Any 3D Printer dabblers out here?

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Thu Apr 18, 2019 2:47 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Thu Apr 18, 2019 2:18 pm
hentzau wrote: ↑Thu Apr 18, 2019 2:00 pm Oy. Another push. I hadn’t really thought about dungeon terrain...I’m reaching the end of the D&D game I’ve been running, and I’m not sure I’ll run another one any time soon. But...tempting. So tempting.

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Is $15 really such a high price to pay for insurance?

No. I'll probably buy. Would not be the first bundle of digital bits that I bought that I never used.

Z-Corn · Post by **Z-Corn** » Thu Apr 18, 2019 5:25 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Thu Apr 18, 2019 2:18 pm
hentzau wrote: ↑Thu Apr 18, 2019 2:00 pm Oy. Another push. I hadn’t really thought about dungeon terrain...I’m reaching the end of the D&D game I’ve been running, and I’m not sure I’ll run another one any time soon. But...tempting. So tempting.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Is $15 really such a high price to pay for insurance?

BAM! Isgrimnur the Enabler doing what he do!

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Thu Apr 18, 2019 8:57 pm

Bought the bundle. Printer will be purchased tonight or tomorrow.

No point in steering now...

Kurth · Post by **Kurth** » Fri Apr 19, 2019 1:58 am

hentzau wrote: ↑Thu Apr 18, 2019 8:57 pm Bought the bundle. Printer will be purchased tonight or tomorrow.

No point in steering now...

What did you decide on?

I've been pretty into 3D printing for the past two years. Started out with a Monoprice MP Select Mini v2 (currently $189 but can be found on sale closer to $170 sometimes), and bought my second printer, the new Monoprice Voxel (currently $399 but can be found on sale in the low $300s) a couple months ago. They are both great machines and have served me really well.

The Mini takes a lot more tinkering and adjusting, but even it prints pretty well out of the box. The main upgrades on the Voxel (a rebadged Flashforge Adventurer 3) are that it's fully enclosed (although you can build your own enclosure for the Mini), faster, a larger (but still not big) build area, removable build plate (this is huge), quick change nozzles, and an onboard camera. It also has a better interface and is generally smoother, quieter, more polished and a better user experience.

I'd highly recommend both of these printers. If you're able to go up to the Voxel in terms of price, it's a winner. Great video review of the Voxel is here.

Good luck, and definitely hit me up if you have any questions.

Also, if there are any Expanse fans reading this, check out my latest print:

upload pic

Kurth · Post by **Kurth** » Fri Apr 19, 2019 2:01 am

And I think I've posted this one before, but this is one I did entirely on the Mini a while ago:

upload pic

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Fri Apr 19, 2019 11:48 am

I was thinking the Creality Ender 3 Pro.

But your recommendation has me looking at video reviews of the voxel.

I have a concern about sound levels on the printers. How noisy is the Voxel?

Kurth · Post by **Kurth** » Sun Apr 21, 2019 2:53 am

Voxel is super quiet. That’s mainly because it’s completely enclosed. Not just the print bed, but also the filament spool/feeder area.

Two things to keep in mind, though: (1) you can build an enclosure for just about any printer with minimal effort; and (2) the enclosed filament feeder does limit you to some degree in terms of the filament you can buy (but not too much in my experience).

Kurth · Post by **Kurth** » Sun Apr 21, 2019 2:55 am

Also, want to say that I’ve heard many good reviews for Ender 3. Seems the big difference is in get up to speed time. Voxel is ready to go, out of the box. Ender 3 requires a lot more DIY skills/time.

Kurth · Post by **Kurth** » Sun Apr 21, 2019 2:58 am

Last comment: Voxel on sale right now for $319.99.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Fri May 10, 2019 4:59 pm

I think I'm going with the Ender 3 Pro. I have it and the upgrades and some filament sitting in my Amazon cart now. I'm going to give myself until I get home tonight to decide for sure. But I may go look at the Voxel again.

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Fri May 10, 2019 5:37 pm

FYI, Woot has some today. However, I don't think these were a brand previously discussed. https://www.woot.com/plus/sainsmart-3d- ... gw_dly_img

Edit: And I was wrong. Just noticed that the sold out one is the Ender 3

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Fri May 10, 2019 7:00 pm

TheMix wrote:FYI, Woot has some today. However, I don't think these were a brand previously discussed. https://www.woot.com/plus/sainsmart-3d- ... gw_dly_img

Edit: And I was wrong. Just noticed that the sold out one is the Ender 3

Yeah, I checked those this morning. If the would have had the Ender 3 pro at a discount I may have jumped on it.

Zitterbacke · Post by **Zitterbacke** » Sat May 11, 2019 10:38 am

FYI: whenever you don't use the printer, stash the filament in a small container, so it doesn't absorb moisture, which would alter its characteristics, eg. makes it brittle and easily unusable.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Mon May 13, 2019 12:15 pm

Zitterbacke wrote: ↑Sat May 11, 2019 10:38 am FYI: whenever you don't use the printer, stash the filament in a small container, so it doesn't absorb moisture, which would alter its characteristics, eg. makes it brittle and easily unusable.

Thanks for this tip. Since it's going to be in my basement, humidity could be a problem.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon May 13, 2019 12:21 pm

If you were to take up cigars, however...

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Mon May 13, 2019 12:23 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Mon May 13, 2019 12:21 pm If you were to take up cigars, however...

...my wife would kick me out of the house.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon May 13, 2019 12:31 pm

hentzau wrote: ↑Mon May 13, 2019 12:23 pm
Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Mon May 13, 2019 12:21 pm If you were to take up cigars, however...
...my wife would kick me out of the house.

Hey, Drazzil, I got a lead on a room!

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Mon May 13, 2019 12:48 pm

hentzau wrote: ↑Mon May 13, 2019 12:15 pm
Zitterbacke wrote: ↑Sat May 11, 2019 10:38 am FYI: whenever you don't use the printer, stash the filament in a small container, so it doesn't absorb moisture, which would alter its characteristics, eg. makes it brittle and easily unusable.
Thanks for this tip. Since it's going to be in my basement, humidity could be a problem.

Not sure how big the spools are, but you could also look into a hand vacuum sealer and some bags. We got one and love it. Ours is only used in the kitchen, but I'd think it would work for anything that you wanted to keep out of the air.
https://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-FSFRSH ... B002FWIVCA (We got the red version.)

They make quart and gallon sized bags. https://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-Freshs ... B01DENGWOW

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Mon May 13, 2019 11:15 pm

Well, just hit the “Order” button. It will fun to work with my son on it.

No point in steering now...

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sat May 18, 2019 8:47 pm

So, is there any service out there that would do a print and ship it for someone that has fair prices and a is reliable? This would be a godsend, but there is nowhere nearby that offers 3d printing.

And how much would such a thing cost?

/edit - I checked a few at random that gave free quotes. They ranged between $200 and $350. I think... nevermind that idea!

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Sat May 18, 2019 9:29 pm

That would be a really long print job. I just checked and my printer isn't big enough to print out the whole tray at one go, I'd have to do it in 2 parts, and for one of the trays at normal quality the print time came out to 12 hours for the 2 parts to assemble for the tray.

After I do a few more prints to just get the hang of it, I'll try and slice all of the files and see how long it would take me and how much filament it would consume. That will give me a better idea if I can do it for you.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sat May 18, 2019 10:01 pm

I appreciate you checking, but it is starting to look more and more expensive, at least more so than I thought.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Sat May 18, 2019 10:06 pm

Cost in filament probably isn’t bad. $20 tops. It would just take a long time.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Sun May 19, 2019 11:49 am

Anonymous Bosch · Post by **Anonymous Bosch** » Sun May 19, 2019 2:12 pm

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Sat May 18, 2019 8:47 pm So, is there any service out there that would do a print and ship it for someone that has fair prices and a is reliable? This would be a godsend, but there is nowhere nearby that offers 3d printing.

And how much would such a thing cost?

/edit - I checked a few at random that gave free quotes. They ranged between $200 and $350. I think... nevermind that idea!

FWIW, I suggest following the advice posted here to compare the most favourable pricing for the project.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Tue Jul 09, 2019 2:01 pm

BTW, the Ender 3 is on sale for $160 on Woot today...

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 4:08 pm

So, a possible request. Would somebody be willing to print and send me a set of Christmas ornaments? I've got the files (.stl format?), and I wouldn't need them to be giant. I'd pay for materials/shipping/hassle within reason.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 4:27 pm

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Fri Dec 13, 2019 4:08 pm So, a possible request. Would somebody be willing to print and send me a set of Christmas ornaments? I've got the files (.stl format?), and I wouldn't need them to be giant. I'd pay for materials/shipping/hassle within reason.

I'm your huckleberry. I was going to work tonight on recalibrating my printer, and I could get them going as soon as I'm done. Send me the STL file and I can get it started.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 5:08 pm

Awesome! Thanks. How do you want the files?

Also, if you or anyone else want them for yourselves, I got them here, free right now with the code, "Christmas_gift".

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 5:19 pm

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Fri Dec 13, 2019 5:08 pm Awesome! Thanks. How do you want the files?

Also, if you or anyone else want them for yourselves, I got them here, free right now with the code, "Christmas_gift".

Got a OneDrive or dropbox or google drive you can save them to and send me the link?

Or, let me see if I can download with that code directly, save you a step. Hang on.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 5:21 pm

Got 'em. Let me see what I can do now.

Anonymous Bosch · Post by **Anonymous Bosch** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 6:10 pm

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Sat May 18, 2019 8:47 pm So, is there any service out there that would do a print and ship it for someone that has fair prices and a is reliable? This would be a godsend, but there is nowhere nearby that offers 3d printing.

And how much would such a thing cost?

/edit - I checked a few at random that gave free quotes. They ranged between $200 and $350. I think... nevermind that idea!

I forgot to mention this before, but have you considered creating a foamcore insert instead?

Here's a thread with plenty of pictures and all the relevant measurements for creating a Batman: Gotham City Chronicles foamcore insert:

The Esoteric Order of Gamers provides some mighty useful tutorial videos on using foamcore if you've not done it before.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 6:22 pm

That was the route I ended up going. I designed my own rather than using plans, but it did the job just fine.

Z-Corn · Post by **Z-Corn** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 6:36 pm

Those are really cool!

em2nought · Post by **em2nought** » Sat Dec 14, 2019 5:01 am

hentzau wrote: ↑Fri Dec 13, 2019 4:27 pm
Blackhawk wrote: ↑Fri Dec 13, 2019 4:08 pm So, a possible request.
I'm your huckleberry.

That song will forever be in my head thanks to the Cedar Cliff High School Marching Band.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEdPe1SxitI

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Sat Dec 14, 2019 6:25 pm

Going to print them at 75%, it cuts the print time from 18 hours down to 9. Hope that's alright. I'm also printing them as 2 halves to be glued together, the supports for the tassels were going to be a hassle. (And why is tassel spelled "el" and hassle spelled "le"? Stupid English.)

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Sat Dec 14, 2019 6:51 pm

Well, that failed almost immediately. Guess I’ll try the whole model with supports and a raft.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sat Dec 14, 2019 10:20 pm

I didn't mean for it to be a huge hassle!

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Sat Dec 14, 2019 10:22 pm

Blackhawk wrote:I didn't mean for it to be a huge hassle!

No hassle. I needed to get back into printing. I have a backlog. This is what I needed to get going again.

Anonymous Bosch · Post by **Anonymous Bosch** » Sat Dec 14, 2019 11:00 pm

hentzau wrote: ↑Sat Dec 14, 2019 6:25 pm (And why is tassel spelled "el" and hassle spelled "le"? Stupid English.)

Blame the French. And the Italians:

Collins Dictionary wrote: Word origin
C13: from Old French, from Vulgar Latin tassellus (unattested), changed from Latin taxillus a small die, from tālus gaming die