About the event
Every Friday afternoon of the semester, the Foundry, the makerspace café in Founders Union, opens its tools and 3D printers to any student with an idea and no particular plan. That is the Foundry Friday tradition. On the second-to-last Friday of the fall term the idea is supplied. Everyone makes ornaments.
Ready-made templates include the Porter “P,” the 1911 depot, a tiny anvil for the Forge Bowl, and a snowflake built from the cross-section of an I-beam, which civil engineering students think is hilarious. You can also bring your own design. Makerspace technicians run the laser cutter in five-minute slots and keep the two newest printers on their usual sign-up sheet. A jazz combo plays from 3 to 4. Finished ornaments can go home with you or onto the Founders Union tree.
Schedule
| Time | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1:00 p.m. | Doors; sign-up sheets for the laser and the two newest printers | The Foundry |
| 1:00–4:30 p.m. | Laser-cut ornaments in five-minute slots; paint and finishing table | The Foundry |
| 1:00–3:00 p.m. | Last 3D print starts (prints are picked up Monday) | The Foundry |
| 3:00–4:00 p.m. | Jazz combo set | The Foundry |
| 5:00 p.m. | Close | — |
Location and access
The Foundry is on the main level of Founders Union and is step-free. A seated-height work table and large-handle tools are always out. Nothing here needs a shop badge. The full shops in Founders Hall do, as explained on makerspace access.
Registration
No registration. Materials are free: birch plywood, acrylic, PLA, paint and ribbon. The limit is three ornaments per person until 4 p.m., then whatever is left. Bring a design on a USB stick or in your Porter cloud folder if you are making your own.
Contact and related events
The Foundry is staffed by the Forge Makerspace, whose student technicians are hired through the student jobs board as makerspace technicians. The last Foundry Friday of the term is December 11, the last day of classes.
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. Foundry Friday, this workshop and its I-beam snowflake are invented; there is no makerspace café and no ornament to make.