Blog

Time for a story.  Kind of a geeky story, but here goes.

So, we’re 100% committed to the “reuse, repair, recycle…” etc thing, and one of the things we’ve been wrestling with is computers.  First there was this sweet 27″ iMac that suddenly wouldn’t power up.  We tested it, and put in a new power supply, and no luck.  It’s probably the logic board, and that’s too much of a repair to tackle at the moment.  We pulled the drive out and migrated it to the MacBook Air that’s driving the Epson printer, and we figured we’d put the drive back in the iMac when we got a board.

In the meantime, we got about 5 older Mac towers donated.  We went through them, and 4 of them are G5s – too old to bother with, so we’re going to scavenge the cases for parts, maybe build a Hackintosh or something. We even have an idea to use a case to build a filter for the laser cutter.  The other one looked like a Mac Pro – newer, Intel processor.  We pulled that out and fired it up.  The hard drive was junk.

There it sat, on the pile, until things slowed down to a dull roar and we could think about it again.  We tried a new drive, and burning a Snow Leopard install disk.  No luck.  We tried all sorts of things to get a new drive in there with an operating system that would work.  Foiled at every turn.  You know that drive we pulled out of the iMac?  Well that now wouldn’t boot up either.

Then, reading up again, there was this thing – “Restore” – in Disk Utility.  We started making a “Restore” disk of the old Macbook Pro that’s the daily drive around here.  That’s a sketchy proposition, because all the little drivers and stuff in the OS on a disk is usually pretty keyed in to the box it’s running.  A Macbook Pro OS might not be too happy running a big Intel Mac Pro.

Mind you, we hadn’t even really confirmed this machine was, in fact, an Intel Mac Pro.

We look at it again.  We go look at our work tower, a Mac Pro.  We look at the salvage box.  We get a thought.

Why not build a “Restore” disk from the Mac Pro Intel work tower, the one that has the complete Adobe Creative Suite, a bunch of other handy apps, and looks like a pretty similar machine?

Well, we did it, and couldn’t hardly wait to run back to the Brickyard with our drive and see if it would boot up the Mac Pro.  We plugged it in, and BAM!  Booted up like nobody’s business!  After running some diagnostics and tune-ups, the new/old Mac Pro is running like a dream.

The funny part…  once we got it up and running, we checked it out (“About My Computer”).  It’s EXACTLY the same machine as our work tower – same 8GB of RAM and everything.

Sometimes you win one!

Keep making fixing stuff. Take care of people, play nice and clean up after yourselves.

Every once in a while you have to stop for a minute and take a look at where you are.  As a rockclimber friend used to say, “You’ve got to keep in mind where you are, and what you’re doing.”  This morning we did just that.  Have a look.

Book Arts

Probably some of our biggest news is the opening of the Book Arts Studio, with classes starting on June 2.  We’ve got 6 working presses:  a Daughaday Model 1 tabletop press, a small showcard press, a Golding Pearl #3 platen press, a vintage sleigh press, a Vandercook #2, a Potter #2 proof press, a wonderful vintage intaglio press, a small 4x silk screen press. a massive paper cutter, and a project – a beautiful Golding Jobber #6 that just needs some loving care, after decades of neglect.

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Digital Arts

Jump from the 19th Century into the 21st, and we bring you the Digital Arts Studio.  We have complete video, still and sound editing, design and illustration with Adobe Suite, as well as Autodesk Fusion 360 and other 3D modeling software to drive our 3D printer.  Finally, the big Epson P8000 has been printing up a storm, and our Wacom Cintiq Pro 24 is good to go.

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Co-Work

We’ve got a nice little meeting/hangout area with our Office Co-Working space, and our second show is up, featuring the work of Haley Sullivan, a Lynn native.

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Wood/Metal Shops

We’re still picking up equipment, both functional and in need of repair.  One of the missing bits was the jointer, which we just got two of last night – we’re getting right to work cleaning them up, and restoring them to good working order.  Our horizontal hack saw is the new shop favorite!

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Of course, the Rock Star of the lineup is our Glowforge Plus laser cutter – all ducted and ready to rock and roll!

Recycling/Upcycling

We also have our “Take it or Leave it” area set up, and already a lot of stuff has been repaired, used, or re-used as inspiration for new projects and new solutions.  Open to anyone, members and visitors alike to keep needless waste out of the dumpster.  We’ve already kept tons.  TONS.  …of material out of the landfills.

Electronics, Robotics, Coding

Finally, probably the area where the most kids have had the most fun, as well as learned the most, we have the Electronics, Robotics, and Coding.  We’re making everything from paper sculpture circuits to programming Raspberry Pi and building our own robot toys.

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You get the idea…  this ain’t a place that’s clean and spotless, and you’re afraid of a little creative disarray.  It’s a place where people are getting things done!

Stop by.  Check our Facebook page for our weekend “Open House” hours, usually 10-noon on Saturday and Sunday.  See you at the shop!

Welcome to Brickyard 3.0!  The next chapter…

 

It’s been a whole lot of work, and mostly by our Book Arts Shop Steward, Mitchel Ahern, but we’re finally able to announce our Book Arts Studio is OPEN!  We’re kicking it off with FOUR classes – 3 working with Letterpress and one very special class teaching Intaglio, using our revered Intaglio press.

In case you missed it, this is the only Letterpress and Book Arts studio available on a co-operative access basis in the entire Northeast!  Sure, you can take classes at several other facilities, but what do you do when the class is done and you can’t get into the studio anymore?  Simple.  Come to The Brickyard.  So yeah, this is a pretty special studio, and a pretty exciting opening, especially if you’re an itinerant printer looking for a press.

We’re starting off with three Letterpress classes:

Introduction to Letterpress

This one-day 5-hour course will provide participants with the basic knowledge and hands-on experience to start them on the path to letterpress proficiency. We will briefly cover all the bits, pieces and nomenclature of this hundreds-of-years-old printing tradition, including type, spacing and the styles of  presses. Students will then design, prepare and print their own small letterpress project, and conclude by distributing their type and tidying the shop.

More here, along with scheduling and price information: Introduction to Letterpress

Intermediate Letterpress

This one-day 5-hour course will provide participants with additional knowledge of and practical experience with, letterpress printing. After a brief review of basic principals this class will review printing on the platen press, including the tabletop platen and the small floor model press as well as the roller presses. Two-color techniques will be discussed, including techniques for hand-inking. We will also briefly touch on letterpress printing on fabric and linoleum block cutting.

The complete description is here: Intermediate Letterpress

…and

Letterpress Printing on Fabric

Letterpress is not just for paper!

This course will review different techniques and materials for letterpress printing on fabric, including fabric options, ink options, plusses and minuses of different presses, methods of printing without a press, as well as linoleum block printing and cutting.

The whole story is here: Letterpress Printing on Fabric

 

Finally…  Our Intaglio Class:

Introduction to Intaglio Printing

Intaglio printing is a way of making marks by incising into the printing blocks rather than carving away areas in relief. Artists can get almost molecular-level detail with this process. The students will learn to draw a drypoint image on Plexiglass sheet, proper wiping of the printing plate, how to dampen and handle paper for the process, and how to set an intaglio press for printing.

More information along with registration is here: Introduction to Intaglio Printing

Whether you’re ready to take a class or not, come down to see the studio at work at one of our Saturday morning Open House tours…  Contact us for a date, or sign up for our email news to get the latest…

…as always: “Keep making stuff. Take care of people, play nice and clean up after yourselves.”

 

Wondering what to do with the kids the day before Easter Sunday? Come to The Brickyard for a special double-header EGGSSTRAVAGANZA!

First up is Basic Circuits: Electronic Eggs, where we create our own Easter egg design that uses electronics to incorporate light, sound, and more! You’ll play with some basic circuit concepts using BBC Micro:Bit, Circuit Playground, and Makey-Makey. It’s a 2-hour class on Saturday, 12-2, ages 6-up, for $30 with a special Lynn Resident discount.

Read more about it and register here: Basic Circuits: Electronic Eggs

After we’re done with that, don’t go away! You can learn to modify a little Python code and Raspberry Pi to give someone a little surprise in our Easter Eggs: Surprises in Code! That’s only an hour-long class for a mere $15 – check it out here, and we’ll see you this weekend: Easter Eggs: Surprises in Code

It’s an afternoon of fun for kids of all ages, and totally approved of by your favorite dentist… Happy Easter!