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Hello,
My name is Mathieu Charette. I live in a co-op with my partner of 5 years and our cat. In 2013 I graduated from Cambrian College as a Computer Programmer Analyst and after working in my field for just over a year I decided that I was better suited to run a business than to work at one.
First, I created NinjaPotato Games where I create live games and experiences using technologies that I design and create myself via 3D printers and microcontrollers.
Then after picking up a Tech Deck in December of 2023 and getting hooked, I started making obstacles and created Beastmode Minis where I use 3D printing as well as other skills to make fingerboard obstacles!
How I got to making fingerboard obstacles.
In short, I started fingerboarding again as an adult in December of 2023. My nephew was coming to visit for the holidays and I wanted to learn a few tricks to impress him. It didn't take long for me to get hooked and start designing my own obstacles. I created Beastmode Minis in June of 2024.
How did a tech guy wind up working with resin?
It went from electronics to bugs and then to obstacles & more.
At first, it was wiring. My mother got me a tube of UV resin in my Christmas stocking one year and I started using it instead of solder to save time on some of my prototypes. It's a handy trick I found for when reliability over time won't be an issue.
Fig 1. Wires held together using UV resin
Fig 2. The first bug I ever put in resin. R.I.P. little buddy,
Fig 3. Some of my earlier specimens. Hours spent on each.
When did Epoxy come into play?
In the summer of 2023, I created and led a group of 150 gamers in a mobile game. We were divided into 6 groups and came to be known as The Bichn Army. At our peak we had all 6 of our groups in the top 7. I owed this success to a trusted circle of strangers who later became friends.
One day, two of these friends (from South Carolina) sent me a picture of a Golden Orb Weaver which had made a giant web between two trees in their yard. I can only deduce that it was waiting for them to mow the lawn so it could eat them,
This prompted me to show them pictures of my specimens and make a couple jokes about them shipping it to me. What I didn't expect is that he really caught it and she really shipped it!
This spider was so large that coating it in UV resin would have taken me days so I decided that I needed to learn how to make molds and start using epoxy resin. So that's what I did!
Fig 6. My first obstacles. I designed and 3D printed them.
What about the bugs?
One day, I was in the middle of doing a million things at once when I reeeeeeally had to pee. I soon found myself sitting on the toilet with a tube of resin in one hand and a UV flashlight in the other. A little pill bug crawled by me and I gave into an intrusive thought. I encased the poor little guy alive!
I didn't want to make bugs suffer anymore but the piece looked so cool!! So I did some research and learned how to kill them more ethically (using a freezer) so that I can make a bunch more without causing any suffering. Since they are cold blooded, they enter a dormant state as their body cools down and eventually die painlessly.
I was still using UV resin at the time. More complex pieces like spiders took me over two hours to make - it wasn't reasonable at all.
Fig 4. My first epoxy resin piece. Glad I tested it first, I made way too many bubbles.
Fig 5. Golden Orb Weaver in resin. I did my best to preserve the abdomen but it still shriveled.
And why obstacles?
The idea of making obstacles out of resin didn't come to me right away. At first, I was 3D printing my designs and they worked great but they were also pretty ugly and well... Made of cheap plastic.
It wasn't until I started seeing some other resin obstacles and what they were selling for that I realized I could likely produce a better quality within the same price range. I also noticed some common issues that I could likely fix such as gripping to the table.
I already had a bunch of resin and silicone lying around to couple with my addiction to designing and 3D printing obstacles, so I started experimenting right away. My first batch of obstacles received a very warm welcome from the fingerboard community online and I haven't looked back since!
Fig 7. My first resin obstacles. One is clear resin. The other, full of pennies.
What else do you make?
Not much, yet... I've started making these little buddha lamps and statues but I hope to expand to much, much more.
Check back once in a while to see what new and exciting things we've been up to!
Contact
I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.
(705)822-3842