Category Archives: Event

Fix It Milwaukee ReCap

Posted on by Pete Prodoehl

Fix It Milwaukee

On Saturday, August 10th, 2013 Milwaukee Makerspace hosted the first “Fix It Milwaukee” event. We invited the people of Milwaukee to bring in their broken things, and we did our best to fix them.

The idea for the event came from Milwaukee County District Supervisor Jason Haas, and we partnered up with the Milwaukee Area Time Exchange to make it happen. We really didn’t know what to expect, but it turned out great, and we’ve already got members interested in doing it again.

Fix It Milwaukee

So what did we fix? There were lamps, computers, printers, furniture, a bird feeder, musical instruments, gardening tools, zippers, a battery charger, a dog’s chew toy, clothes, and even bikes. (Speaking of bikes, we should also thank Truly Spoken Cycles who sent over Sam, one of their expert bike fixers.)

Did we fix everything? Nope… some things are either too difficult to repair, or made so cheaply that they are not worth repairing, but percentage-wise we did really good, and I’d estimate an 80% success rate for fixing things.

Fix It Milwaukee

Throughout the event we probably saw about 25 people bring in items, and we had about 20 members helping fix things. At few members mentioned that it was a lot of fun troubleshooting things and working in teams to determine the best method of repair, and at least one member picked up a few new skills along the way, which is what we’re all about!

Keep an eye out for our next Fix It Milwaukee event… The more items we can keep out of the landfill, the better!

Sugru Build Night Results

Posted on by Pete Prodoehl

Instructables & Sugru

We had out first Instructables Build Night recently and a few of the members wrote up Instructables showing what they did with the Sugru… here they are:

Thanks to Instructables, Sugru, and everyone who took part in the event. We’ll be hosting another Instructables Build Night in August, so keep an eye on the calendar.

Fix It Milwaukee

Posted on by Pete Prodoehl

Fix It MKE

Milwaukee Makerspace is proud to team up with the Milwaukee Area Time Exchange and Milwaukee County for “Fix It Milwaukee” with the goal of repairing those broken things you’ve got around the house so they can become useful again and not end up in the landfill.

We’ve got a great team of volunteers who are skilled at troubleshooting and fixing everyday items because, well, we do it ourselves all the time. Many appliances can be fixed with the simple replacement of a switch or wiring repair. If things like computers or bikes or torn clothing seem beyond your skills to get back to 100%, we’re here to help.

Bring your broken things to Milwaukee Makerspace on Saturday, August 10th, 2013 between 12 noon and 4pm and we’ll do our best to get them working again. (If we can’t fix it we’ll give you our best advice on what to do next.)

So what types of things should you bring? Well, if you can fit it in your car and get it to Milwaukee Makerspace, we’ll take a look at it. We’ve got a shop full of almost every tool imaginable including stuff you won’t find in your basement workshop (unless you’ve got laser cutters and 3D printers!)

If you have specific questions or need more info, feel free to email info@milwaukeemakerspace.org

Instructables / Sugru Build Night

Posted on by Pete Prodoehl

sugru Build Night

Join us on Tuesday, July 16th, 2013 for the sugru Build Night sponsored by our friends at Instructables!

How does it work? After the 7pm meeting we’ll have a bunch of sugru on hand and all you have to do is create something cool with it. Make something more ergonomic, fix something that’s broken, or come up with something completely new.

Oh, and if you’re not familiar with sugru, it’s a self-setting rubber that can be formed by hand. It molds like Play-Doh, bonds to almost anything and turns into a strong, flexible silicone rubber overnight. Check out the Gallery for some ideas on what you can do with it.

And where does Instructables come into it? They sent us the sugru, and we’re going to create a few Instructables based on what we do with it.

If you’ve got something that needs fixing, bring it in. I’ve used it in the past to fix a broken griddle and to repair a broken letter opener.

This is a free event, just bring yourself (and your ideas!) to 2555 S. Lenox St. in Bay View and make something cool with sugru.

Etsy Craft Party

Posted on by Pete Prodoehl

Etsy Craft Party

Our friends at Etsy are helping us throwing a little party on Thursday, June 20th, 2013 and you’re invited!

And what is an Etsy Craft Party exactly? Etsy has a blog post that explains it, but basically:

Etsy Craft Party is a one-day celebration of meeting and making. Around the world, we come together to share creative skills with our neighbors. You can organize a Craft Party, or join one in your area. All you need are good friends, craft supplies, and fun!

Well, Hannah Kleinhans is a local Etsy fan here in Milwaukee, and when she needed a place to host the event, we though Milwaukee Makerspace was a natural fit!

You can check out the event on Facebook, and grab a ticket on Eventbrite.

The event is free, but we are asking asking for $5 to help cover the cost of materials, but we’ll do our best to put the tools and skills of our members to work to help out with the making. And what are we making? Well, there are three projects:

Craft Station #1: Lil’ Free Library

Craft Station #2: DIY Wedding Gifts

Craft Station #3: Crafting for our 4 Legged Friends

(Check out Facebook or Eventbrite for full details.)

There’s some FAQs here from Etsy, and if you’ve got a specific question, post a comment or email Hannah at kleinhah[at]gmail.com