Golly I love lasers. This one is 80 watts of pure joy.
Something awesome happened on March 2 – a
TechShop came to Pittsburgh. For those who may not know, TechShop is a place where members can use all kinds of awesome tools they could scarcely otherwise afford. It also has a bunch of cool people doing interesting things with those tools, but it also has those tools. Laser cutters, CNC routers, a CNC mill, a waterjet cutter, an injection molder. Effing awesome. Worlds away from
a lathe on a porch.
I’ve been in love from day one and am now spending most work moments I’m not fulfilling Boiler orders developing something very different, but also very cool. I should have something to share very soon.
by Devin on November 30, 2012
It's off to the Post Office we go!
As those on the mailing list already know – after 2+ years of batch production and pre-ordering, Backcountry Boilers and FlyGrills are now shipping from stock! I’m still working to streamline the fulfillment process to next-day, but most orders are fulfilled in a few days, and I’m ramping up production of the Hard Anodized Boilers to bring their time down from a couple weeks to a couple days.
Hooray for less waiting!
by Devin on September 13, 2012
The closer I get to receiving the first batch of new Boilers, the more I think I sure could use some help around here. So I’d like to try something out…
The Boilerwerks Work Trade Program
- Duties: Assembling, picking, packing, and shipping Boilerwerks products from our wonderful, new Boilerwerks studio.
- Qualifications: Desire for a Backcountry Boiler or FlyGrill, a friendly disposition, innate conscientiousness, and the ability to follow rarely-arbitrary instructions.
- Compensation: $10 in Boilerwerks credit for every hour worked with a minimum commitment of 8 hours. So that’s a FlyGrill and retying kit for 8 hours, a Backcountry Boiler for 10 hours, or a Hard Anodized Backcountry Boiler for 12 hours. No cash compensation for these positions, sorry.
- Benefits: You get to check out the studio and hang out with me and my buddy Mat. We’re both pretty cool.
- Limitations: Work trade times must be scheduled in advance and are subject to my availability. For now, there is a limit of one work trade term (8-12 hours depending on desired product) per person.
- Location: Would love to make it virtual, but just Pittsburgh for now. Why not plan a visit to the exotic City of Bridges?
If you’re interested, please drop me a line @ devin@theboilerwerks.com. I think this could be a lot of fun. I could also sure use the help, and what better way to get a Backcountry Boiler?
by Devin on September 3, 2012
Still moving in...
Five years after I
started tinkering, four years after I
sketched from scratch, three years after I
spun the first prototype, two years after I first
offered the Boiler for sale, and one year after I
got a huge boost from Kickstarter backers, Boilerwerks is now, basically, my full time job. Today, labor day, is my first day at it.
Along with a first full time employee, Boilerwerks also now has a physical studio:
Boilerwerks LLC
124 South Highland Avenue
Suite 212
Pittsburgh PA 15206
412.362.5209
devin@theboilerwerks.com
Visits are extremely welcome, and available most weekdays by appointment.
The studio is part of the very musical Werner Building in the East Liberty neighborhood. My neighbors include a voice teacher, an Emmy-award-winning recording studio, and a live music venue. I ran into the voice teacher one day as I was moving in and he apologized for the noise, but absolutely love it. The old structure is always resonating with different, wonderful sounds. NPR, right now the Diane Rehm show, is my contribution.
Now I’m back to work. Catching up on assembly and some fulfillment I had fallen behind on as I took the floors in the studio from this to this to this to this. That finish is zero VOC and the whole space now smells of linseed oil and the coffee I just made.
I am so pumped for the great things to come! If you’ve liked what I’ve been doing with Boilerwerks, it good news for you too. You can expect more products, better availability, and quicker service. Yay!
