Wheelhouse Issue #1

Hackable toys, machineable paper, and diffraction grating

Wheelhouse is a newsletter for makers that covers new materials, techniques, and tools.

Hackable Toy

The Pixel Purse is an $8 portable 16x32 LED display grid in a comically clunky pink plastic purse. Emily Velasco documents adding this ESP32 shield in quick video series. Or it can be directly programmed via a phone over the headphone jack.

Machineable Paper Composite

A Redditor posted a lovely sign made with a v-carve bit and a board clad with a thick black layer. It turns out to be Richlite, a kind of machinable paper, in this case bonded to bamboo board. It is somewhat pricey but looks great.

Making Homemade Geckotape

Geckotape emulates the amazing stickiness of gecko feet by having an extremely high surface area. The Thought Emporium documented their attempts to make a homemade version through a variety of steps (including tattoo needles and tungsten rods) and finally settling on using diffraction grating to make the extremely detailed surface as well as a delightful rainbow sheen.

Drop us a line!

Please tell us about all new materials and new techniques that you find!