Geek Dad: Awesomely Geeky Projects and Activities for Dads and Kids to Share (31 page)

At the midpoint of all four sides, you’ll build 2-brick by 2-brick columns to contain the discs. You can go as high as you want, depending on the number of discs you have to use, but anything above about 6 bricks tall will make the light from the LED too diffuse to be effective.

Now stack your discs until they are just shy of the top of your columns. Put a 2-stud by 4-stud brick at the top of each column, with the extra length facing toward the center to hold the discs in place. Plug in your USB cable, and let the light shine!

As I mentioned above, this isn’t the only way to achieve the same idea. There are a number of alternative CD lamp designs on the Web, most of which don’t use the electronics included here, opting rather for drilling out the center core of the discs to fit a compact fluorescent bulb, and making the base bigger to allow for the wiring to light it from a standard outlet.

A
h, the simple LEGO brick! While the breadth of available LEGO parts is actually quite huge and varied (consider all the specialty pieces available for
Star Wars
and Indiana Jones sets, the Technics, Pirates, Power Miners, Mindstorms, and even Duplo sets, all with their own individual segments), but the simple 2-stud by 4-stud brick is truly the iconic size. See one of those, and you know it’s LEGO.

Heck, I’ll bet there are lost bricks underneath some of the furniture in your house right now. You probably build sets with your kids, maybe even film stop-motion videos of the constructs (well, maybe that’s just me). But have you ever wondered how else LEGO could be incorporated into your world? How about into the very beverages you drink?

First things first: Making your own LEGO ice cube trays is definitely not cheaper than buying them straight out from LEGO. But it is definitely more fun, and it is a great project to share with your kids.

MoldRite 25 is a two-part tin cure silicone rubber molding compound that’s food-safe. You may need to do a little legwork to find it. It may be available at your local crafts store, or it may not. I ended up having to order it online and having it shipped, making it a more expensive project.

 

STEP 1:
You can choose very simple blocks to model, or get a bit more creative. To keep it easy, use 2-by-2 and 2-by-4 (the most iconic) bricks. If you have a few other interesting shapes you want to try (being a geek is all about experimentation), think carefully about what will work well in creating a mold. Keep in mind that the shapes cannot be too complicated or have strange voids in them that will be difficult for the molding compound to seep into, or a challenge to get release from, when it is cured.

 

STEP 2:
After you choose your bricks, wash them, dry them, and inspect them to make sure they are clean and unblemished.

 

STEP 3:
I assembled three molds. The first one I created by building a 2-brick-high square wall, then laying single 4-by-2 bricks inside, spaced one stud apart. For the second, I used 2-by-2 bricks, and for the last, 1-by-1 bricks, so we could have a variety of ice cube sizes. Build your molds to accommodate slightly more compound than you actually plan to use. Filling the mold only partway up a brick results in a smoother edge.

 

STEP 4:
Make sure the bricks are all pressed down and very tightly attached to each other to avoid any cracks for the molding compound to seep into. You can try to seal all the edges with the petroleum jelly, but leave as little residue as possible so the mold is not deformed (this may be a challenge—try using a Q-tip to apply).

 

STEP 5:
There may be instructions on the molding compound suggesting you use a release compound, but I’ve found that with the LEGO, it isn’t necessary. I also did not de-air the molding compound (another suggestion in most enclosed instructions), since I wasn’t casting anything particularly detailed.

 

STEP 6:
Fill the molds carefully. The compound is fairly thick and pours slowly, so be patient and cautious. You might try using a toothpick to distribute the mold evenly as you go, like cake batter. Try hard not to overfill so you get a cleaner base and no spillage.

 

STEP 7:
Put all the molds aside to cure for 24 hours, but keep an eye on them, as they may be set enough to release in 12 hours (results may vary with different temperatures, relative humidity, and elevations). Be prepared for the end result to be, shall we say, not quite perfect. There may be a fair amount of flash (the technical term for the, um, gunk at the edges) that needs trimming off with the old X-Acto. However, you may be excited to see the resolution with which the bricks are detailed, right down to the tiny LEGO embossed on the top of every stud.

 

STEP 8:
Now just fill them with water and stick them into the freezer. When freezing your ice, place the molds on a cookie sheet or other flat surface to help keep them even. Voilà! Your soda/ice tea/high ball will show to all around you just how much of a geek you really are!