Posts

Posted on

TOG Heads to Cuenca for the VULCA Seminar

This week we’re sending a team from TOG Hackerspace to Cuenca, Spain, for the VULCA Seminar, running from 9 to 13 November. It’s the first time the seminar has been held in Spain, and this year we’ll be getting together with makers from across Europe at the Museo de las Ciencias de Castilla-La Mancha, with the support of FabLab Cuenca. There’ll be workshops, time to work on joint projects, and a public Repair Café to round off the week.

How TOG got involved

We applied to join VULCA in December 2025 and became a makerspace member in January. We already knew some of the people in the network from visiting their spaces and running workshops together. Joining gave us a way to build on those friendships and open up more opportunities for TOG members to visit other spaces, share what we do in Dublin and bring a few ideas home to Kylemore Road.

What a maker exchange looks like

We’ve been sending TOG members on maker mobility trips. In practice, that can mean spending a few days in another makerspace, running a workshop with the local team and seeing how they do things. In Zagreb, Jeffrey ran an Arduino Cloud workshop at Radiona on a trip made possible through VULCA. This May, an invitation from FabLab Chemnitz led to a workshop where people built their own polarised-light viewers, followed by visits to makerspaces in Dresden. One of the ideas Jeffrey brought back was how public libraries can give people access to tools and space for hands-on learning.

Cuenca is a familiar name for us through repair, too. FabLab Cuenca was one of the partners in the WeRepair project that brought Jeffrey to Buinho in Portugal in 2022, where the residency finished with the first Repair Café in the village of Messejana. We’re looking forward to seeing how the Cuenca team runs theirs.

Our own Jeffrey Roe has two sessions on the programme. One looks at how makerspaces can use mesh networks for sensors, community messaging and backup communications. The other, Designing Workshops People Can Actually Finish, is about the practical side of running a workshop, from making do when there aren’t enough tools to giving people room to work at their own pace.

We’re looking forward to catching up with people we’ve worked with before, meeting a few more and seeing what we might make, fix or teach together next.

Posted on

Further adventures in ink/stitch : the satin stitch

An outline of a rounded rectangle in purple, with the word satin spelled out in yellow ladders inside it.

A great time was had at the monograming workshop, but it’s time to grow our skills further and look at the satin stitch. Satin stitches are like very dense zigzag stitches and are great for outlines, forming letters, and just generally being lines. We’re going to learn how to draw them automatically, how to create custom satins by hand, look at how to manage their overlaps, and eventually embroider our creations onto fabric!

A hand shows up the word satin stitched out, with the fabric still in the hoop in front of the embroidery machine.

If you’re not familiar with ink/stitch or embroidery machines, have no fear, we’re hear to teach you. Before the workshop you should install inkscape, if possible ink/stitch, and have a think about what you might like to embroider. Think simple drawings and shapes, and if you already have the file as an .svg, you’re away to a good start (if you don’t know what .svgs are, don’t fret, we’ll get into that on the day).

All materials will be provided, you’ll just need to bring your laptop. Tickets cost €10 and can be found here: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/further-adventures-in-inkstitch-satin-stitch-tickets-2004198473586?aff=oddtdtcreator

The above satin outlines stitched out on yellow fabric, still loaded on the embroidery machine.

Please note, use of LLMs and other genAI is not permitted during this workshop. If you’re not confident in your design skills, don’t worry, there’s lots of ways to make great looking embroideries from simple pieces.

Posted on

Making Waves: Exploring the Sea Through Science and Sound

We’re heading to Wicklow for Science Week 2026!

On Sunday, 8th November, TOG Hackerspace will be joining our friends from Dublin Maker, JellyLab and Bloop Groop for Making Waves: Exploring the Sea Through Science and Sound.

What happens when you turn data from the sea into music? Or use electronics and light to explore what’s happening beneath the waves?

Making Waves brings together scientists, musicians and makers for an afternoon of hands-on activities exploring the sea in new and interesting ways.

TOG will be bringing along some interactive electronics projects, including a new version of our water-pouring game. We’re also working on getting live data from the nearby sea back into the hall using a wireless link, giving the Bloop Groop something to turn into music and sound.

There will be plenty more to explore, from marine samples and scientific experiments to music, lights and interactive displays.

Event Details

  • Date: Sunday, 8th November 2026
  • Time: 2pm to 6pm
  • Location: Assembly Hall, Bachelor’s Walk, Wicklow Town
  • Admission: Free!

The event is suitable for all ages, and you don’t need any science background to take part. Drop in anytime during the afternoon.

Book your free tickets on Eventbrite

Making Waves is part of Science Week 2026, supported by Research Ireland.

We hope to see you in Wicklow!

Posted on

TOG Wins Dublin City Award at National Heritage Week 2026!

We have some fantastic news to share! TOG Hackerspace has been named the Dublin City County Award winner at the 2026 National Heritage Week Awards for our Forging History: Metalworking and the 1798 & 1803 Uprisings workshop.

The awards, organised by the Heritage Council, celebrate the work of groups and volunteers across Ireland who bring our heritage to life. We are delighted to see our event recognised.

Bringing History to Life at TOG

Back in August, we turned part of TOG into a working blacksmith’s forge for a very different kind of workshop.

Led by heritage blacksmith Fínín Líam Christie, the day explored the traditional metalworking skills behind the United Irishmen uprisings of 1798 and 1803. From forging pike heads to learning about Robert Emmet’s experimental rockets, we explored the engineering, craftsmanship and history behind these events.

Visitors had the chance to see traditional blacksmithing up close, with some getting their hands on the tools and trying the techniques for themselves.

It’s the sort of event we love running at TOG. Bringing people together to learn something new, try their hand at making, and discover skills they might never otherwise get the chance to experience.

Watch Our Forging History Film

We were lucky enough to capture the day on film, so even if you missed the workshop, you can still get a look at what went on.

The film follows the forging process, explores the history behind the pikes and rockets, and hears from some of the people who took part.

A Big Thank You

A huge thank you to Peter Nolan, Fínín Líam Christie, all our volunteers who helped make the day happen, and everyone who came along to take part or watch.

We would also like to thank the Heritage Council, whose funding made the workshop and film possible, and for recognising our event with this award.

At TOG, we’re used to making things with modern tools and technology, but it’s just as important to keep traditional skills alive and share them with a new audience.

We’re delighted to have played a small part in bringing this piece of Irish history to life, and even more delighted to see it recognised.

You can read more about the award and the event on the National Heritage Week website, or look back at our original workshop announcement.

Posted on

Maker Secret Santa Is Back for 2026

Dublin Maker’s Maker Secret Santa is back, and it’s a good excuse to make something for another maker this Christmas.

Lots of TOG members have taken part over the years. Making a gift for someone you might never have met is an interesting challenge, and there’s the fun of finding out what someone else has made for you.

Previous exchanges have included Jeffrey’s keypad memory game and Nathan’s miniature Crumlin Shopping Centre. You can read about both in our earlier blog post. We would recommend starting a little earlier than Jeffrey did. He finished his build and locked up the hackerspace at 2 am!

The idea is simple: sign up, get matched with another maker, make them a small gift and post it off. Everyone can then join an online gift opening to see what people have made.

It’s open to makers across the island of Ireland, at all levels of experience. You don’t need to have taken part in Dublin Maker before. Whether you’re into electronics, knitting, 3D printing, painting or something else, there’s room for your way of making.

Dublin Maker recommends choosing a project you can finish in one or two making sessions and spending no more than €50 on parts and materials. Using what you already have is a good place to start.

The dates for 2026 are:

  • 1 November: Sign-up deadline.
  • 2 November: Find out who you’re making for.
  • 6 December: Post your gift by this date.
  • 13 December: Join the online gift opening.

Fancy taking part? Find the full details and sign up on the Dublin Maker website.