Five reasons to check out GoCreate, a Koch Collaborative, during Wichita State's Open House this weekend.
Walk in as a quilt-maker, leave as wood-worker 鈥�GoCreate's 18,000-square feet of space are filled with machinery and tools of a wide variety.
Mentors and members are there to learn from and with.
鈥淥nce you're there you get ideas and want to branch out and do other things,鈥� said GoCreate member Kim Swisher. 鈥淭here's so many different things that you can do there, that once you get there you can try just about anything.鈥�
Swisher started at GoCreate working the textile areas to make quilts. She learned to make jewelry, often using Wichita State basketball as an inspiration, using the laser-cutter and other tools.
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鈥淲e just kept getting ideas and making more,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 took a welding class. I'd like to learn how to use the water jet and make some things.鈥�
So much cool machinery 鈥�In fact, it's $2 million worth of drill presses, saws, grinders, sanders, laser-cutters and more.
鈥淭he big thing is access to the bandwidth of ability,鈥� said GoCreate director Ty Masterson. 鈥淭he water-jets, the CNC stuff, those are obviously things people just don't have in their house,鈥�
Tom Hinkle creates T-shirts, decals and posters on GoCreate's computers and printers for his businesses.
鈥淵ou can do everything in here from design to print,鈥� he said. 鈥淢ost of the time I'm using the vinyl-cutter. I use the media printer. I just started using the (Canon digital printer), which I absolutely love.鈥�
Quilting and printing 鈥�The quilt-maker is likely GoCreate's busiest machine. The name is somewhat misleading.
NASA, Catherine Helms, GoCreate outreach specialist said, uses that kind of machine to reinforce parachute stitching. The GoCreate quilt-maker can help reupholster a chair.
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鈥淭he quilting machine is one of our most-used and the highlight of the textile studio,鈥� Helms said. 鈥淭hat would be a machine to check out on a first visit.鈥�
Not far behind are GoCreate's vinyl printers and 3D printers. Scan in a design and GoCreate's 11 3D printers can create a prototype or a tool. One member, Helms said, printed a tool that allows him to turn off in-ground sprinklers.
鈥淲e've even had students come in and work with parents to make their book-report project on a 3D printer,鈥� she said.
Your schedule 鈥�GoCreate is open from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1-6 p.m. on Sunday.
鈥淢ost people walk in and think we're on college hours,鈥� Masterson said. 鈥淵ou can come in after work or on the weekends.鈥�
Within those hours, mentors and classes are available to help members learn new skills and operate tools and machines efficiently and safely.
鈥淲e have the how-to, the training classes,鈥� Masterson said. 鈥淧eople can access in their outside hours and they'll teach me how to do it.鈥�
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Places to succeed and fail 鈥�&苍产蝉辫;Wood-working mentor Merv Bontrager says GoCreate can be a place that tests patience, and that's part of the allure.
He made a dining room table, using walnut, cherry and maple woods, for his grand-daughter as a graduation gift.
鈥淚t was frustrating,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut out of that frustration is the excitement. I'm always learning. Out of that frustration comes an 鈥楢h' moment, as in 鈥楢h, that's what I was looking for.'鈥�
Earlier this week, Bontrager pondered a rectangular block of wood he intends to make into a rolling pin.
鈥淭he human being needs to be creative,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t's putting things together and not knowing what the outcome may be.鈥�