First dip into 3D printing

[nberrington]

Our friend James had a recent post on his channel that got me running down a rabbit hole:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0Lr8T3iP6Ps

Of course once you google these things, your inbox is flooded with ads and “once in a lifetime deals”.

I suspect the learning curve is not insignificant. I started out with the calibration prints and then jumped right in with some Modelu STL files and a dwarf from Loots Studios.

Using the basic standard resin there is some fine velvet lamination - but I suspect there are ways around this with different resins and exposures….

IMG_6821.jpeg

IMG_6817.jpeg

IMG_6819.jpeg

IMG_6826.jpeg

[splam32]

#d printing opens up a whole new avenue of possibilities, with a very steep learning curve, especially with the software, but very rewarding as things come to fruition. Look forward to seeing your results.

[James Walters]

Looking good Neil.
Welcome to a whole new world of fun (and frustration).
My next video (hopefully out later this weekend), will look at the brilliant Templot Plug Track. You're well set-up to to have a good play with that, and best of all no CAD skills are required to start printing your own track components.

I'd say beware though, I've found that every whimsical want can become a need and I now spend considerable time drawing everything which comes to mind. This morning I'm putting the finishing touches to this...

SER Express Goods Brake Van 2.JPG

An SER Express Goods Brake

And to give an idea of the potential, how about the cruellest of close-ups of a SR Flatrol.

Flatrol.jpg

This was my first print of the file, no clean-up, and a crude blast of primer just so that I could take a photo. But look at the detail, even the safety hoops around the brake gear printed. A wheelset and bearings clip straight in. I've still some work to do perfecting this one, but it does demonstrate the possibilities.

Have fun with your new printer, just be aware it can become addictive.

[billb]

Yep, brake lever guides are a bu**er to print. Always have been, always will be.

[Alan Woodard]

Hi JAMES.

Would love one of the SER Brake vans, If your willing please.

Alan.

[James Walters]

Hi Alan,

I hadn't wanted to offer my 3d printed wagons for sale for want of treading on others' toes. However there was some interest at the Uckfield show where Ben Mason had a lovely train of LCDR cattle wagons and a brake van which he had beautifully put together from my prints.
So I thought I might offer a wagon or two on my online shop. One of my tasks this week will be to catalogue what I've already done and make a complete list. Several of the wagons have different derivatives. For example, the express goods brake above has 'Ashford' duckets but I've also drawn the flat topped Craven version too. I think I'm close to having drawn all of the SER/LCDR/SECR brake vans, plus many others. I can't imagine the uptake of SER express goods brake vans to be especially high.
There are some which don't print well which need further tweaking to refine the print process, all of which is doable, and needs to be done for my own purposes. When (if) Bexhill West is complete it'll eat dozens and dozens of wagons hence my somewhat industrial approach to making them.

Anyway, I'll let you know later in the week what I have, as there may be others which are of interest to you.

Best wishes,

James

[Alan Woodard]

Great stuff James.
I'v followed your youtube posting's and have bought those brilliant point operating units you have produced, so I know your stuff is quality.
Looking forward to the wagon list.

Cheers.

Alan.

[Philip Hall]

I’d be interested in the SR Weltrol. Looks very good indeed and the amount of detail is staggering.

Philip

[James Walters]

Hi Philip,

I'm afraid it's a Flatrol rather than a Weltrol.

SR Flatrol.JPG

When I get a round tuit, I was going to get the four basic castings lost wax cast and solder them up. I think it would make for quite a nice wagon, especially with the timber bolsters added.
I only 3d printed it out of interest to see to see if it would work.

Sorry for this hijacking your thread Neil.

[Guy Rixon]

Hi James,

I'd be up for one, possibly two, of the SER brake vans.

Alternatively, if you don't want the hassle of printing and shipping them, I'd be prepared to buy a license for the STL file if the price was sensible.

[Philip Hall]

Hi James,

Sorry, my typo. Flatrol is fine, looks good to me in the raw plastic or whatever. Still interested should you decide to print a few more!

Philip

[nberrington]

Hi James (and others)

So I bought a "better than entry level" machine, with a big bed and 35 um pixel size (which sounded impressive.) - but I'm not quite happy with the first prints out of the box..

Do you have any advice regarding resin? So far I have used the Anycubic Basic (designed for "less failures") - which is quite stinky (severe new car/ anatomy lab formalin smell) and the prints all have perceptible layers under magnification. I will be trying the Anycubic Eco next (low odour, plant based), as I would prefer not to kill my cat, who loves sleeping in the workshop.

I understand the "ABS like" has a better finish, but wonder if you have advice for getting decent detail and a good finish.

[splam32]

My personal recommendation is a mixture of Siraya tech fast at 75% and the Tenacious or Blu at 25%, I have tried other and nothing comes close, to the same quality of print, The 25% mix enables the print to retain some flexibility, so things don't break, and has the benefit of being able to flex the axle guards and drop in a wheelset into pinpoint bearing. As for the smell I use an activated carbon filter link here https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00E58 ... =UTF8&th=1
along with a 4" computer fan to draw air through it greatly reducing the smell in the room.
Here is a couple off things I'm working on.

type A.JPG

[nberrington]

Greetings all - I posted this elsewhere, so apologies for repetition.

I'm new to Sketchup, which I find less intuitive than Corel (the program I've used for laser files in the past.) The challenge I face is replicating stone. In Corel I have previously drawn individual stones in (laborious). Yesterday I downloaded an extension from Vali Architects for Sketchup.

The extension works well - drawing decent looking dressed stone, while negotiating corners, windows and doors (slow though). The problem is the pattern of the stonework repeats itself every 4 stones or so - spoiling an otherwise quite convincing wall structure. (It's fine if you don't look too closely, but it is apparent quite quickly if you look for it. This is a problem of most plastic and card stone sheets, and a pet peeve of mine.)

Does anyone have a recommendation for me? Are there better extensions out there? Am I better off drawing individual stones and pulling them to establish depth?

Regards

Neil

[Paul Willis]

Greetings all - I posted this elsewhere, so apologies for repetition.

I'm new to Sketchup, which I find less intuitive than Corel (the program I've used for laser files in the past.) The challenge I face is replicating stone. In Corel I have previously drawn individual stones in (laborious). Yesterday I downloaded an extension from Vali Architects for Sketchup.

The extension works well - drawing decent looking dressed stone, while negotiating corners, windows and doors (slow though). The problem is the pattern of the stonework repeats itself every 4 stones or so - spoiling an otherwise quite convincing wall structure. (It's fine if you don't look too closely, but it is apparent quite quickly if you look for it. This is a problem of most plastic and card stone sheets, and a pet peeve of mine.)

Does anyone have a recommendation for me? Are there better extensions out there? Am I better off drawing individual stones and pulling them to establish depth?

This is going to be one of those dreadfully annoying posts that start "I can't quite remember..."

I have a recollection of someone (David Brandreth springs to mind, but I may be a million miles wrong) writing an article about taking a scan of a stone wall, converting it into an image, and then having it laser-cut. Now, you may ask, but that was laser-cutting and this is 3D printing. And that is very true.

But once the image is in a CAD package, then it can be reverse-extruded into a 3D solid to make your stonework panels for printing

I've searched this Forum, and also the Scalefour News archive and MRJ index, and either there is nothing there or my search terms are poor. Is there anyone that has a better memory than me?!?

Best,
Paul

[Guy Rixon]

I think you'd have to draw the outlines of the sones over the image. My OpenSCAD manual recommends preparing the 2D design in Inkscape and then exporting it as a DXF file into the 3D tooling for extrusion.

Or do you know of an automagic way of finding the stone edges from the photo?