What have I done??

[Raider4]

I've so far managed to resist a 3d printer.

As others have said above, I'd like it to be more 'plug & play' than it currently seems to be. I also don't really have anywhere to put it.

And then I came across the Easythreed X1 (Amazon link). Tiny, and currently only £90 . . .

Tempting, very tempting.

Question to Orcs (and others who have one) - has the initial enthusiasm worn off? Are you still using the printer, or has it migrated to the back of a cupboard somewhere?

[Orcs]

It runs almost 24/7.  I have gone through $ spools of filament already.

A few occasions I got fed up with it. so left it for a day or so and went back to getting the bed levelled etc when I was in a better frame of mind.

I have a 220mm W x 220mm D x 350 H printer and have found that is a bit small to do some of the larger prints. I wish I had got the plus size bed.
Most  prints are cut into sizes that will fit, but the one you mention is very small. You will loose a bit on the edge of the bed as well.

In think you would be better spending a little more and getting one with a bigger bed.

I have a creality Ender 3 V2 S1. I have already upgraded the plate to better one and the springs to Silicone rubber feet.

Its also worth making sure you have auto leveling, as even with this leveling can be a nightmare.

The other thing I have found is that even when you look for videos on how to do things with a popular model like the one I have the differences between printers of the same spec means that often the wil be different to yours. thay are upgrading the machines all the time

[Raider4]

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

I completely understand what you're saying about size & price, but it's pretty much this size/price or nothing for me .

Certainly, if I got one, the current plan would be to only print stuff for small-scale (10mm or 15mm) wargaming or for an N gauge model railway (pretty much 10mm). Or for spacefleet gaming. So the max 10cm³ might not be an issue.

Of course, once I've got one the possibilities open up . . .

There certainly appear to be hundreds (thousands?) of youtube videos with suggestions of tools/widgets/whatever that you can use a 3d printer for.

Thingiverse is addictive. I've already downloaded dozens of things I might want to print. Just in case.

What are printing if you're running at 24/7, if you don't mind me asking? Just hobby related, or other things?

[Orcs]

I am printing 20mm Buildings. A house that is about 200m x 150mm took 30 hours to print the walls and about 13 hours to print the roof.  In 1/150 this would be just under 5 hours for the walls and 3 for the roof

A 20mm Rolls Royce armoured car body I printed yesterday took 6 hours. the turret will take 2 hours.

Once your sure the printer is running on that print ok , you are normally ok to leave it to get on with it.  General advice on the webb is not to leave them running when your not they get hot (Nozzle 200C Bed 60C), and some have caught fire. I run mine overnight and will pop out for an hour or so and leave it on, The problem is it is diffucult to stop a print halfway as the item can become unstuck as the bed cools and will move when you start to print again, so you really need to plan your printing.

[fred.]

My mate got a resin 3d printer about a year ago and has used it loads, 2 whole 10mm Star Wars armies, loads of 28mm+ super heroes, Mechs, 10mm buildings, etc etc. His has been pretty much plug and play. It does live in the garage as isopropyl alcohol is needed for cleaning and that can be quite smelly. Between the printer and curing station a fair bit of space is needed. Can't remember cost but around £250.

The EasyThreed link to Amazon looks very cheap - and has some very mixed reviews 26% 1 star! FDM printers are more suited to terrain rather than small wargames figures or vehicles, and a 10cm print plate isn't much suited to terrain.

[Raider4]

I was almost decided against, so went and had a last look to check the reviews. They've knocked another tenner off, so . . .

Ordered, due Wednesday. I even managed to avoid being signed-up to Prime (again . . .), despite at least three pages on which you had to hunt for the "Yes I don't want to not sign up to no free delivery" text quite carefully.

FOMO is very strong here, unfortunately.

I know it's a toy, but I'm not going to run it 24/7, and will probably only use it occasionally for making new toys.

Although judging by the youtube videos currently being suggested to me, the first thing you print when buying a 3D printer are upgrades and tools and widgets for your 3D printer.

[GrumpyOldMan]

Hello

Yes I admit I weakened and bought a resin printer. My main issue that my body is physically failing and I can't cope with physical sculpting any more. This was a big loss for me since I sculpted and modified figures for a really, really long time in a number of different mediums. I have some expertise in 3d software so the jump to  designing figures on the computer was ok. The best bit is that there is an 'undo' or CTRL Z available for when my hands jump around - NOT available for physical sculpting  .

Make no mistake, taking on 3D printing is another whole hobby and there is a learning curve involved, but I am quite happy with the results. Attached is a picture of some fantasy female guards that I designed and printed. Also a pic of some fantasy Chinese undead I'm working on.

Of course this path is not for everybody and the work that's needed to design create and print figures might not be worth it for some.

Cheers

GrumpyOldMan

[FierceKitty]

... I wish I had got the plus size bed....

Hmmm, Nicole, Halle, Penelope, and Michelle complimented my decision to invest in one at the last get-together. Even then, however, Jeremy Irons was caught in traffic and had to wait until one of the lasses went off to get another magnum from the fridge so there was room for him to join in.

[Orcs]

Hmmm, Nicole, Halle, Penelope, and Michelle complimented my decision to invest in one at the last get-together. Even then, however, Jeremy Irons was caught in traffic and had to wait until one of the lasses went off to get another magnum from the fridge so there was room for him to join in.

I should be so lucky.😀 (Actually while the idea is rather nice not sure I could cope now) 😟

[Elliesdad]

I should be so lucky.😀 (Actually while the idea is rather nice not sure I could cope now) 😟

I suspect you'd rise to the challenge 😉🤣😂

[Ithoriel]

"The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak"

[Raider4]

Ordered, due Wednesday. I even managed to avoid being signed-up to Prime.

Hmmm, just been delivered. Now I'm worried that I did indeed sign up to Prime again . . .


First impressions - gosh, it is tiny. And also slightly different in a couple of small ways from the manual & the videos available. Hopefully improvements.

Off to setup & print the test cat supplied.

Apparently the (small amount of) filament supplied is not great, so will need to order some proper stuff as the first order of business.

[Orcs]

Apparently the (small amount of) filament supplied is not great, so will need to order some proper stuff as the first order of business.

I order mine from Filaprint £17.95 a kilo with free delivery

[fred.]

If you don't want Prime - its no problem to cancel it if you haven't used it