Tools We Want

2014

“Tools We Want” is a collaboration between Irene Posch & Ebru Kurbak (Stitching Worlds) and Mika Satomi & Hannah Perner-Wilson (KOBAKANT). Starting in November 2014 and continuing indefinitely. The collaboration is motivated by a joint practice in electronic textiles (or textile electronics) and the desire to try and imagine, design and build functional tools for ourselves.

Website >> http://kobakant.at/tools/category/shop/


shared docs:
notes >> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lyuQQf-HcWmW3Cn0mYKDKc-2crVv4CSfGZlYNSFB_Rs/edit
schedule >> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oLfomexJ5jB5BaWR07_DmN-lidr1BaSiXzmDlkYpRfU/edit


Day 4 (Sunday): Flea-Market Shopping and Turkish Cooking

Online Shopping

>> http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00CO4W62U/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2GLTQ1JGUC8BB
Digitalwaage Feinwaage die in 0,1 g Schritten präzise bis 500g / 0,5kg wiegt, Taschenwaage, Feinwaage, Goldwaage, Tischwaage mit Edelstahl Wiegefläche >> http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00CO4W62U/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2GLTQ1JGUC8BB
Digitalwaage XP-500 Feinwaage die in 0,1 g Schritten präzise bis 500g wiegt, Gramm, Grain,Carat, Taschenwaage, Münzwaage, Präzisionswaage, Waage digital >> http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B009XC0OCK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2GLTQ1JGUC8BB


Day 3 (Saturday): Second Hand Shopping


Day 2: Idea generation, Sketching and Cooking

Body related measurement system

Inspired by the Japanese (also in many Asian countries uses similar system) old measurement unit “Shaku 尺”, we discussed about the measurement system that can be specific to eTextile practices.


Day 1: Tool shopping, Talking and Wine

Towards categorizing tools:
– Production tools (manipulation, measurement, planning, environment/furniture….)
(- Prototyping tools)
– Storage tools (tool storage?)
– Documentation tools
– Dissemination tools
– Maintenance tools

Wikipedia tool functions >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tool

Other tool attributes: mobile, static, wearable, frequency of use, hand-held, free-hand…

Ideas that came with Wine…
Issues:
– Knotting conductive threads – fraying and coming undone
– Temporary connections to e-textiles

Solution starting points:
– Multimeter glove, pieoresistive, over distance
– Hand-span as measurement unit for Ohm
soft alligator clips
– Resistance sonified – sound output
– Adding continuity beet to different relevant tools (stripper of magnet wire…)
– crimp endings to go on conductive threads
– Non-conductive pins
– Weighted contacts for resistance measurement
– Insulated conductive thread/fabric
– De-plying tool
– Thermal insulator for soldering on fabric
– Snipper stripper
– Copper eating bacteria for etching
– Gage meter for knitting needles, loop distance, pasta


Pre Vienna Visit Research

Tools people have built for themselves:

USB-ZRLC-TWEEZERS >> http://www.instructables.com/id/USB-ZRLC-TWEEZERS/
LED Bead Jig >> http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Bead-Jig/
Tools for E-Textile Techniques >> http://www.plusea.at/?p=2220

History of tools:

BBC radio program on the history of world by objects. Some of these objects are tools:
“Work” category >> http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/topics/work/

History of technology >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_technology


Walk and Talk – First Meeting and Brainstorm…

Decided: Tools designed for electronic textile practice!

Brainstorm:
– Scissors with wire-cutters
– Resistance measurement and slide-ruler (Schublehre) + graph display
– E-Textile hotline (chatroom)
– Software tools (Illustrator + Eagle)
– Hand accessories as tools (long, reinforced fingernails)
– E-Textile helping hand
– Alligator clips for conductive thread
– Measurement tools
– Interview practitioners about their practice and tools

Examples:
LED Bead Jig >> http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.instructables.com%2Fid%2FLED-Bead-Jig%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEx26k-K3wr4nDuvV6y6zwvL6WXMg

Tools for E-Textile Techniques >> http://www.plusea.at/?p=2220

Wearable Multimeter >>

Videos documenting practice to observe and analyse:
Eight Steps making-of >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz_fQPVawCs&list=UUzlt8PEErHGi-OokYIX_UKA