3D scanned and then take that image of yourself home, put it into a video game and walk around in the video game as yourself,” Chisholm said.
Nerf Hacks was a favourite for kids at the Faire – Thomas Smith uses a 3D printer, high torque motors, higher grade wiring and high-voltage batteries to modify Nerf dart guns and make them bigger, better and more badass. According to Smith, it can be a complicated process.
“Some of it is really trial and error,” he said. “For some of the blasters, I’ve cut them up and merged them into other ones. So you just have to go by look and feel – or read a bunch of forums online and see what problems other people have run into doing similar processes.”
Initially the Hasbro toy company – owners of Nerf – weren’t too pleased with what adult fans were doing to their products. Smith said they went as far as hiring private detectives and sending out restraining orders.
“But in the last few years they’ve really embraced it because their sales have skyrocketed,” Smith said. Now there are grownups buying the guns, and a grownup will go out and buy five Nerf guns instead of just one.
“They were skeptical,” he said. “But now that they’ve seen that it’s made the community bigger and more vibrant, I think they’re on board with it.”
Debra MacWilliam from the Society for Creative Anachronism – or Lady Gwenyn, Chatelaine for the local shire of Fjordland – said that the goal of the society is to learn about history by recreating.
“You learn by researching and you learn by doing,” MacWilliam said. “Sometimes you make mistakes. You learn and go, OK they wouldn’t have done it this way because this doesn’t work. So you learn by trial and error.”
Johny Ellis – also from the Society – made his own suit of Roman armour. With easy access to materials and resources like YouTube, Ellis said, anything is achievable.
“So how do you make stuff? Begin. When it looks good, stop,” Ellis said.
With the growth and popularity of the Mini Maker Faire, Chisholm said that the Coast Makers are looking into acquiring a make-space – like a clubhouse – so they can offer drop-in hours and community workshops.
“The Mini Maker Faire is really an excuse for all of us to get together and show and tell to each other,” Chisholm said. “Then the public is invited.”
To learn more, check out www.coastmakers.com. And see www.coastreporter.net for more photos in our online gallery.
