Extension Cord Repair

One of Dad's extension cords had a cut in it. Griffin decided to fix it by cutting off the broken section and wiring a new plug onto the cut end. He stripped the wires and then attached them to the screws of a 3-prong outlet. For safety, he added a plastic box and wall plate so that there are no exposed wires. Now it can be used as an extension cord again, but it won't work with the lawnmower any more because the plug won't fit.

Taking apart a pressure washer

Dad brought home a broken pressure washer from a neighbor for Griffin to take apart. He salvaged the heavy wire from the cord, and took apart the rest of it. He wasn't able to figure out what was wrong, but got a good look at the sealed motor part inside. He might separate the aluminum and copper and take them to a metal recycling place when he's done investigating.

Cat guards the workshop

Because Griffin's workshop is almost a tree house, it tends to get a lot of animal visitors. This picture from Tuesday shows the cat from next door checking it for mice and birds. Later that evening, a raccoon wandered by, and the next day Griffin's cat was the one on guard in the same place. Can you spot the small solar panel on the right corner of the roof?

What happened to the Cottonball Cannon?

For the Austin Maker Faire in 2008, Griffin made a Cottonball Cannon. It was very simple, consisting of a fan for an air mattress and a vacuum wand. Mom really liked it because it was a safe way for kids to see a demonstration of air power. Griffin also experimented at home with foam rockets and the shop vac.

For the 2013 Mini Maker Faire, Griffin re-created the Cottonball Cannon. He decorated it with colored tape and added a switch and a light. He mounted it inside a large cardboard box to hide the wires. It worked great and kids had fun shooting cotton balls at their parents. But after a few hours, something went wrong. The motor hummed, but the fan stopped spinning. Griffin was upset but he decided to recycle the box and take the fan home to take apart. He had Mom pry open the cover because there weren't any screws holding it on. Once it was open, the problem was obvious. The fan blades broke and got stuck. We're not sure if it can be fixed.

Jigsaw Puzzles

Griffin likes to make jigsaw puzzles with the scroll saw. He demonstrated this at the Austin Mini Maker Faire last weekend. He made some puzzles with thin plywood, and some with thicker MDF. Mom thought the undecorated puzzles were difficult to put together. At home, Griffin paints the puzzles or prints out a picture and glues it on before cutting them apart. At the Maker Faire when Griffin ran out of plywood, he decided to recycle thick cardboard into puzzles. He challenged a few people to draw lines on the cardboard and then he cut it into custom puzzles.

Pencil Sharpener

Today I finished repairing my pencil sharpener. It used to be automatic which means it turned on when you put a pencil in. The sensor for the auto on was unreliable and one time it got stuck on. Now it is manual and turns on with a switch. The switch is rated for 250 volts but I am using less than half that. Mom soldered the switch onto the wires from the motor and power cord. I glued the connections on to be safe. It has an extra-large shavings bin. I drilled a 1 1/2 inch diameter hole to allow the shavings to get from the blades to the bin so it wouldn't jam.