Thomas Standridge: A Blossoming Designer

Thomas Standridge is a senior here at Morro Bay High, and has a passion for engineering and digital design. He has made a variety of different creations since he was in middle school, such as a small forge for aluminum cans or a custom nerf gun. 

His two current big projects are a pen he is making from scratch and custom handholds for climbing. He says, “the pen was made from a piece of steel and two pieces of brass. I cut them down to make the tip and the body of the pen.” 

“I made the mold out of melted aluminum cans and machine scraps,” he says. “I then poured the molten metal into a sand mold.” 

After Standridge explained to me the methods he used to create the pen and mold, he gave me some more insight on why he loves these engineering projects so much. “It’s rewarding to not know how to make something, and then spending forever learning how to make it, and finally making it,” he says. This kind of dedication is evident in the projects he showed me, and his skill in this field has led him to apply to advanced engineering colleges like Cal Poly. 

But Standridge’s creative skills extend beyond just engineering projects, as he is also very prolific when it comes to 3D modeling. He has spent countless hours creating bizarre things like the Spyglass’s spider soccer ball transition and a 3D model of himself, as well as impressively detailed models, such as the Spyglass’s animated fish tank background. 

Overall, Standridge has proven himself to be a very talented designer, with both physical and digital creations. His pen and climbing mold projects are very impressive, and his talent in Blender is very evident through the work he has done for the MBHS Spyglass.