Yes, we know Manhattan isn’t in Connecticut, but we’re suckers for giant robots and personal submarines!

If you’re casting around for ideas for a day trip today, then join us at our exhibit at Jesup Green today, Sat 28th April from 10-4.

Well, among other things, beer! Under the supervision of our resident brewmaster Stephen, the first Hack Manhattan brew will be ready in a few weeks.

It has been a busy month in the space, with new members bringing new ideas for projects for us to work on. The aforementioned Stephen is also building a hive to house our bees that will be delivered in April, in addition to adding some greenery to our space with a hydroponics rig.

Due to the high level of interest in our 3D Thursday nights, we will be holding them weekly so that members and visitors can see the printers in action, and learn to build and use them for their own projects. Several members have already designed and printed parts, and our members will be running workshops in 3D design software and printing in the near future. We are also beginning a Wallace Reprap build, for which we plan to use some electronics that we will build in-house.

Other ongoing projects in the space include bike building, wearable electronics, brain-computer interfaces, open-source surveillance and 3D CNC milling.

Feel free to visit us, say hello and join in at our open hack nights on Tech Tuesdays and 3D Thursdays from 7.30 p.m., and see our website and wiki for details of how to become a member.

Hack Manhattan held a Locksport event last weekend at the Jefferson Market New York Public Library. Schuyler Towne was our speaker and we had 45 awesome people show up to pick locks with us. 

Schuyler was (and still is) an amazing speaker. He covered the basics of how to pick a lock, the history of lock picking, and some great stories about his adventures with locks and Locksport. One of the best stories Schuyler shared was his head-to-head match with the #2 lock picker in the world and besting him, only to receive cheers and insult-laden songs from his competition.

We were able to sell a number of lock pick sets to some attendees and I have to say, they looked really good sitting in their cotton beds:

All-in-all, it was a great event. Thank you to NYPL! Especially Frank and Marie. Thanks to Schulyer Towne and company for making the long drive down from the northern parts. And thanks to all those who attended! We hope you learned something new and get motivated to pick (your own) locks!

We’ve just outfitted our new vertical milling machine with a machinist’s vise, a set of collets and end mills, a clamping kit and parallel set, and a custom made workbench. Join us tonight for a test spin with a professional machinst who will be visiting and giving us tips as we practice on materials like aluminum, brass, delrin, nylon, wood and UHMW. You don’t have to know anything about metalworking to check it out. We’ll be starting between by 7:30PM.

Locks are ubiquitous and all but invisible to the average person. Few ever notice them except for when they fail, and fewer still take the time to learn how they work and why they work the way they do. In this 3 hour workshop Schuyler will explain a myriad of locking concepts in use around the world. From Pin Tumbler and Wafer locks to Lever and Disc Detainers.

We’ll discuss how these locks work, and how they are subverted. Once the basics are understood, we’ll dive deeper, discussing a range of topics from lock forensics to manufacturing and even the history of physical security.

We will be getting our hands dirty and picking some locks. Even if you have never tried, come and we will all learn together!

Bring your questions, as Schuyler will be taking topic suggestions at the start and will Q&A at the end for as long as possible.

Light refreshments will be served. RSVP at Eventbrite or use this form:

Hope to see you all there!

Above: Joe is shown with his reprap-printed steady-cam. Sung visited from Genspace, suggesting more hackerspace collaboration — adn idea that was warmly received. Lots of folks at Hack Manhattan expressed interest in the kinds of synthetic/molecular biology that’s the hallmark of Genspace. There were magnetic illuminated translucent rock gardens, 3D printers (as usual), nixie tubes, and more.

Above: Tuesday’s aren’t the only popular night, anymore. 3D-Thursdays have picked up steam. Tonight there are seven folks working on four different printers in various stages of completion. As Hack Manhattan becomes busier, we’re expecting things to happen more nights of the week. Stop by and help us outgrow our space!

They're multiplying...

Recently, our inaugural ’3D Thursday’ meeting was held at Hack Manhattan headquarters. Several members kindly brought in their Reprap printers, and we formed an impromptu botfarm.

Steven wrangles some ABS with a Cupcake

Among the sweet and not-so-sweet smells of warm PLA and ABS plastic, we shared a panoply of printing tips. At least two printers were improved on the spot, with one of our members getting their first successful print.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be working on building a Reprap, with printed parts for the Prusa Mendel V2 provided by some of our members. We’re waiting for some hardware for it (LM8UU linear bearings!), but join us in January for more 3D Thursdays!

Speaking of Joe, he’s finishing a set of Mendel RepRap parts to build a RepRap 3D printer for the space and here’s a juicy shot of the completed extruder assembly. He did a fun demonstration of hobbing a bolt to create the mechanism which grips the plastic filament and drives it downward. The extruder is the part of the 3D printer which grips and pulls the plastic down, heats it in a controlled manner, and then squirts it out. This finished ABS assembly is quite rigid and feels very solid.

This ingenious contraption was printed on one of our member’s 3D printers. It turns out that lots of Hack Manhattan members are fanatical about 3D printing — go figure.

Well, what is it, you ask? Not only is it an empire state building, based on an accurate scale model, but it’s also an interpretive gavel for ruling member meetings with an… uhh… plastic fist. The gears and the building allude to the Hack Manhattan logo, which looks a bit like an empire state building with a gear and soldering iron up above it.

Are you not in awe of the novelty, practicality, and artfulness of this invention? Don’t you dare call it silly.

The very same member brought the 3D logo you see in the next image with him as an offering when he came to join. Obviously, he’s now a member in extremely good standing. The logo hangs on our interior door, letting confused visitors know that yes, they have indeed found 3D printing heaven.