The Making of Number Five

February 13, 2023February 13, 2023 Dryad and HarpyLeave a comment

Inspired by the Boston Dynamics robot videos, steampunk art, and Girl Genius, the HipMonster team set out to make their robotic dog walk to take for a walk on our city street. This project ended up being a lot harder than we imaged and took two years to complete. This greatly impacted our work on the HipMonsters’ website which is just now being updated with new content. So, finally, we give you the making of Number Five!

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

Getting started on a DIY robotic dog projects — Getting Started

Base supplies to get started:

Brass Pipe Fitting, 4-Way Tee, Female Pipe (1, 1/4″ x 1/4″ x 1/4″ x 1/4″ NPT)
Brass Pipe Fitting, 90 Degree Barstock Street Elbow, 1/4″ Male Pipe x 1/4″
Brass Pipe Fitting, Barstock Tee, 1/4″ x 1/4″ x 1/4″ NPT Female Pipe
Black Steel Pipes ,close nipple pipe, 1/4 in. x 8 in, Black, 5 Pack
Black Steel Pipes, close nipple pipe, 1/4 in. x 6 in, Black, 5 Pack
Black Steel Pipes, close nipple pipe, 1/4 in. x 2 in, Black, 5 Pack
Hex Nipple Coupling Set – 1/4-Inch NPT x 1/4-Inch NPT,Solid Brass, Female Pipe
3/8 Inch Stainless Steel Cable Clamp
90-degree Swivel 1/4-Inch Male NPT x 1/4-Inch Female NPT
Clear 6mm OD 4mm ID Polyurethane PU Air Hose Pipe Tube Kit 10 Meter 32.8ft
Pneumatic Rotary Lever Hand Valve 1/4” N PT Air Flow Control 3 Position 4 Way
Pneumatic 16mm Bore 150mm Stroke Air Cylinder Double Action
Bike Pump

Building on our experience creating Number Three, we used piping to build the skeleton for the robot. To make it stronger to withstand the force of walking we used 1/4-inch steel pipes and pneumatic pivot joints rather than PVC tubing. After that, we assembled the legs using the pivot joins to allow the legs to move.

Assembly begins on a DIY robotic dog project. — Assembly begins!

After the legs were completed, we built a spine to help attach the legs and provide an attachment platform for the batteries, controller, and engine.

DYI robotic walker skeleton is coming together — The skeleton is coming together

When Number Three moved, the legs would frequently come loose so we made sure to be attached tightly to the spine. We knew from other robots we built that the vibrations of a running robot tended to unscrew bolts and screws. So, getting everything put together as tight as possible is essential.

Final tightening of the frame of the DIY walking robot dog — Final tightening of the frame

The spine takes a little patience to screw together because we used three parallel sets of pipes for strength. It proved difficult to screw them in at the same time and the best approach was to take it slow and calmly.

Side view of the completed DIY robotic dog skeleton — Side view of the completed skeleton

This is the side view of Number Five with most of the pneumatic pistons in place. We had two powering the back legs and four to power the front legs which did most of the pulling. We found from the full-scale test pull was better than push for control. If a front leg got stuck and the back legs still pushed forward the robot would veer to the left or right.

Below is a top view. The front part of the skeleton does not have a spine. This was originally to enable us to adjust the strides of the legs but that ended up being too finicky and we instead locked them in place. Sadly, we don’t have a clean attachment point for a head if we ever want to add one.

Top view of the completed DIY robotic walker skeleton — Top view of the skeleton

Next, we started connecting the air tubes to the pistons. We first laid out how the piston would attach to the frame then cut the tubes to link them to the engine. We made sure that they were long enough not to get yanked out, but short enough not to get caught in the robot’s legs.

Fitting the pneumatic tubes to power the piston on the DYI robotics dog — Fitting the pneumatic tubes

The tubing took a few attempts to get the length right. It is better to be too long than too short, so we have a bag filled with little bits of extra tubing. The tubing connects the piston to the engine. In the beginning, the engine was a bike pump powered by a kid but the final version would have a car air pump.

While attaching the pipes we recommend color coding the pipes with a little bit of nail polish or colored tape. You want the legs to be connected oppositely. If a right piston is rigged to push when the air is redirected, you want its mirror to pull.

Each piston has two connections:

one at the top which makes the rod push out,
one in the middle pulls the rod back.

Below is a gif of two pistons connected in opposition. This will enable the robot to walk with a stride.

Testing the pistons on the DYI Robotic dog. — Testing the pistons

Below is the first full-scale test. We used a bike pump to better control power. The bike pump worked remarkably well for most of our small-scale tests and was significantly quieter than the air pump. Plus it is cool to power a robot with a bike pump. As you can see… this test failed hilariously.

First test of the DYI robotic dog. — Test number one

The first test showed that controlling double-jointed legs was very difficult so we decided to shorten the legs as well as do tons of additional modifications. With lots of tubing, it tangles easily and it is hard to figure out where the problem is. We also added knees to stop the legs from overextending and falling.

Setting up the tubing on the DYI robotic dog — After tons of modifications

The second full-scale test was much more successful and operated as we expected. This floor has a slight downward tilt but it also works in the opposite direction; admittedly a bit slower. It is still operated by a manual switch but the engine is now a car pump.

Test number 2 of the DIY robotic dog — Test 2

At this point, number five was powered externally and controlled with a manual switch. Our final goal was to be able to walk number five in our neighborhood on Halloween, so we added batteries, electronic air flow controls, and a remote control.

Adding wiring and remote control to DIY robotic dog — Adding control units

The engine was an old portable air compressor for car tires that was super light and used little power. To make Number Five portable, it needed to run on a 12-volt battery which meant all the electronics had to run off of 12 volts as well. Luckily 12 volts is the standard power supply so finding the right parts wasn’t too difficult.

Adding pump to DIY robotic dog — Adding the engine

At this point Number Five was completely self-contained and controlled by a remote. We moved the battery to the center of Number Five to give it a lower center of gravity. When we first put it together the first time it was clear it would fall over easily if the battery was on top. So we quickly built a lower platform that rested between the leg. The pump was light enough to stay in the back clear from the movement of the front legs.

DIY Robotic dog walking, Made by kids

Here is the first test of the fully remote Number Five. We had more slippage than we had in the prior tests; the weight of the battery and air pump impacted the wheel traction more than we expected. So back to tinkering…

The key improvements this time were:

A rubber wedge in the wheels made them only spin in one direction
Shifting more weight forward.
Extended the forward stretch of the front legs giving a lurching motion forward that was very effective on flat or downhill surfaces.

DIY Robotic dog walking on sidewalk — Taking Number Five for a Walk

After the modifications were complete, the sister team was ready to take Number Five for a walk in our neighborhood! Number Five worked well on the rough city sidewalks and could even manage to walk up a slight incline as shown in this clip. Downhill Number Five went almost too fast. We have learned a ton and stay tuned for the next modifications!

For high res videos of Number Five in action check out our YouTube Channel!

Happy Creating!

Steampunk Jewelry

February 12, 2023February 15, 2023 LutinLeave a comment

Where technology and beauty meet, our steampunk jewelry embraces the genius within! This collection of steampunk jewelry is fit for all steampunk-loving monsters. We were inspired by some of the cool steampunk gadgets in the books that we read.

DIY steampunk brooch — *Circle of Power* Brooch

The Circle of Power brooch lights up to illuminate the center gemstone. It is four inches in diameter and has a magnetic attachment. To make this, we glued a Mancala gem on a gear and put it in a bottle cap. We then secured fairy lights around it and attached a small battery to power them.

The Gears of Time choker is four inches long and attached with a clasp. To make this, we sewed gears onto a normal black choker. We then used hot glue to combine some of the gears to make bigger, more unique gears.

Puzzle Box: Push My Button

February 12, 2023February 13, 2023 LutinLeave a comment

After building a number of dovetail puzzle boxes the HipMonsters sister team set out to make their own unique design. We explored many designs and drew influence from creations like this one on YouTube. The sisters wanted something that looked deceptively simple and easy to make. Thus was born Push My Button!

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

Here is Push My Button from a side view. The sides are made from a several of 1/4 wooden square dowels. These are our goto material for many of our designs.

The top, sides and bottom are made from 1/8 inch plywood.

Here is a view of a corner. We purposely made it look slapped together to confuse people. The lopsided look makes it appear that the sides of bottom can be slipped off- which cannot be done.

But the key to opening Push My Button to to press the correct button… but which one? We added spacers between some of the dowels and aligned them irregularly to make harder to tell which one is the key.

When we give it as a gift we usually leave earings or chocolate inside to reward the reciever once them uncover the trick.

Happy creating!

The Making of George the Mummy

February 11, 2023February 15, 2023 LutinLeave a comment

We wanted to give people a scare on Halloween and was inspired by a visit to Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum so we set out to make our own mummy, George the mummy (he got too curious).

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.

For the mummy, we used:

A roll of burlap fabric
Lots of brown shipping paper
Chicken wire
Aluminum fense wire
5 1/4×1/4X 5 Wood
Twine
nuts and bolts.

We needed it to be pretty light so we didn’t use a lot of wood and padded the skeleton with lots of shipping paper. We had been storing the shipping paper for years and had bags of it in a closet for just such a project. It is perfect because it looks like old dried skin!

We wanted George to be flexible so we could place him through out the house and even take him on car trips.

This is one of the joints that we made. George is fully articulate but not powered like our robots.

We cut small pieces of the wood off to make it more rounded then sanded the edges to get a clean joint. Since these joints would not be seen we used only rough grade sandpaper.

We drilled holes in the joints so that we could put them together. To drill the holes we clamped the two pieces together to assure the holes would align.

We used a rubber washer between the two pieces so George would not be too wobbly. After screwing the bolts down we crimped end to make sure they would not come undone after George was finished.

We used chicken wire to start making the shape of the head. The chicken wire was so sharp so we had to be extra careful not to cut ourselves. Best to let a parent do this part. One trick we used was to warp the end pieces in duck tape to make them less pocky.

We molded the head into shape. We recomend wearing thick gardening gloves because the chicken wire is very sharp.

We wrapped it in paper to make it less sharp and because the paper looks like dry skin. The paper alos helps makes the linbs more circlular.

The head fully wrapped in paper.

We secured the paper by tightly wrapping it in twine. we used twine because it is strong, but also because it is the same color as the paper, so if a little shows it would blend in with the paper.

We wrapped it up in burlap after we finished securing the paper. We did several layers so it wouldn’t come off and towards the end split the burlap into multiple strips

After the head was done it was on to the rest of the body. The wooden skeleton we made as simple ae possible and used bolts and bolts with crimp washers to make sure it would not come loose after the wrapping for completed.

Now assemble the skeleton and wrap the body in the same fashion as the head. Wrapping the hands and feet proved to be very hard, and we ended up not making wooden fingers, we just wrapped the arm and secured the ends.

Here is the completed skeleton fully covered in paper and tied together with twine. We needed to remove the final wrapping from the head in order to better integrate it to the body. Also, we tried using left over hand from out Hand of Glory project but in the end, they did not look as real as we want.

Now you can see George out of the workshop! We originally tried to make him be able to stand up on his own, but that would mean either making the body weirdly small or making the feet gigantic. We ended up attaching him to a lamp post instead.

In this photo, George is sitting on a stationary bicycle. This shows off how George’s limbs can move and that he can be detached from the lamppost. It also shows that George is about the same size as a normal human, which makes him more realistic and creepy.

In this video, George is taking down Christmas decorations with Number Three, showing off how well he stands and how much he enjoys wearing hats. He is also sturdy enough to hold Christmas tree ornaments without his arm bending.

Wooden Toy- Alligator

February 4, 2023February 16, 2023 LutinLeave a comment

We decided to make a special present for our teachers at school. One of the teachers really loved alligators.

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.

So we set out to make one out of wood. First we cut the wood into the rough shape of the toy.

Using a drill press to create a wooden toy alligator

Next drilled the wood that we cut. We cut lots of little pieces so the tail could move and each needed a hole drilled.

To smooth the edges we used a wood plane. Then we sanded each piece with fine grain sandpaper. For the details on the head we made rough cuts using an alligator saw then sanded repeated to get the shape we wanted.

A handcrafted wooden toy alligator We laid out the final design before threading the wire through the holes we drilled.

Threading a pipecleaner through pieces of wood for a handcrafted wooden toy alligator

Here we are threading the wire though the holes. We used pipe cleaners to get a snug fit. This will make the toy alligator flexible but will also hold its shape well.

Here is the completed alligator! We named him Claude after the alligator in the San Francisco Academy of Sciences.

Steampunk Contraption Model Beta

February 3, 2023February 16, 2023 LutinLeave a comment

The Hip Monsters team decided to make something that interests people when they walk into the room. Inspired by Girl Genius. and this SteamPunk creation, we made a mysterious steampunk device that only we know the use of.

Handmade steampunk device — Our amazing steampunk device.

This is our steampunk creation. It has two light bulbs, a pressure gauge, and some metal pipes. The light bulbs’ brightness is adjustable.

This is the side view of our device. You can see that on the side of the creation, there is a silver metal box. That controls the brightness of the lightbulbs.

On the back, you can see that there is a wire going from the silver box away from the device. that is where you plug in the device to the outlet. From the front it is barely noticeable, you can only see it from certain angles.

Potion Cabinet

January 2, 2023February 16, 2023 LutinLeave a comment

With all the potion-making we have been doing recently, we found that we needed a place to put our potion supplies on the go, so we made a potion cabinet fit for the experts of potion-making. Professor Slughorn’s portable potions kit was the main inspiration for this creation.

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.

Getting started on a DIY wood working project, a DIY wooden cabinet. — Getting started

We used the following supplies; a hammer, a saw, four 90-degree angle clamps, black paint, blue paint, mahogany-colored wood stain,

Clamping corners. DIY wooden cabinet. — Using clamps to get a tight fit

The core of the cabinet is the frames. These carry the weight of the bottles and hold the cabinet’s shape. To make the frames, we cut the beams into 12 inches and glued them together, using the 90-degree angle clamps for making a strong right angle.

DIY wooden cabinet making progress. — Getting the pieces ready for assembling.

All the sides and frames are ready for assembly. All pieces need to be cut out before you start assembling to make sure that you don’t forget a piece.

Assembling our DIY wooden cabinet. — Gluing the pieces together.

We ran a bead of glue on all the edges of the frames. We made sure to only put a little glue to prevent sliding.

Clamping our DIY wooden cabinet together. — Clamping the cabinet together.

Then we use clamps to firmly secure the sides to the frame.

Strengthening our DIY wooden cabinet. — Hammering in nails for support.

Once we were sure the glue had dried we went on to the next steps. For added strength, we put in a few thin nails on the bottom and sides.

DIY wooden cabinet is taking shape! — Measuring the box for the shelf.

We measured for the interior shelf after we put the cabinet together to make sure we have a snug fit.

Our DIY wooden cabinet now has a shelf. — Cutting the corners of the shelf.

Next we cut out slots on all the corners so the shelf following the outside of the line then sanded to fit the cabinet.

Our DIY wooden box can be transported. — Attaching the handle to the top.

Finally, we added a handle on top to make transportation easier. Since the outside plywood was thin to make the cabinet light, we added an extra piece of wood underneath to secure the handle. we used thin screws so we don’t split the extra piece of wood.

DIY wooden cabinet — The fully assembled cabinet.

Here is the assembled cabinet ready for staining and painting. We are looking for a vintage look so we need to do multiple layers and light distressing.

We used this video for Our Up Cycled Life to help us get started.

Staining our DIY wooden cabinet. — Staining the cabinet.

We stained the cabinet and left it outside to dry. The shelf and front were stained separately to make sure that we got the stain in all the nooks and crannies.

Making our DIY wooden cabinet's wood look distressed. — Adding wax circles on the top of the cabinet.

We used candles to make wax circles around the cabinet. We do this because when we paint it, the paint on the wax would peel off, creating a distressed look.

Painting our DIY wooden cabinet. — Painting the cabinet.

Giving our DIY wooden cabinet a vintage look. — Sanding some of the paint off.

Then, we mixed the black paint and the blue paint, creating a dark blue, and painted the cabinet. We used dark blue because when black paint gets old, it looks like dark blue.

We lightly sanded the painted wood, showing the stain underneath. We can repeat this process to get the aged look that we desired. Here is a view of the completed potion cabinet with the vintage finish.

Here is a view with the case close for safe transportation!

DIY wooden cabinet with the door. — The door closed.

Here is the completed potion cabinet with a vintage finish.

Happy crafting!

Handmade Pump Drill

June 19, 2020February 16, 2023 Dryad and HarpyLeave a comment

The Hip Monster’s sister team has created DIY instructions for a pump drill. Pump drills are ancient tools used by many cultures including Native Americans. The sisters got the idea from seeing pump drills made by the Miwok tribe who are native to California.

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.

Supplies for a handmade pump drill. — Supplies

Equipment:

saw
drill
1. spade drill bit ~1 inch
2. drill bit 1/8 inch
spokeshave
sandpaper
string
bee’s wax
three long, straight branches

Branches:

1) shaft: the centerpiece of the pump drill. Look for a long, straight, and thin piece of wood.

2) spindle whorl: Attached near the tip of the shaft and makes the drill rewind. This piece should be heavy and thick enough the shaft can go through it.

3) handle: What you hold onto. This piece should be just thick enough for the shaft to go through.

First, you pick out three straight pieces of wood, one long and skinny, and the other two thick. Make sure the handle and the spindle ones are thick enough for the shaft to go through. Cut off the extra parts making sure to leave a bit extra on each end.

This se should look like this. The extra inch on each side of the sticks are so you can secure them to a vice for shaving.

The first one will be the spindle, the second the handle, and the last the shaft.

Next, spokeshave the pieces to make them smooth. Be very careful while spoke shaving you don’t want to make any of the pieces too thin or curved. Continuously flip the piece over to get to make all the sides even. Sometime when there is a knot or we accidentally cut into the wood an adult can help smooth it out.

For the main shaft spokeshave till it is as straight as possible. To find out which side to shave roll the stick on a table and see which part is bent up. For the handle and spindle, you just need to get the bark off.

Now cut the piece to the right size. Make sure the thin one is the longest. Measure out the right size before you cut it.

Sand the pieces to make them really smooth. Spend more effort on the shaft. Remember, the shaft needs to be smooth and straight for the pump drill to work. They should look like this when done.

Drill the holes in the two thick pieces. The with of the holes should be a bit bigger than the diameter of the shaft. When drilling, go slowly to avoid splitting. Make sure you drill in the middle of the wood.

When done you should have two big holes in the large pieces big enough for the shaft.

For drilling hole likes these where the edge of the drill bit comes close to the vice we let an adult do the final set up and test.

After you have drilled all the holes apply bee’s wax. The bee’s wax makes them smooth and help avoid splitting.

To apply the bee’s wax use an old towel. Since bee’s wax does not go bad we use the same rag repeated for other projects.

Drill two holes at the tip of the shaft the same width as the string you will be using. Measure the string and put the string through it.

Now drill holes at both ends of the handle. Make sure the hole is in the same direction as the shaft hole.

Next, assemble the pump drill by sliding the shaft through the handle.

Then loop the string through the two holes you drilled in the handle.

Adjust the string so that the center stick if a little less than halfway down the pole. Then tied knots on both ends of the string.

Now slide the spindle onto the shaft.

Use a thin board of wood like the one shown in the photo and break off a strip.

Wedge the strip of wood in the gap to make the fit tight. Add more strips of wood as needed. The spindle should not be able to move.

And finally cut a slot at the end of the shaft by cutting two parallel cuts. Then use a chisel to clean up the notch. Secure a sharp stone shaped like an arrow tip with string.

Yay! You finished!

Now you have a pump drill.

You use the drill by first winding it up. Then gently push down on the handle. Let the string rewind itself (thanks to the spindle whorl). Do not push the stick up but let the pump drill wind back then, again, gently push down.

Wand: Flame Tamer

June 19, 2020February 16, 2023 Dryad and HarpyLeave a comment

Every wand we craft has unique mythos and a special spell. This wand is called the Flame Tamer.

Handcrafted DIY Wooden Wand with rosemary

Mythos

Flame Tamer was created on a hot sunny day which gave its power to control fire.

Special Spell

Control fire.

First, create a circle of fire. Then speak the incantation:

ignis coercere

While waving the wand in a circle then thrusting the wand through toward the flames. Focus your mind on an animal, like a hawk or a wolf, that you are most aligned with. The fire will assume the shape of that animal and will obey your commands.

It is 16 inches long. This wand was made from pine and was soaked in rose petals and red clay. it was spoke shaved with a small bend in the middle.

Happy Casting!

Handcrafted DIY Wooden Wand

Wand: Scarlet Sunset

May 20, 2020February 16, 2023 Dryad and HarpyLeave a comment

Every wand we craft has unique mythos and a special spell. This wand is called the Scarlet Sunset.

Handcrafted DIY Wooden Wand with a book

Mythos

Scarlet Sunset was crafted as the sun was setting so its magic is strongest at night. For difficult spells, it is recommended to wait till a new moon. It plays well with fire and can even use fire as a healing energy to cure people and creatures.

Special Spell

Incendium Purgatio (Fire purification)

It is 14 3/4 inches long. Made of poplar grown in the Hip Monster’s realm. The wood was spoke shaven straight, soaked in oil with a rosemary and chives blend then polished with bee’s wax.

Happy Casting!

Handcrafted DIY Wooden Wand with a book