Maker space welcomes vintage car owners

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This article was published 21/11/2019 (1617 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

More than 30 local gearheads dropped by the Creation Nation maker space on Saturday morning for a tour of the facility and a brief rundown of the equipment on display.

Throughout this hour-long open house, the hobbyists got a better idea of how to use the workspace’s 3D printer, vinyl cutter, laser cutter, sewing machines and other various tools to help modified their classic vehicles.

According to Lindsay Rystephanuk, who helped put this event together, the rising popularity and availability of devices like 3D printers could definitely benefit his fellow vintage car owners, especially since modern manufacturers hardly sell or produce old emblems or “badging” anymore.

“And when they do, they charge an outrageous amount of money, upwards of $400 for something that fits in your hand,” he said.

Using 3D printer technology, Rystephanuk said any ambitious motorists could produce a replica emblem using their imagination and a $50-a-month maker space membership that allows for 24-hour access to the shop.

“I think this Creation Nation is just a great addition to our community,” he added.

Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation community development co-ordinator Hope Switzer conducted Saturday’s tour and spent a lot of her time answering questions from the crowd about aesthetic upgrades.

“They were looking at the vinyl cutters to put some stripes on vehicles,” she said. “If you want to put something on a hat or a shirt, we also have embroidery machines.”

Switzer went on to say that the BNRC opened up the Creation Nation maker space back in the spring of 2019, and have been reaching out to various service clubs ever since.

“We weren’t finding a good use for this space when we moved in, so we thought we could do something for the community that would really help spur innovation and help bring creatives together,” she said.

Even though the average age of Saturday’s tour group was on the older side, Rystephanuk doesn’t think the newer technology should present a giant barrier to getting involved.

“Old guys like us have accepted the new technology on a regular basis. Computers, phones are easier the more we use them,” he wrote in a followup email to the Sun. “So, now (that) we know what’s out there, 3D printer etc, we’d find someone to help us figure out what we require.”

In fact, local car enthusiast Bob Braun told the group on Saturday that spaces like this can help cross-generational lines and encourage younger people to get into the hobby, since a lot of this equipment straddles the line between digital and analog.

“I would really recommend that people think about whether you’re passing your skills onto the younger generation,” he said. “If your kids are not hands-on with anything, get them down here.”

BNRC’s Creation Nation maker space is located at 440 Rosser Ave. and offers approximately 557 square metres worth of shared workspace.

In order to get a monthly membership, contact Switzer at 204-729-2490 (ext. 104) or makers@bnrc.ca.

» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

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