Ben Garbacz/Daily Mining Gazette Fab Lab member Kristin Hensley demonstrates how she created molds for her pewter creations. Hensley created a variety of items out of pewter including leaves, cones and dinosaur skulls.

HANCOCK — The Superior Fab Lab held its monthly Meeting of the Makers, or Open “Make” Night Thursday. Local creators from throughout the Copper Country gathered at Hancock’s Orpheum Theater to share their creations, ask for suggestions regarding potential inventions or enjoy the presentations other creators provided.

One of the event’s organizers, Kirstin Hensley, said Fab Lab has a mission statement, which is to connect and enable creative people in the area.

“They’re pretty inquisitive about all the different types of creations there are,” she said. “I like to learn about all types of making — it doesn’t matter if it’s my specialty or not. It’s just interesting to learn about the different possibilities, and it might also give you ideas for your own creations.”

The night’s format had creators bringing forth their inventions for a five-minute informal presentation and then had the opportunity to demonstrate their creation in action or present the early stages of its construction. Creations could be simple such as crochet items or as complex as a homemade vacuum cleaner.

March’s Open “Make” Night included as Carl Johnson who had come up with a device to simulate walking around scenic areas while exercising. The idea is to record walking through an area and then have the ability to revisit it with exercise equipment. The device is still being worked on and Johnson is hoping to have individuals willing to test it in the future.

Another creator was Hensley, who while familiar with woodworking, continued a metalworking project from this year’s Maker Fest in the form of pewter casting.

Hensley showed how she made her molds for the pewter projects on a slideshow and then revealed her end products. She had made molds of end pieces of beaches and twigs and was able to create pewter replicas of things like leaves. She was also able to make thing likes lego bricks and a dinosaur skull.

The non-profit Superior Fab Lab was founded in 2018 and is an opportunity for local creators to gathere several nights, as they did this week, while also hosting larger events such Maker Fest. The group has also been able to find a physical space for creators in the old metal shop of the Hancock Community Hub. Fab Lab members can pursue creative endeavors which provide resources necessary to generate items. Currently the group is seeking community feedback for the space and those who utilize it.

For more information, visit superiorfablab.com