AMAZING Mechanical Art

You never know what you might find on Etsy.  There are some truly amazing artists out there that need some serious positive attention.  I recently stumbled upon "AndrewSmithArt" on Etsy and quickly favorited this artist's shop.  I  received a message in return where the artist stated that he has a work of art which could be exhibited for thousands of people if he receives the proper funding and support.  Be sure to take a look at this art!  If you have an eye for mechanical art, you will be blown away.  AMAZING!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/554853186/long-road-a-kinetic-sculpture-for-artprize-2011

New Treasury

Lately I have admired items that are created using forging techniques and items with gears/cogs made from heavy metals such as iron and steel.  These items give the look of strength and durability and would stand out in anyone's home.  Here's a link to my latest treasury "Heavy Metal":

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4dec10ea65dd6d91ad24cb28/heavy-metal

Items in Odd Places

I'm always looking for mechanical parts that I can sell on Etsy or make something out of.  Today, I was told that the lug nuts on my truck are becoming stripped, or rounded.  They require replacement.  Instead of throwing the old lug nuts away, I thought I would go ahead and sell them.  I could definitely see someone using them for altered art, maybe as a set of eyes or wheels. 

A Shop I Like....

A shop I've been checking out lately is "jenniferannmurphy" on Etsy.  This shop has items such as hand crafted bottled openers and key chains crafted from sturdy, heavy metals.  She definitely has a unique product on Etsy and deserves more attention to her shop.  Take a look!

http://www.etsy.com/people/jenniferannmurphy?ref=ls_profile

Stickers Now Listed

It's no secret that engineers can be a little "nerdy".  That's where the term Engi-nerd comes from.  As a self-proclaimed nerd, I thought it would be fun to create a sticker or decal that displays the word "enginerd" as a fun way of saying that I'm an engineer, a little dorky, and proud of how hard I have worked to be where I am today.  Therefore, I bought some waterproof vinyl stickers, high quality laminate, and went to town making stickers on Adobe Illustrator.  I made the "engiNERD" sticker in four different colors, then made a few other stickers which quote Albert Einstein as well.  Here's an example:

How About Another Treasury

Since the "Orange and Nerdy" treasury did so well, I decided to make another one titled "Green Machine".  This treasury focuses on machinery in all shades of green, but mostly bright/lime green.  This treasury does not seem to be doing as well and did not receive as much response from the sellers as I hoped for.  Either way, it gets my shop a little more exposure and a few more people know that Mechanicality exists.  Here's a link to "Green Machine":

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c4c7893ea126d9183803000/green-machine

Orange and Nerdy

It's pretty clear that I like the color orange and alot of my mechanical products can be somewhat "nerdy".  Therefore, I thought it would be fitting to start a treasury called Orange and Nerdy.  I searched through Etsy to find all products that have some type of mechanical and nerdy feel to them.  While there are many of these products out there, it can be hard to find orange products.  However, I put together a list of 16 items that are all bright and dorky, and the treasury has gotten a very positive response.  Take a look using this link:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c3e7f3392dc6d91ca5a9f53/orange-and-nerdy?index=3

Good Day

It's a great day when you wake up, are walking into work, and your phone rings right before you get in saying you made two more sales.  Just when I think my shop is fading into the darkness, this happens.  Very Exciting.  It put an early, positive spin on my day and hopefully the good news will keep coming.  Here's what I sold today to a Virginia resident:

Bike Related Products

Bikes are clear examples of what a mechanical or structural engineer can do using several simple items.  I think it is interesting to take the bike apart and look at the parts one by one.  For example, take the chain.  This connects to the pedals which is powered by the person's feet, and in turn connects to the rear wheel to drive the bike.  The chain is made of several mechanical joints and steel with certain metallic properties to make it strong, lightweight, and resistant to corrosion.  I decided to make keychains out of bike chain since it is simple, unique, and could appeal to numerous types of people.  The key chains sell for around 6 dollars and here is a picture of one of my products:

Funny How Sales Work...

It's funny to think that in my first 5 days of having a shop I sold 5 items, and have not sold anything in the past 10 days or so since.  When items are first listed they get alot of attention since they are not yet buried in Etsy's millions of listings, and that seems like a very likely time to gain a sale.  I'm guessing that sales will come and go, maybe they are cyclical and will be in random spurts.  I don't really care how the sales happen, I just want more!