I tried this with about equal volume of silicone and cornstarch, along with a squirt of (cheap) acrylic paint and it worked great. I squished the 'oogoo' into a 3-part plaster mold and made useable replacement parts for a chain-reaction catapult toy.by smwombat - General
thank you for the additional information. I will try to add a stepper board as soon as I can - my kids complain about it all the time. (It bugs me too, but they have better hearing) thanks, Sharonby smwombat - Reprappers
Hi, I am having a hard time finding instructions for adding a 4th stepper controller for the extruder. I am probably using poor search terms :-(. All I have found is to connect SCL to stepper DIR pin and SDA to Step Pin. Are there more steps? Will I need to change the firmware? I would be very grateful for any links or help. Thank you, Sharonby smwombat - Reprappers
Yes, I am coloring the filament before I extrude it. I painted the alcohol ink onto natural or white PLA from Ultimachine. The colors mostly stay on the filament, but you can rub some off it you try. The colors certainly change after being extruded. Natural/clear PLA shows more color, while the whit turns the colors lighter. I ran a few tests and was surprised that some colors do not surviby smwombat - General
Hi, I have been experimenting with methods to color PLA filament prior to printing. Besides the usual Sharpie marker method, I have had good results with Adirondack Alcohol Inks. These inks are sold at JoAnn's (maybe also at other craft stores), and are intended for slick surfaces. The inks come in small bottles with a small applicator tip. Just squeeze ink onto a short length of plastic andby smwombat - General
My wood Mendel prints! It took about three months to cut parts, build and debug. I am very glad that my husband is good with electronics, he diagnosed and fixed some serious electrical problems. Now we are (having fun) trying to figure out which software and settings work best. I have some Ultimachine natural PLA, which my daughter colors with Sharpie markers. I also want to try coloring PLby smwombat - General New Machines Topics
We are making a family trip down to the Maker Faire and will definitely stop by and chat. Will anyone be selling colored PLA? I saw some of Vik's colored PLA at Metrix Create Space (Seattle) and I'd love to get some yellow to print up a few Banana Slugs.by smwombat - General
yeah. I hope to get my Mendel running soon and it's always good to hear what other people have experienced.by smwombat - General Mendel Topics
Hi, I am working on a Wooden Mendel Repstrap. I'm almost done with the mechanical stuff. Do you know about Maker Bot/3d printer night at Metrix Create Space? It's pretty fun and you get to see and share (and drool over) 3d printer stuff. Sharonby smwombat - Washington, Seattle RepRap User Group
Here are a few more pictures and a rough sketch of how the metal 360 bearing is made. A heavy vice and some angle iron or similar rigid piece of metal is very helpful for bending the aluminum. Clamp the piece in the vice, with the 'bend line' just above the top edge of the vice. Place a flat piece of metal along the bend line and hit it with a hammer - hard. Keep checking your angle until youby smwombat - General New Machines Topics
Like many others, I am making a repstrap Mendel due to the scarcity and high cost of printed parts. I've made the RP parts from scrap wood, plywood and particle board. I cut most parts using my trusty scroll saw and drilled holes with my husband's drill press. I used a layered approach to make the more complicated shapes. The x 360 bearing assembly was too hard to make from wood, so I used 1/1by smwombat - General New Machines Topics
I found this picture that I took at the Boston science museum. I think it would be fun(ny) to make a giant reprap motherboard or something else to display at a Maker Faire, Hacker space etc. Does anyone have a kid who needs to do a scale model project for school?by smwombat - General
I am new to reprap and Mendel making. I am working on my frame and haven't really gotten to determining how to do the extruder. I have a ceramic kiln and would be happy to try some experiments with clay and nichrome wire. Are you trying to make the nozzel part of the extruder (the tip through which the plastic is squeezed) or the thermal barrier part (the part normally made from PTFE)? Clay sby smwombat - Plastic Extruder Working Group