All branches of the Ocean County Library will be closed Friday, March 29, for Good Friday, and Sunday, March 31, for Easter Sunday.

Sparks's Lab offers all types of equipment to spark your imagination. Below are some of the items to create with while in the space.

 

Badge-A-Matic™ Button MakerCanon® CanoScan 9000F Mark IICricut® Maker™Dremel® 200

Embroidery and Sewing Machine - Brother® SE625MakerBot® Digitizer®MakerBot® Replicator®

Serger - Brother® 1634DSewing Machine - Brother® JX2517Silhouette Cameo®

 

 

Badge-A-Matic™ Button Maker

The Badge-A-Matic is bench press that creates 2 ¼ in buttons.

You’ll be able to make professional looking metal buttons with mylar covers and pin backs in just minutes.

What can I do?

This button maker can be used to create buttons for fundraisers, charities, fun DIY projects, photos and more! The possibilities are endless.

What do I need to bring?
  1. Artwork in 2.69 in. diameter circle.

 

Template for 3 buttons (PUB)

What materials can I use?

Use lightweight paper (20 or 24 lb) for printing. Heavier paper may not work or could cause you problems when trying to crimp your buttons.

Canon® CanoScan 9000F Mark II

The Canon CanoScan is a high speed color image scanner with professional quality photo, document, film, and negative scanning.
What can I do?

With the Canon CanoScan you can make your old photos and 35mm film look virtually brand new again with the special film scanning guide frame and film adapter unit. The CanoScan 9000F Mark II also helps you get the most out of your photos and documents.

What do I need to bring?
  1. Content to be scanned
  2. A USB flash drive (on which to save the image files)
What materials can I use?

If the item fits on the 8.5 x 11.5 in scanning flatbed you can scan it, including: 35mm film, photos, documents, personal notebooks, and books.

Cricut® Maker™

The Cricut Maker cutting machine quickly and accurately cuts hundreds of materials, from the most delicate paper and fabric to thick matboard, leather, and balsa wood. It makes professional-level cutting power accessible to everyone.

 

 

What can I do?

With its powerful interchangeable tools the Cricut Maker cuts, scores, and writes on a variety of materials to fit your crafting needs. Use the built-in patterns from the Cricut Maker library or upload your own files to cut custom fonts and images.

What do I need to bring?
  1. A digital design
  2. Paper or other medium to cut (see below)
What materials can I use?

Material must fit within the size of the work area (max 12 x 24 in).

Material must not be more than 2.4 mm (3/32 in) thick.

Common materials:

  • Cardstock (adhesive, chalkboard, and regular)
  • Vinyl (printable, adhesive, matte, glossy, stencil, and heat transfer)
  • Vellum
  • Fabric
  • Balsa wood
  • Leather

Dremel® 200

The Dremel 200 series rotary tool offers the precision and control required to complete a wide range of projects. It serves as a carver, grinder, polisher, sander, cutter, power brush, drill and more. Its two speed settings (15,000 or 35,000 rpm) allow you to use the low speed setting for cleaning applications and using brush accessories and the high speed setting for routing, cutting and sanding applications.

 

What can I do?

The versatility of the Dremel rotary tool allows you to complete a variety of projects just by switching the cutting attachment. Whether your application requires light-duty deburring or heavy-duty material removal, put the sparkle on your projects by using a cleaning or polishing accessory. Restore antiques by removing rust and polishing metals by using a grinding or sharpening accessory. Engraving cutters suitable for both soft and hard materials are available to tackle almost any project.

What do I need to bring?
  1. A project from home.
What materials can I use?

The attachments available in the Dremel 200 kit allow you to cut, sand, or polish the following materials: soft wood, hard wood, laminates, plastics, steel, aluminum, brass, shell, stone, ceramic, and glass.

Embroidery and Sewing Machine - Brother® SE625

The Brother SE625 is a 2-in-1 sewing and embroidery machine. It includes a large touch LCD screen to preview and edit your embroidery designs before stitching. This sewing machine houses 103 built-in sewing stitches, including beautiful decorative stitches and 8 styles of one-step, auto-sized buttonholes.

 

 

What can I do?

Choose from 280 built-in embroidery designs or import your own designs through the USB port to create something new or give something old a stylish update.

What do I need to bring?
  1. Fabric or fabric item to sew
  2. Thread (appropriate for your project/ type of fabric)
  3. A USB flash drive with the design to be embroidered (no larger than 4 x 4 in)
What materials can I use?

The Brother embroidery and sewing machine works with a variety of textiles including satin, taffeta, jersey, flannel, corduroy, tweed, and denim.

MakerBot® Digitizer®

The MakerBot Digitizer is a desktop 3D scanner. You’ll be able to quickly turn physical objects into 3D digital models that you can modify, improve, share, and 3D print.

 

What can I do?

You don’t need any design skills, 3D modeling, or CAD expertise to get started. Simply scan the object with the MakerBot Digitizer and the output is a ready-to-print 3D model file format (STL) which can be modified and improved in third-party 3D modeling programs. These files can then be uploaded and shared through the Internet or 3D printed.

What do I need to bring?
  1. An object to scan
  2. A USB flash drive (on which to save the 3D model .stl file)
What materials can I use?

Some objects will produce better scans than others. Here are a few guidelines to help you determine what will produce a good scan.

Great to scan:

  • Objects that are larger than a 2 x 2 in cylinder
  • Objects that are smaller than a 8 x 8 in cylinder
  • Objects weighing less than 6.6 lb
  • Stationary objects
  • Opaque objects

Difficult to scan:

  • Transparent objects
  • Shiny or reflective objects
  • Very dark objects
  • Fuzzy objects

MakerBot® Replicator®

The MakerBot Replicator is a 3D printer that creates a three dimensional solid object from a digital design. Multiple cross sections of the CAD (computer-aided design) drawings are printed layer by layer until the object is created.

 

What can I do?

If you can imagine it, you can print it on the MakerBot Replicator. Just design your own model on the computer using tinkercad.com, or download print-ready files from thingiverse.com.

What do I need to bring?
  1. An .stl or .obj file or design one while you are here on Tinkercad® or Thingiverse®.
What materials can I use?

Filament will be provided in the Sparks’s Lab.

Serger - Brother® 1634D

The Brother 1634D serger makes a more professional and durable seam than a standard sewing machine, especially for fabrics that have stretch. The threads lock around the seam to prevent fraying, and the machine also cuts off the seam allowance as it sews.

 

 

What can I do?

The Brother 1634D allows you to work with three or four threads, with 1-needle 3-thread, or 2-needle 4-thread options. It is perfect for finishing, creating rolled hems, inserting zippers, stitching neat blind hems, and creating ruffles on both knits and woven fabrics.

What do I need to bring?
  1. Fabric or fabric item to sew
  2. Thread (appropriate for your project/ type of fabric)
What materials can I use?

The Brother serger works with a variety of textiles including satin, taffeta, jersey, flannel, corduroy, tweed, and denim.

Sewing Machine - Brother® JX2517

The Brother JX2517 is a lightweight and full sized sewing machine with 17 built-in unique utility and decorative stitches and includes an automatic 4-step buttonhole maker. Repair a hem with the built-in blind hem stitch or create a home decor project.

 

 

What can I do?

Create something new or repair something old with the Brother sewing machine. Sew clothing, household items, toys, costumes, and much more.

What do I need to bring?
  1. Fabric or fabric item to sew
  2. Thread (appropriate for your project/ type of fabric)
What materials can I use?

The Brother sewing machine works with a variety of textiles including satin, taffeta, jersey, flannel, corduroy, tweed, and denim.

Silhouette Cameo®

The Silhouette Cameo is an electronic die-cutting machine. Connected to a computer, it uses a small blade and a series of rollers to cut your designs into a variety of mediums such as vinyl, cardstock, vellum, acetate, paper, thin cardboard and more.

 

What can I do?

You can die, cut, and emboss to your heart’s desire with the Silhouette Cameo.This cutting machine can make quick work of craft projects such as decals, stickers, signs, and cards.

What do I need to bring?
  1. A digital design
  2. Paper or other medium to cut (see below)
What materials can I use?

Material must fit within the size of the work area (max width 12 in).

Common materials:

  • Cardstock (adhesive, chalkboard, and regular)
  • Vinyl (printable, adhesive, matte, glossy, stencil, and regular)
  • Heat Transfer
  • Plastic Shrink Paper
  • Temporary Tattoo Paper
  • Vellum