SureFire

Archive for the ‘DIY’ Category

Fort Liberty’s Airborne Innovation Lab

Thursday, August 8th, 2024

We’ve mentioned the Airborne Innovation Lab in the past but here’s another pitch for those on Ft Liberty who haven’t heard of it.

Do you have an innovative idea that can make your team, squad, platoon, company, battalion, or brigade more efficient and lethal? We want to work with you!

We are a prototyping facility that any service member, regardless of rank, on Fort Liberty that can design and build out of various materials to help bring your ideas into reality.

We also offer an Intro to Microcontrollers and a Basic & Advanced Additive Manufacturing class with a primary focus on Fusion360.

Rampart Range Day 24 – Tactical Concealment

Thursday, May 30th, 2024

Tactical Concealment is well known for their purpose built ghillie suits and other camouflage systems for snipers and recce troops.

Customers have come to them requesting kits that consist of their platforms along with camouflage materials to build suits from scratch. This can not only save money but allows students in training courses to build suits which is an important part of any curriculum. It also allows one to build to the environment they work in. Their answer is TC BYO for Build Your Own.

You’ll get the same quality materials they use to create concealments at a fraction of the price. Plus, you’ll learn a few things along the way. One of things I like about BYO is that they even include this cardboard form to help you create your own gear. Gluing everything together on a flat surface can result in odd protrusions.

Download the pdf here.

This and other products shown at Rampart Range Day are available for unit and agency orders in Canada and the US through Rampart.

The Week I Learned to Make a Tactical Backpack with Canvasworker.com

Wednesday, April 24th, 2024

I have been surrounded by tactical gear for most of my adult life. I appreciate, use, buy, care for, and even customize tactical gear. But, I’ve never tried to make tactical gear.  Then, I found Canvasworker.com.  My discovery dropped me into a “safeties off” industrial sewing class, at a leading bag design company, with a vibrant community of creatives and makers dedicated to advancing the craft. For four full days, I explored pattern making, sewing techniques, materials, and bag making principles under the guidance of a master – complete with cutting edge materials and machines in his bag design workshop.  At the end of the course, I had made my very own tactical backpack. It was such an impactful, productive and spiritual (yes, spiritual) experience – I had to share.

THE BROWN BUFFALO

I purchased a seat and made my way to Canvasworker.com’s renowned backpack making class in March 2024.  I was met by the host, Douglas Davidson, the legendary maker – known as the “Brown Buffalo”.

Few people share Douglas’ experience in the bag making industry, here in the U.S. or overseas. His journey spans the last 25 years where he worked at top industry brands Burton, The North Face, Nike, Adidas, and Beats to name a few. Douglas runs The Brown Buffalo, a luxury bag company that designs and manufactures purpose-built backpacks and accessories for leading brands, military personnel, law enforcement, first responders, Tier 1 athletes and music artists.

Douglas also consults on trend forecasting, innovation, product design, product development and manufacturing support around the bag industry.

Douglas is a maker.  He is a master of bag design, and a man committed to freely share his knowledge and perspective.  Douglas’ nature and rapport is straight up spiritual, yet he remains as no-frills and no-nonsense as you could get.  He is a coffee-fueled, ocean-powered, bag sewing guru.

THE BAG MAKING EXPERIENCE

I arrived at the workshop, in a trendy mixed use commercial and industrial part of Costa Mesa, CA.  There were only two other students in my class, each of us with completely diverse origins and expectations.  The workshop is an open, high-bay space dripping with signature fabrics and high-quality material.  Up high on all three walls extends a line of backpacks hung together in what amounts to a global trek through adventure backpack history.  Some of the packs are one of a kind, some are antiques … but every stitch, zip and pocket of these bags holds a story.

Down the center floor of the shop are a dozen, Japanese-made, Juki industrial sewing machines. When you get behind one of the Jukis with pneumatic assist (and give your complete trust to the machine) even a novice can demonstrate some strong sewing chops.

For four days, we split our time between a hightop layout table and our Juki. The first project we crafted was a tote bag.  Each of us selected a series of custom fabrics – I chose fabric from Dimension Polyant, a German sail and advanced fabrics manufacturer (a favorite of Davidson).  The tote was our test case, to learn the patterns, layout and of course to get to know our Juki.

Douglas’ prime directives were “open mindedness is critical” and “trust the machine”.  He was a constant presence over our shoulders, but also was fine with letting us learn on our own.  On the second day, we progressed from our tote to begin the process of making and assembling our tactical backpack.  We learned the core components and key approaches for crafting a high-quality bag.  Every base sewing component had to be perfect in order for the final product to line up correctly.  When we messed up, it was obvious, and each of us had to de-stitch an essentialbag component at least twice … for me, at least four times.

As we worked diligently on our creations, Douglas regaled us with tales of his own adventures working in Chinese and Vietnamese bag factories in the 90s, then to his colorful youth in East LA, growing up around Lowrider culture, gang violence and big wave surfing.  He was as comfortable talking about the punk rock band Black Flag or the best websites to bulk order vintage military camo prints and rifle sling quick release points – all of this was mesmerizing stuff for me.

Each day our backpack took shape, and by the close of the fourth day I had made my final product.  I had never created anything by sewing – but now I had made an industry-standard concealed carry backpack, in MultiCam Black.

Your time at Canvasworker.com is not all work. We did have to sustain ourselves and the workshop is surrounded by eclectic shops, breweries and restaurants, all in the hip area of The Camp and The LAB Anti-Mall. We had daily coffees at Work In Progressand some amazing lunches at Memphis Cafe Memphis Cafe, Green Cheek Beer Co. Green Cheek Beer Co. and Rooster Cafe Rooster Cafe

A NEW CONNECTION TO MAKING

Creating something, and watching it take form with quality materials and craftsmanship was intoxicating. I was nervous about sewing, but constantly curious and thrived in the Canvasworker.com environment. Douglas and his team are dedicated to American Manufacturing and werethere to help me start my own journey.  That is where the spiritual piece comes in.  Making has a vital place in our modern lives.  A robot can not yet sew a high-quality backpack.  Douglas’s passion for craftsmanship and exploration ignited a fire within us all, spurring us on to make more.  Learning how much gratification I could take from making a backpack (of all things) made this experience so worth it.  I encourage you to check it out.

– Jason Salata

TacHacker – Salt and Pepper Wireless Camera System

Thursday, January 4th, 2024

Black Hills Designs has shared instructions for the Salt and Pepper Wireless Camera System, a DIY project.

Salt and Pepper is a live streaming camera system which can be assembled relatively easily using readily available components and can be mass produced at an affordable price. As of this publication the Salt and Pepper camera unit costs under $25 and the support equipment to control several cameras costs under $50.

The camera system utilizes no existing infrastructure such as cell networks, WiFi, or SATCOM making them ideal for austere conditions and disaster scenarios. It utilizes its own network.

Salt and Pepper is capable of >200m of line of sight and 8 hours of continuous use with recommended battery.

For full instructions, including a video and links to components, visit www.blackhillsdesigns.net/product/salt-and-pepper-wireless-camera-system.

Allyness, Ltd – Wor-Rig Quick Tape Sling

Wednesday, November 8th, 2023

Made in the UK, the Wor-Rig Quick Tape Sling keeps your tape handy for quick repairs. Comes with a roll of waterproof Black PVC tape.

PALS compatible, the tape sling is available in Coyote, Olive Green, and Black.

allyness.com/products/wor-rig-quick-tape-sling

5D Tactical Pistol Jig Pro Set for Launch: World’s First Multi-Platform Jig for 80% Polymer Pistols

Friday, May 26th, 2023

May 25th, 2023 — We are excited to announce the official launch of our latest product, the Pistol Jig Pro. This innovative tool is the world’s first reusable multi-platform jig, specifically created for 80% polymer pistols. Notably, it has been developed and tested rigorously to achieve an industry-first ability to accept frames from multiple manufacturers.

The Pistol Jig Pro is more than a mere tool—it represents our collective freedom. This product embodies our dedication to upholding the Second Amendment. Regardless of the liberties that may be threatened, the Pistol Jig Pro equips you with the ability to build for years to come.

The Pistol Jig Pro truly stands by the promise of “one jig does it all,” offering unparalleled versatility and durability. This innovative platform is designed to work with the leading 80% pistols on the market. Our patent-pending hardened steel drill guides and inserts can be quickly repositioned to change from one platform to another.

Currently, the 5D Pistol Jig Pro is compatible with the following models from Polymer80: PF940v2: Full-Size. PF940C: Compact, PF940SC: Sub-Compact.

Additionally, the Pistol Jig Pro can accommodate these models from 80% Arms: GST-9 MOD1 and GST-9 V1 frames.

Crafted from billet aluminum, the Pistol Jig Pro features durable hardened steel drill bushings, ensuring that it can endure a lifetime of use. This characteristic empowers firearm enthusiasts to create and maintain their crafts over time, regardless of potential challenges that may surface.

The Pistol Jig Pro will be available for order starting this week. As a token of our appreciation for the early supporters of this product, we are pleased to pass on savings by offering an introductory price of $149.99, notably lower than the regular price of $199.99. Orders will ship in June 2023.

For more details about the Pistol Jig Pro, please visit our site at: www.5dtactical.com/products/5d-tactical-pistol-jig-pro-multiplatform

Army Lab Makerspace Program Enables Workforce Innovation

Wednesday, March 29th, 2023

Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD – The Makerspace program at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center (DEVCOM CBC) provides state-of-the-art equipment and technology to enable the workforce to develop mission-related product prototypes and specialty items.

“This is an innovation space. We want people to come in and share their ideas so we can help them do a proof of concept, which can then go on and become a bigger project or a bigger program,” explained Bradley Ruprecht, lead of the Makerspace program.

Innovation is the core of Makerspace. In 2012 and 2019, the Center’s Makerspace program was awarded the Distinguished Innovator Operators (DINO) Award. It is the Additive Manufacturing User Group’s (AMUG) most prestigious honor, recognizing those with the highest levels of experience and expertise in the industry who dedicate a willingness to share their knowledge through contributions to AMUG and its members. Makerspace has earned two of the Army’s three DINO Awards.

Located in the Advanced Design and Manufacturing Rapid Technologies Lab, the Makerspace program has led and supported numerous successful large-scale projects by utilizing the program’s robust equipment with updated technologies and material developments. For example, the program played a major role in enabling the replacement of ion drift tubes in handheld sensors for the Defense Logistics Agency.

The program continues to support such major projects using the products developed in the lab and encourages the CBC community to bring their ideas into the space, where the team can assist in teaching and training on new skills. “Our mission this year is workforce development because we’re training folks on new skills,” Ruprecht said. “Chemists, biologists, engineers – anyone and everyone – are learning new skills like 3D printing and CAD 3D modeling.”

The equipment at the facility enables products to be fully customizable at a low cost, which allows for flexibility during project development and offers a high degree of conformity among custom-developed units. Makerspace aims to own and develop its own processes, materials, and products to support CBC missions. Lessons learned while supporting projects throughout the Center will be an asset for upcoming projects within the Army.

In a recent project, Ruprecht aided in the development of organoids from living cells using the lab’s recently acquired bio-printer. The capability of the bio-printing machine allows it to print living cells, which can then grow and multiply to create an organoid or other bodily structures. The project used tooling to create a custom organ-on-a-chip, where a silicone microchip connects to small fluidic channels with specific organ cells – such as the heart or lungs – to mimic human physiology. The idea of the project is to develop and design the organ on a chip in-house at Makerspace.

In addition to bio-printing, Makerspace provides access to 3D scanning and printing, laser cutting, metal bending, and painting as well as design and engineering services. The materials at the workshop range from liquid resin to stainless steel metal, carbon fiber, nylon, and more. Ruprecht encourages the workforce to visit the facility, where experienced professionals can introduce individuals to the lab and even match them up with programs or engineers to target the particular needs of a project or idea.

Funded by CBC, Makerspace is open for walk-ins and is a freely available resource for the CBC workforce to use. Ruprecht plans to host classes in the Makerspace lab to share his expertise with the community and develop skills within the workforce.

By Aeriel Storey

Fort Bragg’s Airborne Innovation Lab Hosts First Introduction to Microcontrollers Course

Tuesday, March 28th, 2023

Recently, the Airborne Innovation hosted its first Introduction to Microcontrollers Course.

Students were taught the basic background of electronics principles and operations, circuit diagrams, line-by-line code review, circuitry analysis.

This course focused on specifically on the low-cost Arduino microcontroller.

Lessons occurred through lessons and hands-on practical applications, through various challenge projects, culminating in a capstone build.

Other courses include Basic and Advanced Additive Manufacturing.

www.army.mil/82ndAirborne#org-airborne-innovation-lab