What are some of the efforts or initiatives you’ve spearheaded since starting at The Tool Library?
I was part of the initial team behind the carbon emission and location code projects, along with many other interns, Darren and Lissa. Throughout this process, there were many long hours spent going through each item, fixing errors, adding photos, assigning locations and assigning a carbon footprint to each tool.
My biggest impact came from a hobby of mine: 3D printing. I brought my 3D printer to a Dare to Repair event, where I discovered that the skills I have built over five years of owning and printing parts for electronic case housings for IoT projects allowed us to attempt repairs that would be impossible without 3D printed replacement parts.
Darren then suggested that I help write a grant to the Erie County Department of Sustainability to ask for a 3D printer just for The Tool Library for in-house repairs. It was a great opportunity to research all the specialized gadgets that would be most effective at manufacturing parts for The Tool Library and be the most robust for our tasks.
What did you study at UB? What are your career aspirations?
I study computer science at the University at Buffalo. I hope to work in the startup community in Buffalo. Over the last two years, I have enjoyed attending pitch competitions, taking social change classes and critically thinking about the society we live in through the Better Together social group in Bootsector.
My career aspiration is to continue on that journey by founding a company. I plan to design solutions together with key people to build a new economy designed to improve life for everyone.
What’s your favorite tool and why?
My favorite tool is the angle grinder. I grew up in a handy household in Brooklyn that reused everything we could. I loved seeing the clever solutions that my dad and his dad always came up with to make their lives slightly better. As for the angle grinder, I have a memory of using it to carve a Batarang earring out of solid steel salvaged from my prized broken fencing blade. I was so proud of that, and I like to think my family would be too.
The angle grinder also highlights the importance of The Tool Library because I burned a hole through my pants during the grinding process. I am happy to be able to rent PPE alongside power tools.
Can you talk about the 3-D printer setup you created at The Tool Library? What potential does 3-D printing have for the repair movement?
The Tool Library has a Prusa MK4, a fast, reliable long-lasting printer. It is encased in a metal and plexiglass box to protect it from any accidents and isolate it from flammable items. Additionally, there is a carbon filter fan to remove the plastic fumes.
Outside the printer, you will find two filament dryers with a total storage of four rolls, which keep the toughest industry plastics we have bought well and hold the plastic rolls while we print. To prepare for the many situations life tends to throw at us, I have prepared five types of plastics: PLA for prototyping, PETG for most prints, carbon fiber for strong and rigid parts, nylon for strong parts and replacement gears, and two rolls of TPU of different flexibility for flexible prints.
3D printing has incredible potential for the repair movement. I have been tinkering with my 3D printer for six years, and I am amazed by how this community has optimized, innovated and created cutting-edge technology that can manufacture parts more sustainably than traditional methods.
That is why I believe it is the perfect time to use 3D printing to start repairing items. I have been volunteering to run The Tool Library 3D printing newsletter for some time. Through this experimental journey with 3D printing enthusiast members, I have created replacement parts for a mantis cultivator, trash grabbers, members’ plastic sheds, gears, and many cosmetic items, just to name a few.
Currently, I am working on improving the professionalism and navigability of the information in the newsletter I created to help newcomers. We just hit 25 signups! Use this form to join the newsletter and our 3D printing community: https://forms.gle/X17YfBf9WFGfSoEcA
How has your experience at The Tool Library influenced your perspective on community engagement and sustainability?
There is no question that The Tool Library has shown me that community engagement is important and that sustainability is possible and easy. After being at The Tool Library, I am a happier person, more open to connection and full of ideas on how to make my society better. I think people who walk into The Tool Library leave as more sustainable individuals after surrounding themselves with other members who share tools, information, and opportunities for others to do more themselves instead of buying solutions that are inevitably going to a landfill.