Hi Adam,
I've built and run a MakerBot, but haven't built or used a Mendel myself, yet, so I don't know much about the hands on details of building and running one of those. However, I'm more than happy to share what I do know, and love talking about 3D-printing in general.
I'll be out of town for MakerFaire from August 1-5, and again for a few days in mid-August, but I am otherwise free to meet up whenever. I'm in the Mt. Vernon area. Feel free to drop me a note on Twitter (@schmarty) if you'd like to meet up, just give me a few hours lead time to make sure that I see your tweet!
--Marty