ThunderRaven Labs

10/27/2026

Another 3D print put to use!

A wall-mounted key holder that adds some personality while keeping all our keys organized. Functional doesn't have to mean boring. 🖤

10/24/2026

🐦‍⬛LAB NOTE 001: FINAL UPDATE

RONIN is officially finished and hanging in his spot!

After the initial laser engraving, I decided to add some hand-painted black accents to the lettering and border.

The lines aren't perfectly uniform, but that's part of working by hand. I like how the black brings out the Japanese-inspired lettering while keeping the natural wood visible.

From spending hours figuring out LightBurn to seeing the finished piece on the wall, I'd call Experiment 001 a success.

On to the next experiment!

10/18/2026

LAB NOTE 001 | RONIN

Experiment: Laser Engraving on Wood
Equipment: OMTech K40+ CO₂ Laser

First actual engraving project on the K40+!

The subject? A wooden bone for Ronin, my Akita.

The engraving itself wasn't the hard part. Figuring out how to tell LightBurn WHERE to engrave was another story.

I spent a few hours watching tutorials, trying to understand the software, and getting increasingly frustrated. At one point, I seriously considered calling it a night. It could wait until tomorrow.

But I didn't.

Eventually, I figured out how to position the design, line everything up, and get the laser doing what I wanted.

Three passes later, RONIN was officially engraved into the wood.

The result was lighter than I originally expected, with very little depth, but I actually like it. Better than expected, especially for a first project.

Now I'm debating whether to leave it natural or break out my acrylic paint pens. Black with metallic gold accents is a possibility.

Experiment status: Success
Finishing: Undecided
Next exploration: Contrast, engraving depth, and different wood surfaces.

09/22/2026

PROTOTYPE 002: Raven Candle Holder

Not my original design. I found the model and wanted to see how it would turn out on the printer.

I thought I might paint it, but I like the raw black finish too much to mess with it.

Only thing left is adding a small metal plate under the candle.

Holds candles up to 3" in diameter and comfortably supports a 3" × 6" pillar candle.

09/19/2026

PROTOTYPE #001: Raven Corner Set

3D printed a pair of raven corner pieces.

Do I know what the hell these are actually going to be used for yet? Nope.

But one has officially entered the lab.

So far I’ve added the purple detailing and finished the eye. Next up is feather definition, which is also the point where this could either get much better or go completely sideways. 😅

Current tools on the bench: white acrylic marker, silver shimmer pen, and a couple of dual-color markers I forgot I had.

Lab status: in progress.
Final purpose: still under investigation.

08/14/2026

ThunderRaven Studios is becoming ThunderRaven Labs.

Studios was always my catch all. I started with photography, added art, and needed a name that left room for whatever came next.

What comes next is the point.

I paint. I photograph. I experiment with materials. I want my hands in clay. I want to learn laser fabrication and 3D printing. I play with technology, AI, mixed media, and whatever else makes me wonder, what happens if I try this?

I realized I don't really work in one medium. I experiment.

So ThunderRaven Studios has become ThunderRaven Labs: Art • Photography • Experimental Making.

Projects are becoming Experiments. Practice pieces are Prototypes. Photography becomes Field Studies. Behind-the-scenes becomes Lab Notes. Weird one-offs become Specimens. And when something goes completely sideways?

Failed Experiment. Data collected. Moving on. 😂

Right now, I'm in a temporary space without room for the kind of making I want to do. Instead of treating this as time spent waiting, I'm using it to build the Lab before I have the Lab.

I'm building the ideas, systems and skills. Exploring new tools and processes. Expanding what I can do with photography and visual media. Learning where technology fits. Figuring out what equipment and workstations I'll eventually need. And probably conducting a few small experiments along the way.

Then, when I find my permanent place, I can build the physical Lab around what I've learned and start finding out what happens when all of it comes together.

The Lab is still being built.

Which, frankly, seems appropriate.

EXPERIMENT #001: Build the Lab.

07/04/2026

07/03/2026

House hunting turned into a photoshoot....snapped this townhouse while I was in town. Treasure Valley, here I come....end of month move!