Wand Making

April 3, 2025April 2, 2025 Lutin

At the beginning of the Covid pandemic, we wanted to create magic for ourselves and our friends and hone our wood crafting skills. After much debate, we settled on wand making.

Our yard in the San Francisco, CA has several trees and shrubs that require routine maintenance. Over the years, we carefully trimmed and stored the best branches for future use. One of our more numerous shrubs is boxwood and we have a large birch tree which both provide great material for wand making.

Please note, this material is provided for informational purposes only and is not a guide on how to create the designs. Please take a look at our disclaimer.

The three essential tools for wand making are:

Saw (we prefer a single-edge Japanese Pull Saw)
Vice mounted securely on a table
Spokeshave

Selecting the perfect branch can be hard and a lot depends on what sort of wand you are looking for. When selecting a branch to turn into a wand, make sure that it is not too green or too dry. Also, you want the branch’s width to be wider than you want at the start. Spokeshaving takes off more material than you would imagine. Straighter branches are easier, but we prefer ones that curve slightly to make the wand more interesting. Many pieces of wood also have natural handles that works great on the wand.

When cutting the wand make sure to not cut it too short, once you start crafting the ends you may find you need to trim it a bit more.

Wooden cut for making wands

Once you have trimmed the branch it is time to prepare it for spokeshaving.

To prepare for spokeshaving the wands, cure them in a mixture of water, dishwasher soap, and a little oil. Soak them for at least two days depending on how dry the wood was to begin with. If the wood is too dry it can by difficult to charge and split when spokeshaving. After two days of soaking, take the wands out of the solution, wipe them dry and store them in a cool dry place for at least one day to dry out. If your wood starts out very wet, you should not soak the wood and instead leave it to dry out for a bit.

Our technique for wand making involves lots of spokeshaving to shape the wand. The best thing about spokeshaving is it is great for all ages. Kids as young at six can spokeshave simple branches and adults can find it very rewarding after a long day at work.

When spokeshaving make sure not to cut into the wood. This can happen if the blade is not aligned correctly or your use too aggressive of an angle. If you do cut into the wood, we recommend not trying to smooth out the grove with the spokeshave. Instead, use a craving tool to widen the grove before returning to spokeshaving, or use a rasp to smooth it out. When spoke shaving it is best to use as little strength as possible and get into a rhythm to make the tooling as consistent as possible.

Once the wand is in the shape you want then move on to shaping the ends.

After years of practice we find repeated passes with a spokeshave can get the tip to the shape we prefer. You can use a carving knife as well, but with harder wood it can require a lot more force.

Sanding a wooden wand

After you get the shape and look you want move onto sanding. For wands sanding is really important. The wand needs a well-finished, smooth surface or it just will not feel right. Use multiple grades of sandpaper starting with the lowest grade sandpaper and ending with the finest.

Using wood stain on wands

Once the wand has the feel you want start applying the stain. Make sure to apply the stain in an open and well ventilated space. Remember, staining your wands will take multiple days, so you need a place where the wands will be safe and protected from rain or harsh sun. We stain our wands outside under our porch.

Above is a long line of wands after staining. Since it can take weeks to complete one wand we usually have several in the works at a given time. We also sand the wand after staining them because staining can make the wood feel rougher. Sanding can also give the wands an older look.

Waxing a wooden wand

After the last coat of stain has dried, apply beeswax to add another layer of protection and to give it a well-used feel. You want to wand to feel old and magical. This can require multiple coats of beeswax applied over several days depending on the condition of the wood.

Polishing the wands

The last step is to polish the wand using a rag or a bit of leather. We found leather does a great job getting a well-worn, ancient looking patina.

Now your wands are ready for use and harness the magic within!

Happy creating!

Pneumatic Robotic Arm Workshop

March 27, 2025March 29, 2025 Lutin

This pneumatic robotic arm workshop is design to introduce basic concepts of robotics and making to grade-school students. The design is based on ones used in middle school and high school robotic competitions. We have created a simplified version for one-time workshops with kids of all ages.

Please note, this material is provided for informational purposes only and is not a guide on how to create the designs. Please take a look at our disclaimer.

The two main science concepts are:

Leverage: A lever is a simple machine consisting of a bar that pivots on a fixed point (fulcrum). Levers are used to amplify input force. The robotics arm requires placing the syringes in positions that exploit leverage. You can find out more here.
Pneumatic:Pneumatic power uses compressed air as an energy source. Basic components of a pneumatic engine are: reservoir, pump, value and cylinder. In this workshop the syringe is the pneumatic engine. Pneumatic power is widely used in robotics and industry. Here is a link for other project ideas.

Required Supplies:

Each student will require:

x4 syringes
x2 4-inch piece of tubing
1 4×4 piece of wood
x5 Popsicle sticks
X2 nut and bolts

The photo below is the full-scale model used in high school competitions. It requires 2-3 students to control. One of the Hip Monster sisters built it at a Sacred Heart Robotics Camp in San Francisco, CA.

Here is a side view with the arm down.

The competition involves stacking blocks and the score is based on time it takes to move all the blocks and height of the stack. Controlling the arm is a true team effort with 2-3 students working together to move the arm. The winning design not only requires good engineering but perfect team work. Engineering competitions are ideal ways for kids to develop technical as well as social skills. Below is a video of the arm in action:

For our grade school work shop we choose a smaller and simpler design that only required one student to control the robotic arm. You can still have a team competition with two students per robot (one controlling each syringe) if desired.

Below are several views of our simplified design. Instead of zip ties we use rubber bands and tape.

Here is a view from above. This design does not use hot glue and is suited for all ages.

This is another design suited for more advanced students.

Here is a side view showing the placement of the syringe in the middle of the base to provide better range of movement.

In the video below one of the Hip Monster’s sister’s team does a quick build of an arm.

Here are the step by step instructions:

Drill a hole in the center of the square plywood which will be the base for your robotic arm.
Now push a bolt through the hole and secure it using a nut. The bolt will be the support for your arm.
Drill a hole on one end of four popsicle sticks.
Use the two popsicle sticks placed on either side of the bolt with the holes on the top.
Secure using rubber bands making sure to let it pivot.
Secure a syringe to a popsicle stick. This popsicle stick provides leverage helping move the arm.
Use rubber bands instead of tape or glue. Rubber bands let the mechanism flex as the pump extends pushing the arm.
Attach the piping and connect another syringe.
Adjust the two syringes so when you depress one the other extends.
Attach one end to the popsicle stick using a rubber band.
Next secure the other end to the edge of the base using tape.
Slow depress the syringe pump your arm will move!
Now attach two popsicle sticks to the top of the arm.
Secure with a bolt and nut.
Secure the syringe pump to the forearm with rubber bands.
Now attach the syringe base to the arm using tape.
Connect the other syringe.

Now you pneumatic robotic arm is complete!

To improve performance you can turn your pneumatic robot to a hydraulic powered one by just adding water! You can get more information here.

Happy Creating!

Carved Wooden Seals

February 25, 2025February 25, 2025 Lutin

These are old carvings that we forgot to post. We were inspired by the Chinese wax seals and wanted to practice wood carving, so we decided to make our own unique wooden seals.

Please note, this material is provided for informational purposes only and is not a guide on how to create the designs. Please take a look at our disclaimer.

Chinese wax seals

Here are some of our favorite seals. Most were purchased at a little store in the middle of San Francisco’s China Town right off of post street.

Crafted WaxSeals Alligator Inspired by Claude the Alligator, we decided to make an alligator seal. Its tail curves behind it and opens its jaws wide. The stamp would go on the bottom.

Crafted WaxSeals Alligator

This is the side view, where is shows off its tiny feet. There is some texture on the tail to replicate an alligator’s scales. At first the tail was indicated with a shallow grove but the carving was hard to make out or we opted to cut a slot to highlight the tai more clearly.

Crafted WaxSeals, Cat

This is the other wooden seal, which is a cat. The cat is perched on top of a wooden column, with its tail curved down the side.

Crafted WaxSeals, Cat

This carving captures the shape of a cat, with its pointed ears and curved body. We tied a red string around its neck like a collar to add a pop of color.

At the bottom of the seal, we added a stamp. We made the stamp out of an eraser and carved on the ancient Chinese character for ocean.

Here are the two wooden seals together!

Happy Creating!

Bell Hopper – Contraption Delta

October 14, 2024October 14, 2024 Lutin

For our upcoming Maker Faire presentation we wanted to make robotics more approachable. One barrier to robotics is, by its very nature, it lacks a human element. To bridge this robot-human divide, the bell hopper design requires two humans working together to power and control it. This only one goal, ring the bell.

Please note, this material is provided for informational purposes only and is not a guide on how to create the designs. Please take a look at our disclaimer.

The bell hopper ended up very similar to the first drawing of the concept, which is rare for us. For the base board we used one of our small robot rig platforms. We use it to create supports for testing robot movements. It ended up looking so good we kept it for the final design. We always wanted ringing a bell to be the goal of the contraption, but originally did not think of using it as the head. Once we saw the bell with the body we changed the design to have it as the head because they fit so well together.

Here is a top view with the bell attached. The head’s weight caused a few engineering issues for us. The body was made of super light aluminum and the bell was heavy brass. To solve this we create a swinging counter balance inspired by the counter balance in Taipei 101.

For the switch to redirect the air we used a standard manual pneumatic lever. It is the same one we use for testing our robots.

The power supply is a bicycle air pump painted bronze to look more steampunk.

Here is the final design of the bell hopper.

It take two people working together to get the bells to ring. Cooperation is key! Come see it and more at this year’s Bay Area Maker Faire.

Happy Creating!

Middle School Robotics Presentation

April 12, 2024October 14, 2024 Lutin

The HipMonster.com’s team was invited to do a middle school robotics presentation last month to show kids the fun side of robotics and technology. The audience was so awesome and engaged making it a fun experience for everyone.

The theme was how to take over the world using robots, making it fun to keep the students engaged. We used a steampunk template for our slides to match our robot designs and channeled Girl Genius when presenting.

Steam punk robots in a presentation at school — Testing the controllers

The robots got banged up a bit in transport, but nothing got completely broken. The biggest issue was the wires getting pulled out from the Arduinos. Luckily, it was only the breadboard jumper wires which are easy to put back in place. None of the soldered wires were broken which could have been very hard to fix. Breadboard jumpers are designed to be repeatedly taken on and off. They are like tiny colorful USB cables which helps see how what each cable is connected to (this is important because sometimes you can have dozens of wires). When you solder a wire to a controller, it can only be broken to be removed. You solder wires by using melted metal called solder and a really hot device to melt the metal. When a solder connection breaks you need to melt the metal again to reattach.

Two steam punk robots with two kids — Fixing the wiring

Here we are putting the finishing touches on Number Two and Number Three. All the robots traveled well and were up in running in thirty minutes except for one whose battery was faulty. When transporting batteries, we take extra care not to damage them and use a special carrying case.

We wrote a quick intro for the robots to perform to set the mood. After the intro, we dove right into robotics.

Here are three robot bodies. The first is Number Three. She can move her arms and hands, and talk. The middle is called Number Five. He can walk forward on his own using his four legs. The last is Number Two. He can’t do much, but he can still talk and move part of his arms.

Four steam punk robots at a school — All the robots lined up in the gym

For each robot body, you need to do several things. There needs to be a skeleton, a power source, and something that makes the robot move. When we are thinking of designs for our robots we often think of animals that already exist. We also take inspiration from robots in different books and webcomics.

Robots at a school presentation — Presenting to the school

Number Four is the most complicated one. It took us over one year to build her, and she is still being modified. Many other robots were also not built all at once but were gradually assembled as we got new ideas.

After you build the body, you have to give the robot a brain. in our robots, we use something called an Arduino.

It is basically a tiny computer that you can program to do different things. For our robots, we use Arduino to make the robot walk on its own, so we don’t have to use a remote control. For one robot, the Arduino can also choose the direction that it walks in, and how fast it walks. You can find a simple example here.

We code the Arduino from our computer, then the Arduino sends messages to the robot to control it. We edit the code based on our observations and new ideas.

We have many different types of robots that can move their whole body, each type demonstrates a different way of moving. We have the 4-legged walkers, which are our first moving robot design. They are made of metal pipes and have four legs and wheels for feet. We put wheels on their feet because we wanted less resistance and friction, but we didn’t want the robots to just be like a remote-controlled car. We wanted them to walk. The design of the legs and the “knee” has made a big difference.

Another design is our Seal robot. This one is very different, as it only has two legs and no wheels. The legs pull themselves forward, powered by linear actuators. To make sure that the legs don’t just go backwards and stay in place, we put wedge-shaped bits of foam at the bottom of the seal’s legs. When the seal moves forward, the wedges give no resistance, but when the legs pull back, the wedges stop them.

The next robot is our Bunny robot. The bunny robot is also unique because it was originally designed to hop. The two back legs push it forward, thanks to the springs. This one is powered by air and pistons, so you can get the sudden jolt that is harder to achieve with linear actuators. This robot is also one of the only robots made mostly out of wood. We took the idea for the legs from our wooden toys.

This is the Kangaroo. The kangaroo’s main difference besides the number of legs is the feet. The feet are small animal toys, designed to only go in one direction so they can move forward more efficiently. The back leg powers the whole robot, and we used linear actuators.

The last robot is the Mouse. The mouse is just a broken blow-dryer attached to wheels from some old toys. It is very simple, so we decided to make it walk on its own, completely uncontrolled and completely randomly, controlled by the Arduino. You can see the code here.

Sorry, this photo was blurry, but the mouse was super fast that day-well charged batteries.

We want to give a big thanks to all who came to our robotics presentation, and everyone who helped and supported us! this was our first big presentation, and we couldn’t be more happy with how it turned out!

Happy creating!

Cosplay Dragon Tail

March 30, 2024October 14, 2024 Lutin

One thing we have always been jealous of is tails. Cats and dogs flaunt them as they strut around waving them in the air. So when making our dragon costume, we wanted a moving dragon tail that seemed alive. Not a dead tail, but one that had a personality of its own.

We searched through our past builds and thought the joint work on our little wooden robots would do the job. We also so some cool designs on the web like this one.

Please note, this material is provided for informational purposes only and is not a guide on how to create the designs. Please read our disclaimer.

Parts needed to build a cosplay, wooden, flexible tail.

This build just needed some wood, bolts, wood glue, rubber bands and lots of duct tape.

sistering two wooden dowels

Since we wanted the tail segments to interlocked we glued two pieces of 2X2 wooden dowels together. Be careful not to put too much wooden glue, it just needs a thin coat. Make sure to give it two days to dry, you don’t want it to come apart when you start cutting.

Measure out the segments carefully. You can vary the lengths depending one what look you are going for. We went with four inches length on the top part and one inch slots on the backside.

Here is a view of the final design. Each segment will have the same “hat” shape.

Each hat will fit together in an alternation pattern. We tried making the segment in “z-shape” but it did not move as organically as the “hat-shape”.

After carefully measuring, we used our trusty drill press to make the holes. Try to make a tight fit for the bolts. If the holes are too big the tail, may stick over time as the bolt cuts into the wood.

Now it is time to assemble! It fits together like puzzle pieces. Make sure to put bees wax on the segments to protect the wood.

Now on to the belt for the dragon tail. To create a base for the tail, we used cardboard and high grade duct tape. An earlier build with standard duct tape did not last very long. First cut out a piece of cardboard about 5 by 8 to help guide you as you “weave” the duct tape. The cardboard does not provide any real support but just helps you remember the shape. The bigger the base, the more stable the tail will be.

Weave strips of duct tape alternating between vertical and horizontal directions. You want to use several layer, enough that it can support the tail.

Next careful cut four slits in the base for the belts. We recommend two belts but one top belt can work depending on your custom. We used camping stapes for the belts with fast release clips to making taking the tail on and off easy. Here is another design that we borrowed element from.

Next punch two holes in the base for the bolts to secure the L-braces. The L-braces will attach the tail to the belt. Use big washers when attaching the L-braces to prevent them from twisting into the duct-tape.

Now, attached the tail using four wood screws. Use small screw and drill guide holes; you do not want to split the wood.

Top view of a cosplay, wooden, flexible tail.

Finally, add two rubber bands at the base to give it some life and your tail is ready to be flaunted!

Back of a cosplay, wooden, flexible tail.

Here is a back view showing how the base looks when completed.

Two cosplay, wooden, flexible tails side by side.

Here are both dragon tails completed!

Happy Creating!

First Screen Test for Robot Freedom

February 24, 2024October 14, 2024 Lutin

Here is a preview of HipMonsters.com’s next project, Robot Freedom. No robots were destroyed making this, but Number Three had a few wires yanked off.

DIY Moss Terrarium

November 17, 2023October 14, 2024 Lutin

What do you do if you break a pot? This fun DIY moss terrarium will teach you a great way to decorate your space with recyclable materials! It will brighten up your space and help you avoid throwing away useful pottery!

Please note, this material is provided for informational purposes only and is not a guide on how to create the designs. Please read our disclaimer.

Let’s make a moss terrarium! The first step is to pack in as much mud as you can without the mud falling off. You can press in flat shaped rocks for stairs and platforms, then put more mud on top of it for more support. To create stairs, find similar sized rocks and stack them on top of each other, with space in front of it.

Here is what it first looks like after you attach the platforms. We used slate as our rock, because it is very flat. We also put some rocks along the side of the pot to look like the side of a cliff.

Use a paintbrush and water to clean mud off of the rocks and the front edge of the pot so it doesn’t look too dirty.

Next, before the mud dries, walk around outside to gather mosses and small plants. Gently tear the moss to the right size and press it into the mud. More is more, so put moss on every available surface to make it look more like a forest. If the soil is too dry, or not sticking, slowly add water in small amounts.

For the small plants, poke a small hole and press it in. Put more moss over the exposed soil around it and press. If it is too small, first make a ball of mud around the roots of the plant and then press it in.

Gently water all of the plants with a mister or with your finger. Do not dump too much water all at once or you will kill your small plants and/or sweep away the rocks and mud.

You can also add some small decorations on the terrarium to create a landscape or a scene. Make sure to water it regularly! But if your plants die, you can use the same method to replace them!

Happy creating!

SF Zoo Fundraiser Jewelry

October 7, 2023October 14, 2024 Lutin

jfheTo support the San Francisco Zoo, the HipMonsters’ sisters team, and a neighborhood friend decided to sell jewelry to raise money and awareness. Their efforts were a great success, raising nearly 400 dollars in two days of work, thanks to the generous and kind people of San Francisco.

Here is a selection of just some of the fundraiser jewelry sold! The jewelry is made with molding clay and painted with acrylic paint.

Thanks again to our neighbor friend and all the kind people who donated!

Happy creating!

Making of Number Six and Number Seven

October 7, 2023November 15, 2023 Lutin

After finishing Number three, we wanted to make smaller and lighter walking robots. Leveraging what we had learned from building our first walking robot, we made two mini robots, Number Six and Number Seven!

Please note, this material is provided for informational purposes only and is not a guide on how to create the designs. Please read our disclaimer.

Because we had a completed robot design it was easy to make sure we had all the parts we needed before beginning. Since Number Six and Number Seven were smaller we were able to spend about the same amount of money but use lighter steal parts. We hoped the reduced weight would make for better walking performance.

making a robot

The steal tubes also had bolt threads as apposed to pipe threads. Pipe threads are “V” shaped which made it difficult to get a piece tightened pointing the correct direction. With bolt threads we could use a nuts to tighten the connection between the tube and the pivot joints however they were positioned.

Working as a team the assembling went fast and in less than a day we had the beginnings of two robot. One trick we have learned is to use the floor as an assembling space. We are cramped for space and using step stools can be tricky in a workshop so the floor tends to be safer.

Here is a completed frame. It cannot stand yet and has to be held up. Here we had the initial knee designs. The knee design was important when we were developing the first walker. Later we switched to a tube in the piston rod that acted more like a spring to prevent the leg from over extending. What is critical in our approached is letting the robot fall forward but stop the fall before the robot is in a position it cannot recover from. The sister team learned this trick from a class at school where the teacher said when humans walk forward it is more like a controlled fall.

Now we start on installing the air pistons. We had to repeat this process many time because we kept switching around to position of the pistons and the direction of the air tube couplings. If the pistons are not the same on both side the robot will veer to one side and if the coupling are facing apposing ways the tubing becomes impossible to arrange. We have found facing the coupling up is typically the best orientation.

We did have to modify the piston attachment by removing the peg. This did require a parent’s help as the clip that secured the peg was difficult to remove without breaking it.

Next we began attaching the pneumatic air tubes. When measuring make sure to know were the pneumatic solenoid valve will be attached and account for the full movement of the legs. It is best to do one tube, test it, then do the opposites side. We found as we added tubes we had to change the initial lay of of the tubes. The tube work is a bit of an art form much like wiring a control unit.

Here is a close up of the all the piston installed.

Here is another view of the tubing being fitted and a close up of the pneumatic solenoid valve. Make sure to do clean, straight cuts with a sharp scissors to assure not leakage when attaching to the couplings.

Here is a front view of a completed design for Number Six and Number Seven. For testing we used a leather book strap so we could reposition the components as needed. We also tested a number of different air pumps. This pump, which we did not use in the final design, was the quietest and used the least amount of power. Latter, we switched to another model because this model kept shutting off after prolonged use.

Like with other designed we used a garage door remote controller because it reverse polarity to the pneumatic solenoid valve which switches the air flow from one leg to the other enabling the robot to walk. It is the small black box in the center of the robot.

The battery we secure to the underside for protection (the light blue box under Number Six). Instead of doing lead acid battery for Number Six and Number seven, we switched to a 12V 6Ah Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery from our lead-acid battery due to it much lighter weight and increased amps.

Here is Number Six walking in our yard.

Here is Number Seven walking in our workshop.

Steampunk DIY walking robots

And here we have all three robots, Number Five, Number Six, and Number Seven going for a walk together! The larger robot is Number Three. Number Seven is in front and Number Six is on the left.

Happy creating!