Alejandro Erickson

Principal Architect at IFS Copperleaf

Coloured craft sticks

In my sculpting endeavours I have needed many coloured sticks of all shapes and sizes.

Alejandro with grand-hexastix

It was immediately apparent that I would need to

  • source skewers in bulk,
  • cut them quickly without fraying them,
  • and colour them cheaply.

The useful answer to the first item, is that skewers are available in bulk from “box and paper” companies.  Next item please.

One of the best tools I have ever purchased is a stack paper cutter from All Image Printing.  I got the little 12 inch one for $140, delivered.  I see the price has risen considerably.  Cutting skewers is just one thing I have done with this.

Stack Paper Cutter

Lastly, I use RIT Dye to colour them.  The colours are beautifully strong, and the process is quite simple.

Coloured and cut Skewers, 3 inches in length

Here is a picture of part of my latest project; colouring 15,000 sticks, each 3 inches in length.  This project is for a bulk order, where I will facilitate several more Hexastix activities, like the one I did at Math Camp, at the University of Victoria, in Summer 2011.

Insulting people for money

I have wanted to busk for many years, but lacking the skills of a musician and the bravado of a circus performer, I would need something different.  Doing things differently is my specialty, however, and with the good fortune of finding a free typewriter on the street, I began to incubate ideas.

I had seen and heard of busking typewriters in Victoria, but their performances  lacked luster, they wore no costume, and THEY WERE ONLY PRETENDING TO TYPE.  Making money is important to me, both as an encouragement and financial incentive, I wanted people to engage with me and be entertained.

After considering writing nonsense, and love poems, I decided on writing insults.  Nonsense was dispensed with easily, because frankly, most people don't get it.  Why would someone write nonsense like "your socks are untied" and hand it to someone?  That stuff does much better taped to telephone poles, and bathroom stalls.

The love poem idea died more slowly, but after sitting down and trying to write a SHORT "love" poem, I realized that it is a contradiction in terms.  A love letter or poem's object is to keep someones attention, often through flowery language and stream of thought.  Short ones do exist, I'm sure of it, but they are overcoming a handicap and, in spite of being short of words, they still linger in thought.  My talent does not extend so far as to write short love poems.  Besides, I want people to laugh with me for a moment, leave a few coins, and depart.

Insults were chosen, therefore, by elimination.  I'm not funny enough to go around insulting strangers and have them pay me, so I looked around the internet and found this Shakespearean insult generator.  It's perfect, the insults are even in iambic pentameter, and they are safe for kids.  Now I have a quick and easy source of material, and I can focus on the presentation.

The following things seemed useful:

  • A cool old suite case for my materials, which doubles as a table top
  • A costume with a 1920s look
  • Sign making materials like Jiffy markers, paper and tape
  • A lamp for nocturnal insults
  • Water, coffee, a cell phone, and a ride to the venue
  • A couple of random props and gadgets to attract attention
  • A light stool and table
  • A busker's license ($25 from city hall)
  • A money bin
The resulting first run was like this:
I made money once I started engaging with people.  I would type insults in my spare moments, and then cut them off.  Once someone saw my sign, I would hand them one and say, "Here I wrote this one just for you.  And you can keep it and read it out to anyone you want!".  If they don't engage with me I say, "Ok, I'll just read it out to you - ...", and otherwise, I try to get them to read it out to me or whoever they are with, encouraging them to use their best impression of a Victorian actor.
It was important to have a very brief sign, because that way I could be sure they knew what I was about as soon as they glanced at it.  I believe the example is also indispensable, because Insult Machine can mean many things.  I will make nicer signs at home for next time, using calligraphy.  I removed "by Donation" too, because it was better to give the insults away for free so that people can give once they are satisfied.

Hexastix inside an Octahedron

I have completed a project that I conceived at CanaDam, the Canadian Discrete Math Conference at the University of Victoria.  After getting the geometry wrong once, and making several smaller prototypes, I have finally made one as large as possible, given the dimensions of the laser cutter at the MakerSpace in Victoria, BC.

The sculpture is made of clear acrylic and skewers that have been coloured with Rit Dye.  The pedestal is a boxed set of Knuth's, "The Art of Computer Programming", volumes 1-3, third edition.

I hope to suspend it and project its shadow onto a screen.  More photos will follow in the coming weeks.

When I am finished, the Hexastix in an Octahedron will go to auction, and part of the proceeds will go to Oxfam

Special thanks to George Hart for his 72 Pencils, and to Matt DeVos, who showed me how to make my own in Winter 2010.

Glass Flameworking at Mini Makerfaire Vancouver

Last weekend I saw a mini glass flameworking (lampworking) workshop at Mini Makerfaire in Vancouver.  I didn't get a chance to try it, but it looks like fun, and something that is perfect for a place like the MakerSpace, here in Victoria BC.  The workshop and materials were provided by ootay glass.

The craft involves heating glass rods (and beads?) in front of a torch, and sticking different coloured pieces together.  Here are some nice results from wikipedia:

Lampworking

Here are some people doing it at Mini Makerfaire Vancouver

The workshop providers had an array of materials.