Straight Razor Shaving Stand

An important aspect of maintaining a straight razor is ensuring your razor (and shaving brush) dry thoroughly after each use.  Keeping these items dry will prevent the high carbon steel blade from rusting and your brush from deteriorating or building up soap scum.  A shaving stand also helps prevent the razor's edge from being nicked or the brush's bristles from being crushed.  

Stands can vary from expensive store bought models to crudely bent coat hangers.  I thought a stand would make a great laser cutting project so I set out to make my own!  After some online searching, I found a shaving stand design developed for a double edged (or similar) razor at r/wickededge. I adapted the design to accommodate my straight razor and laser cut the pieces from 1/8" cherry.  After a bit of gluing and varnishing my stand turned out looking pretty sharp (shaving pun intended, har-har).  If you're interested in making your own, I've shared the shaving stand design here.

Revisiting the METAR Weather Reporter

After a decent number of requests for the source code used on my METAR weather reporter I made in 2010, I've decided to make it more readily available (see below for source).  Shown above is a photo of one individual's version in action.

If you haven't already, you'll need to download the latest versions of Arduino and Processing.  The Processing sketch also requires an appropriate font file to run correctly.  Place the font ".vlw" file in a folder called "data" in the same directory as the Processing sketch and change the font name in the Processing sketch to match the ".vlw" font file name (if you chose to use a different font than the one below).  After this, run the Processing sketch on your computer and load the Arduino sketch onto your board with lcd character display connected according to the pinout noted in the code.  The Arduino will also require a USB serial connection to communicate with the Processing program.  My code is currently set up to report KSAC weather, but it's easy to change the weather reporting location.  Simply edit the airport identifier at the two locations in the Processing sketch to the one you're interested in.  Happy coding and safe flying!

Source Code:
METAR code for Processing
Processing Font Files
METAR code for Arduino

Geogram ONE Case Revisions

Even though I just completed the first case design for my Geogram ONE, I've already designed a new case with many improvements.  The battery now has a form fitting pocket beneath the board so it doesn't shift under sudden moment, the circuit board is secured to the enclosure, the antenna is mounted internally (although the volume of the box only very slightly increased), and I included two pockets for magnets that will allow you to attach the enclosure to an object. I designed the new case in Solidworks, but re-oriented the .stl file for printing using Blender.

 Above is a screenshot of my model in Blender.  Below is the finished case with all the components installed before I seal in the electronics.  I opted to spray paint the outside of the case black and laser cut a black acrylic panel for the front to make the unit more discreet for mounting in my car.

Here is the finished unit hidden away in my Miata.  Personal Lowjack installed!

I've uploaded the build files here:
Geogram ONE revised case
Geogram ONE revised acrylic faceplate
**Note: the new case design requires 8, 3/8" #4 screws