Joining & your first visit¶
How to join¶
There is no formal membership process, application form, or fee (as of August 2026). In practice:
- Get added to the Telegram group. Any existing member can invite you or share the group link. The group is the space — if you're in it, you're in.
- Introduce yourself in the general chat topic and say what you'd like to make or learn.
- Come by. Someone will show you around and get you set up with door access (Getting in).
FLC Kitchen is primarily for residents/tenants of the FLC complex, but that's convention rather than a hard rule.
Bringing guests¶
Non-members are welcome as guests — just ask in the Telegram group first. Precedent: "do you mind a non-FLC member? He's smart & trustworthy and brings 3D-modelling know-how" → everyone said yes.
Money¶
- There are no membership fees. Costs are covered informally: members donate equipment and consumables, and shared purchases get coordinated in the To buy Telegram topic.
- A prepaid virtual card exists for space expenses — see Buying things & money.
- If you print a lot, chip in for filament (talk to whoever manages the filament stock — see 3D printing).
Learning the tools¶
Don't be shy about asking for a walkthrough — everyone here learned the same way:
- FDM 3D printer — Maxime, Coco, or Loren will happily teach you. Several members went from zero to printing their own designs within a week.
- Resin (SLA) printer — David gives an intro (takes about 2 hours).
- Electronics / soldering — David; start with the EEVblog soldering tutorial.
- Servers / self-hosting — David set up the infrastructure and can show you how to host things on it.
Communication style¶
The group is friendly, multilingual (English mostly, occasional French), and fast-moving. Post progress photos of your projects — people love them. When you finish something, announce it: "New project done!" is a house tradition.