Frequently Asked Questions

Restless Forge is a one-person workshop that builds free, open-source web tools: a real hourly wage calculator and DIY-vs-hire decision engine, a hologram GIF generator that processes images, GIFs, and videos in the browser, a converter that turns images and SVGs into sand table patterns (.thr / .gcode), and a tattoo sizing, camera try-on, and pricing preview tool — with many more in the forge. Each tool is designed to be useful, honest, and private.

Because I needed them and they didn't exist — or the existing options required sign-ups, subscriptions, or sending your data to someone else's server. I believe useful tools should be freely accessible.

Yes, completely free. No accounts, no paywalls, no premium tiers. If you find the tools useful, donations through Ko-fi or Buy Me a Coffee are appreciated but never required.

Open What Is My Time Worth? and enter your annual salary. Then optionally fill in your hidden costs (commute, clothing, meals) and hidden time costs (commute time, getting ready, decompression). The calculator shows your real hourly wage. Use Tab 2 for DIY-vs-hire decisions and Tab 3 to compare two jobs.

Yes. All tools are frontend-only — calculations, image processing, and file conversion happen entirely in your browser. Your data is never sent to our servers, and Restless Forge itself sets no cookies. Ads are served by Google AdSense, which may use cookies — see our Privacy Policy for details.

Any modern browser with JavaScript enabled: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge. For best performance with HoloPath and SandPath, use a desktop browser — image processing can be memory-intensive on mobile.

The tools are free for personal use. The output you generate (hologram GIFs, sand table patterns, calculation results) belongs to you. The source code is open source — check the license on each project's GitHub repository for specific terms.

HoloPath accepts JPG, PNG, WebP, BMP, animated GIF, and video files (MP4, WebM, MOV). Output can be exported as animated GIF or video (MP4/WebM). Files up to 15 MB are supported.

SandPath supports Oasis Mini, Oasis One, Sisyphus (Mini, Coffee Table, End Table), and ZenXY. You can also configure custom circular or rectangular table dimensions.

HoloPath: Download generated hologram GIFs or videos directly.
SandPath: Download .thr or .gcode files for your sand table.
What Is My Time Worth?: Results are displayed on screen; you can screenshot or manually note them.

The calculator uses 2024/2025 federal tax brackets and flat-rate state tax approximations. These are estimates for educational purposes — they don't account for all deductions, credits, or individual circumstances. Consult a tax professional for precise calculations.