USR 1.0

Looking at upcycling the various now obsolete Apple and other tech items I have I then began to list the various products I should look at making, clocks were a good one, as mentioned before a quartz movement can be bought cheaply, with modern or simple hands that suit the design, I shy away from fancy scrolled hands as they don’t suit. The movements often come with a ‘tick’ or smooth sweeping hands, the smooth ones look good, especially with the larger hands, they evoke a sense of quality. The customer I was aiming for was not only the fanboys, and girls, but also business or entrepreneurial types who may wish to kit out their office or studio with something different. So my list began with clocks, both desk and wall clocks, desk tidies and pen holders, maybe stands for phones or tablets. I could add ideas to the list later as I thought of them or came across inspiration

I also began to accumulate components, especially anything with a logo on it, or some feeling of quality, also in decent condition with the fewer scratches or marks the better, the odd boot scuff was removable with a little white spirit on a rag [some of these were initially under users desks] I also accumulated many screws, especially if they had nicely machined heads that also evoke quality, all these were stored in the shed ready for when they would be required. So a 3rd stream began, as yet there were no products but the ideas and basic components were beginning to assemble. I also scoured eBay for the best value quartz movements, measured each item so I knew which length hands to order and worked out what might be the best colour, bright red looked different, or sometimes simply silver or black, whatever stood out against the backdrop or whichever component I was going to use. I also looked into bases or plinths, their costs and finish, in the end I bookmarked a seller that not only made excellent oak plinths but also added small rubber feet and supplied them unfinished. I wanted them like this so I could apply an oil finish, in the past I’ve used varnish but always had reliability issues, it either fades, or peels or both. An oil finish is much more environmentally friendly and reliable finish, after all I didn’t want bad feedback or returns when I come to selling them

Another point here is people and therefore buyers are much more environmentally aware than they have ever been. I therefore wanted to make sure my products were the same where possible, as I was upcycling and saving the components from landfill, I was already heading in a good direction. This was also a keen selling point I would want to enforce going forward. As I am making most of these products by hand many of them will be unique or one offs, another selling point. Those that I make many of, as I have scavenged several Mac Pro aluminium doors won’t be unique but they will have variations and be ‘craftsman’ created adding to the appeal. As mentioned before people like to buy from people, this was another area where I would need to personalise my bio or dip into social media to enforce, something I’m not entirely familiar or comfortable with but it has to be done

I measured the various components to see what size base would suit, to ensure they looked correct I’d first draw out the sizes onto paper or card and then put the components on top. Being a child of the imperial system I sometimes find it hard to visualise in metric so it’s a good idea to lay it all out. You don’t want the bases too large and cumbersome, but you don’t want them too small or they will look cheap. I aimed for an inch (25mm) or thereabouts around the edge.  As mentioned I also preferred oak to pine (too cheap) or mahogany (too dark and old fashioned) there is just something about oak and as I could get these off eBay for a reasonable price that was my aim. To construct some of the items I’d also need brackets and fittings, I found that often bathroom shelf fittings which are often chromed are handy, these can be bought relatively cheaply and add a nice touch, better than using bent bits of bracket or plate. I also sourced wire for hanging the wall clocks, as with pictures you should never hang with string, it wears and snaps. You can use proper picture cord but you may as well buy brass or steel picture wire and use that. It’s a better quality hanger and lasts much longer, plus as the Mac Pro door wall clocks were quite heavy I didn’t want them dropping of people’s walls and causing damage. Another thing I sourced for wall clocks was white rubber bumpers or door drops, these could be screwed to the back of the door plate clocks or motherboard clocks to keep the metal from marking the wall. Also as the were white, or clear would also suffice, but not black they don’t make marks on walls like a black rubber bumper might

So I have sources or rather eBay watch lists for all the parts I thought I might need, soon it will be time to start building. I was worried a little about drilling PCBs though I know that much of the manufacture of them has shifted to more eco friendly chemicals they can contain harmful ones in the older PCB components. As my products would be built using older parts this might be a concern. I therefore bought a face mask to protect myself from harmful dust and chemicals during manufacture and bought some lacquer to coat the product with to protect the buyer. The lacquer would also give a shiny appearance and protect the product for years to come. To ensure I captured the product at its best I made sure to strip any sharp objects off and clean well to remove dust and debris. I did make sure that any integral and interesting parts were retained such as CPU chips etc, but removed plastic covers and other retractions to create the best impression, a good clear coat of lacquer then finished off the job professionally

So potentially this is my 2nd stream, looking at eBay but more with an eye to populate an Etsy shop, there seems to be a market for such products on Etsy. I have in fact created an Etsy shop but never actually made any items for sale or made the shop active, its just sat there waiting, reserved in case I do decide to go this way. Once again I’m drawing from my experience, my assets, what I know best about. This is always advised when setting off on such a project, know the niche you are in, be passionate about it, and another point is aim for a niche. If you just try and copy or emulate everyone else you heading into an area of intense competition. Just  because someone else is successful in this area doesn’t mean you will be, also, are you sure they are successful?