A Unique Celebration of Innovation and Community
Open Sauce is a vibrant festival held in California that unites inventors, makers, and 150 YouTubers for an immersive weekend filled with hands-on exhibits, live demos, and community engagement. Founded by YouTuber William Osman, the event serves as a science fair for adults, showcasing over 500 unique projects ranging from combat robotics to 3D printed musical instruments.
What makes Open Sauce stand out is its strong YouTube presence. The platform has become a central element of the festival, with creators hosting panels and presentations on various topics such as 3D printing, science education, animation, and more. These sessions also included tips on building a successful YouTube channel. Beyond the stage, popular creators could be seen exploring the exhibits and signing autographs for fans. All presentations were live-streamed for those unable to attend in person, and recorded for later viewing through Sauce+, a streaming service dedicated to Open Sauce creators.
The Vision Behind Open Sauce
William Osman, the founder and a well-known YouTuber and engineer, shared his motivation for starting the festival. “I did it for the community,” he said. “YouTube in the early days was a bunch of people who had a weird hobby, who would get together and collaborate making videos.” His goal was to recreate that sense of camaraderie, offering a space where individuals could showcase their unconventional inventions and projects without worrying about perfection.
Osman emphasized that Open Source aims to inspire people, especially children, by demonstrating that science and engineering are accessible and enjoyable. “It turns out that most people aren’t actually really good at science and engineering,” he noted. “They’re pretty bad at it, and you just keep making mistakes over and over again until you make something more.” He wants attendees to see the real process behind engineering and feel empowered to try things themselves.
The Role of YouTube in the Maker Community
YouTube plays a crucial role in connecting the maker community, providing a platform for sharing creations. In the real world, many people lack access to like-minded creators, but online communities offer a solution. “YouTube is very important for inspiring the next generation of engineers because it’s the easiest place to show off fun, interesting engineering,” Osman explained. “That’s why we have 150 YouTubers at Open Sauce to communicate STEM and science and creativity out loud.”
Exploring the Exhibits
During my time at the festival, I explored several 3D printing booths and met some well-known YouTubers. Stefan Hermann of CNC Kitchen, Thomas Sanladerer and Joel Telling of Made with Layer, and the 3D Printing Nerd were among the highlights. Telling was at the Elegoo booth checking out mechanical cosplay wings printed in PETG by Willow Creative. Though Willow couldn’t attend, she lent her creations to Elegoo for display. The wings featured addressable LED strips and were powered by batteries worn on a backpack.
Elegoo also showcased a variety of 3D printed games and tiny open source dancing robots based on the OTTO design, running on ESP32-S3 chips. Their latest printers, including the Centauri Carbon and the upcoming Jupiter 2, were also on display.
Artistic and Practical Creations
Some projects were so intricate that it was hard to tell they were 3D printed. One standout was Alex Corea’s “world’s largest laptop,” a 500% scale replica of an Alienware X16 gaming laptop. It featured a 77-inch screen, functional trackpad, and wireless mouse, weighing a hefty 370 pounds.
Bobby Duke Arts displayed a dragon skeleton created using a handheld 3D pen and sanded down with a Dremel tool. This piece, along with others, was part of the Creator Museum featuring works by featured YouTubers.
Quick and Efficient Projects
On the opposite end of the spectrum was Rob Cockerham’s project, “3D print your name in 38 seconds.” Using a special script, he demonstrated how to print any name in under a minute. While my Twitter handle took longer, the concept aimed to highlight the speed and efficiency of 3D printing.
Musical Innovations
Ben Heath and his father brought 3D printed brass instruments, including bugles, a natural horn, and a trombone. Visitors could play these instruments using printed mouthpieces. The horns were made from PLA segments glued together and sealed with epoxy, producing surprisingly good sound quality.
Sustainable Initiatives
A local branch of Precious Plastic showcased how plastic can be recycled into products. They demonstrated the process of shredding, melting, and injection molding plastic into usable items. Using a CNC-carved mold, they made Open Sauce coasters, highlighting the potential for recycling 3D printer scraps.
Business Launches
Several exhibitors used the event to launch new businesses. Andrew Swaim introduced the Kit of Plants Kickstarter, a collection of handcrafted, fire-resistant faux plants made from paper and 3D printed parts. Originally created to decorate his camper, the project was also on display as a mobile maker studio.
For more insights into Open Sauce, check out Jeff Geerling’s vlog on his second channel, Level 2 Jeff.