Happy Update! After over a month of frustration, I now have the bow of the Going Merry substantially complete! The pieces fit together pretty well. I'm content with the bow as it is for now. I have one more small piece to fit, but that's a detail rather than a major revision. I started the mizzen mast last night. I had a few problems but finally got it sized in and added a collar to anchor the mast, much as in sailing ships IRL. Tonight I'm printing the mizzen sail as a multicolor print (red-and-white stripes). I looked at printing it as a single color, then printing thin strips to be added to the white base, but I don't like what it would do to the texture and if I created strips for the front AND back of the sail, the issue would be worse. I think the three options for the sail will be single-color, multi-color, or single-color followed by some painting.  I have some fun ideas for putting the jolly roger on the mainsail.   For perspective, here's a view of some of the many previous attempts on the bow:

So after about a month of effort, I've finally broken through and I  finally have the front end complete -- I think. (Edit: I think I'll have one more trim piece to add just below the cannon, but again, that's for tomorrow). I had been having problems cleaning up internal errors in the front-end white structure because the original piece (ironically, a "one piece) was just too complex to clean up. I also couldn't combine parts to clean up overlaps ("boolean") so the piece would mount cleanly to the hull. To clean up the internal structure (making it "manifold" - let me know if you'd like to know more about what that means and how it impacts models), I used Blender, Nomad, Meshmixer, Windows, and a couple of other packages - all either froze or gave up.  So I went back to the original parts and made the front rail a separate piece from the ram's head and scroll work. I down-sampled the pieces to keep the triangle count somewhat sane. I worked to keep everything clean. That said, there are some manifold errors in the ram's head now, but I decided to leave them, as the piece printed cleanly. The piece shown in the photos won't be the final piece - a part of the spirals didn't print correctly because I was trying a different orientation of the piece. I'll re-print tonight and mount the piece. My next step will be to assemble the aft mast structure -- the "mizzen" mast. I'll complete the mizzen sail and mast, then work on the front mast and mainsail. After that, it's the rigging and I have a pretty cool idea for putting the jolly roger on the sail. This has been BY FAR the most complex piece I've created -- in its basic model prior to prepping for printing, it's had nearly 1,500 pieces -- so when I finally release this model, I'll ask folks to let me know about any fitment issues. It's been too difficult to reprint all the pieces after any small change, which I often do with more simple models.  The mizzen sail work will begin tomorrow night, as it's too late for me to start the next stage tonight - I'm simply too tired. The issues I foresee are how to realistically bind the boom and mast, have some sail mounting rings that make sense, and figure the best way to print the sale to minimize waste and maximize its strength.Anyway, I finally feel like I'm over the last month of being stuck.

If you've been following me, you know I've been working on the Going Merry from Netflix's One Piece.  I took a big step in testing the Going Merry. I decided to print the entire white part of the bow, including the ram's head, scroll work, trim around the cannon, rails, ballisters, posts, and filigree all as a single piece. My goal was to dramatically simplify assembly and ease some of the fitment issues that are so common on complex pieces.  Note: the pictures show that test piece set on the hull, but it's not attached, so it might be slightly off. I'm hoping the next print will be the one I keep. I have mixed feelings on this: it felt wonderful to see the primary focal point of the piece finally take shape in reality, but disappointed by how many issues there were. So many things became an issue! First of all, the initial model was too complex to render. Nomad kept aborting when I tried to export. Finally, I split off the piece to its own project, which helped. I simplified, re-structured, etc. When I exported, it tried to put out a 5 GB file - incredibly huge and not practical. I worked on that for quite a while and ultimately got it down to about 300 MB -- large, but useful. Several attempts to print the piece all failed until I re-oriented the piece. Then it printed.  Then: so many flaws!The ballisters in the railing all failed, but the square posts printed fine. The ears to the ram's head were too thin to print properly.The bottom rail for the ballisters, something I added for print stability, was not on the bottom plate, but floating.The filigree around the front face wasn't anchored properly, and came off with the supports.The fit was close, but a little out of scale.I've taken steps to address each item, and I plan to test-print tonight:Since re-orienting isn't a possibility, I thickened the ballisters by 30%. It doesn't noticeably change the look, a good thing.I thickened the ram's ears front-to-back. It doesn't change the look, but should fix the print.I repositioned the rail so it should now sit properly.I put the filigree into the face a bit, then worked on the "twist" so that it was more flush to the face as well.I had scaled up the total piece slightly so it would fit on the hull. I'll do a lighter touch there.Since I had to go back to the parts to fix the issues, I haven't gotten the file size down enough. In my last export, the piece was 1.9 GB - simply too big. I'm going to use the "decimate" function in Nomad to see if I can simplify the piece without losing meaningful detail. The "simplify" function in Orca (and derivatives) is too heavy-handed for this kind of work. I'll also mention that one thing that has been a huge help has been an ultrasonic knife. It allows a very light and precise touch when separating supports and brims from very delicate parts. I do have my support settings nicely dialed in (slim tree support, 0.3 top z-layer gap, 3 interface layers) and they separate very nicely from the model, but for the most delicate parts the knife allows separation with no pressure on the pieces. I'll work again on bringing down the file size for the piece, then test-printing it tonight.

OK, I think I’m finally — *finally* — finished with the Going Merry, except for creating the parts, a decal, and the normal refinement when you’re working at the parts level. It’s been a few months since I’ve started this. If I hadn’t had competing issues, it STILL would have taken nearly 3 months to complete. I had expected 2-3 weeks. Still, it’s been a good project, and mostly fun.  I plan to have the front and back sail artwork done 3 ways so it works for many people:actually have the multi-color sail to print directlyto create a 2-layer “decal” for both sails (similar to how a friend of mine did the lettering on a model he released)a simple image file so someone can paint/mark it using that as a reference image. I’ll probably personally do the color print. While there’s a little more filament waste, it will probably be the cleanest for me. I plan to print it pretty large scale with my K2, though I don’t yet know the specific dimensions, depending on how I part it out. I’m figuring around 300mm long, because I’ll max the stand to 350-ish. Anyway, it’s not perfect, but I’m still pretty pleased with it at this point. I’ve learned a lot of new techniques in getting this done, the most recent is projecting my Jolly Roger graphic onto the sail. Fun stuff! I’ll start with the stand and get it test-printed first, then work upwards. I’ll post progress on that, though I’ll probably let someone else test the decal. Thinking about it, I’ll probably only create the non-white colors on the Jolly Roger, and just make red strips for the mizzen sail so they’re the most flexible and easiest to conform to the sails' contours. I really want to work on the fit and the connectors. My earlier creations were OK, but there’s room for improvement. I’m hoping this one will be top-caliber in that area. I just finished printing a model I purchased from Cults. It’s been a real lesson to me on paying attention to those details.

I continue to work on the Going Merry - I'm starting to create the individual parts, preparing for a test print. I also need to create the stand I have in mind, as well as the Jolly Roger.In the meantime, I picked up an ultrasonic knife (I had been given a gift certificate and had been wanting one). I've been testing it over the last day, and I can see how it will really help. When I did my saddlebill stork, it would have made a huge difference removing the supports from such a delicate structure. I had a practical use today for it: I've created a tray and letter system for some signs I use. It dramatically extends the life of the signs. I needed to extend some trays for a longer-than-usual sequence. I had a couple of extenders (I'd previously made some), but not enough for all the signs needing it. I had a spare full-size tray. Using the ultrasonic knife I was able to cut it apart to make several extenders. Yeah, I could have used a dremel, but this was a cleaner and quieter approach. I'll probably update that when I get more experience with it in future projects. I know the Going Merry will require supports on certain parts so that will be a great test. But so far, I think it has huge potential.

I've run into many people who are interested in getting started in 3D printing and making things. However, they're mystified on how to go about it. "Where do I find things to print?" "Can I make my own things?" "If I find something, how does the printer print it?" The article below is intended to give a practical starting point and road map for folks interested.  There are four basic steps to take an idea and make it real. Let's talk about each step.  Step 1 - Design: When someone has an idea or concept, he or she will use specialized software to design the item. Applications generally fall into two categories: CAD, which tends to be used more for technical or practical designs. Some examples of CAD programs are: Fusion 360TinkerCadSlic3r Shaper3DOthers Sculpting, which tends to be used more for creative and artistic designs.  Some examples of Sculpting and Artistic programs: BlenderNomad SculptOthers.    Step 2: Model Creation:Usually built into most of the design software, this converts the design to a 3D model in a standard format. There are a couple of universal data formats:STL Files: this is an older format which converts the design into a mesh of triangles that create the shape. It’s strictly a shape format; there is no color, texture or other information in the file. It’s among the oldest standards but among the most universally understood.OBJ files: Less universal. It can contain color and texture information.3MF files: Now the predominant file format. It includes color and texture, but also printer information, including settings, material, and even detailed printing setup such as positioning the pieces, supporting multiple plates and much more.         Step 3 - Slicing:The model above is described in 3D space. However, like building a home, a 3D printer builds from the bottom up.  To do that, there is slicing software, sometimes referred to as a slicer. This software takes the 3D model and creates horizontal slices, or layers.Each layer contains instructions for the printer: where to move, where to extrude plastic, and in what order. It does this for each successive layer, from bottom to top. The software also creates setup instructions, such as how hot to heat the nozzle, how hot to heat the printing bed, when to turn on fans, what rate to extrude the plastic, etc. Finally the software can either save the file or send it directly to the printer.  Most of the software used is free. Common applications used are:Orca Slicer: this is among the most popular slicers. It’s not focused on a particular brand of printers, so it tends to be universal. Other slicers can be very similar because they may be based on Orca. Bambu Slicer: this can be used with any printer, though it focuses on Bambu’s line of printers.Most printer manufacturers offer their version of a slicer. Most are some variant of Orca.Cura: This was the dominant title for many years, but is used less as other slicers surpass it.  Step 4: Printing:The printer takes the file from a slicer and executes the instructions to create the physical file on the printer. The file can be sent to the printer using a flash drive, but with current printers it's much more common to send the file using WiFi. When the printer is done, you have a physical model!  I had thought of making this a video. What do you think? Would it be easier to understand as an article or a video? Enjoy.

A final update on my upgrade project: one of my torture tests for my printer is to print a desiccant holder that I use in the hubs of my filament reels. Because I use dry boxes on my two Flsun printers and I have a CFS on my K2 Plus, I seldom need the hub clear.  Thus, my normal storage of filament is to put in a desiccant hub, then put the reel in a vacuum bag and use a pump to seal it. I have a lot of reels, and that inventory continues to grow over time, so I'm printing desiccant holders from time to time.  I've learned over time that they serve as a great test of a printer - if it's not properly dialed in, the pieces won't fit to one another, or the "cage" is sloppy, or I've even had it "crunchy" and easily broken by any pressure.  With that in mind, I printed a holder last night on The Drunken Elf as a final test. It came out beautifully, far better than it's ever done. I just thought I'd share - I'm really pleased. Great dimensional accuracy, no stringing, strong build.  All good.

SUCCESS! The Drunken Ferret is now printing with very good quality. I may do one or two more things, but I’ve reached the goal. Last night I repaired my parts fans. I was only able to put on back on the printer because I haven’t yet figured out how to mount the other without interfering with the printer movement. I’ll add it once I figure out an approach.  I'm about to show two pictures, but it's worth noting: I purposely angled the light to show the details and imperfections. In real life, the lower model looks very clean.  This picture shows the comparative quality: the green model is what the printer put out without any modifications and it’s what made me decide to upgrade it. The white model is the current state of the printer, which is very good. Can it be improved? Possibly, especially with the second fan, but I think after that I’m approach the point of diminishing returns.The next picture shows, from top to bottom:A reference model from another printerThe starting point for this printer, prior to upgradesThe first attempt after upgrades but before calibration.After a lot of calibrationCurrent state, after one of the parts fans is back on.I just found that someone designed a mount that might allow me to mount both fans, but I'm loathe to dive back in that deep after all this. I think I'll probably figure out a way to mount the second fan, put some improved ducts below the plate (the old ones are warped), then call it good.  I'm going to get started on the printing projects I have lined up for this printer in the meantime, and fix the fan as time, energy, and motivation permit. Now to put The Drunken Ferret to work.

I've been documenting my journey upgrading my third-string printer, now named "The Drunken Ferret." If you haven't caught my other articles yet, I have an Flsun SR that I've had for a bit. It was tossed in as part of a deal when I got my Flsun T1 Pro. As an attempt to bring its print quality up to a par with my other two printers, I started a project to convert it to direct drive. While I'm documenting this for an Flsun SR, lessons learned here can apply to any printer. I've done radical mods to other printers, and there's been some overlap. I'm hoping this might be of interest to others that mod printers or who can at least get a laugh out of my experience. Yesterday, I documented the whole process. Last night, I modified my configs to lock in the fixes I had so far.  Then I ran my retraction test. It actually showed that I was pretty close to the mark. There really was no difference from my setting and what I moved it to, but I changed it slightly to be deeper in the "good" territory. My starting value for retraction was 8 mm (from the Bowden setup) at 40 mm/sec. I had moved to 2 mm at 30 mm/sec; I'm now at 1 mm at 30 mm/sec. I've also corrected my temperature. Prior to the upgrade I was printing at 220-230; My temperature tower put me now at 200. I then ran my flow test. That also wasn't too far off, but it did suggest a small adjustment. On my old setup I had the flow ratio set to 1.35 (high, I know). I now think that was because I was pushing the max volumetric rate, but that's another discussion. I had moved it down to 1.05 as a guess, which wasn't bad. I'm now at 1.03. The print quality at the correct flow quality for the test really was excellent. The picture below explains the journey pretty well (I probably should have used better light for the photo - apologies):The top model is my quality reference, printed on one of my other two printers (I believe the T1 Pro).The next model is the starting quality of the SR.The mangled monstrosity was my first attempt after the hardware upgrade.The bottom one is the current quality as of last night.(continued below) What it tells me: Looking at the embossed lettering, I'm now at a better quality than my original print, though not as good as my reference. Except near the bottom, which can clearly improve. I've obviously made good progress from that first post-upgrade attempt.   I've not yet reached my goal, but it's finally in sight. I'm pretty sure I know the steps that will get me to my goal:Both of my parts fans are down. I had previously upgraded them to 5015's. I had to remove one to make room for the new extruder. The wires came off the other (poor solder joints from the factory). That's actually has happened to both fans. Tonight, I'll re-solder the wires back onto the fans, probably about a 15-minute job. Then I'll either find or design a better fan mount that works with my present setup.Once those fans are mounted and in place, I'm going to re-run resonance testing. The weight will be slightly different, which could shift the resonant frequencies.I'm going to try to lower my bed temp from 60 to 50 degrees. I think that will help with the lower-layer quality, but a test print will tell.I'm going to re-run the pressure advance test. The previous test showed that I actually don't need any pressure advance, but now that the other parameters are dialed in, I want to verify.Finally, I'll calibrate the max volumetric flow.  With all that done, I believe I'll reach my print quality goal AND have maximized the Drunken Ferret's performance (though that's only a secondary goal. I have it printing at about 300 mm/s now, so after that, it starts to become diminishing returns in terms of real-world benefits). I hope to have a (final?) update tomorrow. As always, comments and suggestions are welcome.

This post is for my technical friends, especially those that either have worked on printers, or who enjoy the printer maintenance and modification as much as the other parts of the hobby. It's about an Flsun SR printer, but the experience applies to any printer you may want to upgrade. I've been on a much-longer-than-expected journey to upgrade my third 3d printer to bring its print quality (primarily) and performance (secondarily) more in line with my other two printers (A Creality K2 Plus and an Flsun T1 Pro). What triggered this is that I have several on-going jobs that would do well on my third printer, leaving my other two free for more immediate projects. I had originally thought that this would be a couple of evenings of installation and calibration. It's now almost two weeks, and I'm just now starting to even approach my old, lesser-quality output. A quick timeline that might help others:First, I was going to change from a Bowden setup to direct drive (see my other posts for details on why). I got the parts for that.While installing the direct drive, I started having problems with the hot end, with the heat break failing. As long as I was going to have to replace the heat break, I decided to upgrade the hot end, since it was minimal cost and could give me better quality, easier operation, and a wider range of available materials.I rebuilt the hot end and direct drive. After some initial calibrations I started a few prints. Absolutely terrible (see picture - that's supposed to be a basic box for testing pressure advance)! That particular print has given this printer its permanent name, regardless of how well it ultimately does: "The Drunken Ferret." Several nights of calibrating and on-line searching had me try several items. I had some more parts failures and had to order some more replacements. While waiting, I noticed that I had the wrong-size nozzle installed (think garden hose water going through a fire hose. Hard to direct).  Last night I got the new parts and was convinced that this would fix everything. To my great disappointment it was only slightly improved, still way worse than original. Finally I tried changing retraction, one of the things that must change when you go to direct drive. I thought it was primarily to avoid clogs. After correcting retraction, I printed a temperature tower (a test to find the best temperature for the material you're using). To my surprise, the print quality was MUCH better. I didn't know retraction could affect print quality so dramatically, especially if it was too high. It's still not as good as original, but it's nearly there. I know it has the potential to surpass the original, and I know my hardware is good -- in fact, better than what I started with.  What's working well:e-steps. I calibrated them and retested last night. They are precisely dialed in, excellent.Temperature. It's much lower with the new hot end, something I didn't expect. It may be because of a longer heat zone and a bi-metal heat break. I was printing PLA at about 220 before; it now shows to be best at 200.PID Heating - it's dialed in, and with the new hot end, it both heats and cools much faster than the old setup.Steps forward:Retraction calibration. I adjusted last night, which put me in the neighborhood of correct. I need to fine-tune it.Flow calibration. I think I'm again in the neighborhood of correct, but fine-tuning also needed.Fans. When I added the new extruder, I had to remove a part fan to make room for it. I'm going to find or design a new mount to add that fan back in. Additionally, the wires came free from the other part fan, so I'll have to re-solder them back on.Resonance testing. I already did that before the latest iteration, but it wouldn't hurt to verify. Additionally, if I have both fans mounted back, it changes the weight, so it will change the results.Pressure advance. I tested that recently, but with all the other issues floating around, I want to verify once I think I have the basic quality back.Dimensional test - 20 mm cube. I think I'm right on the mark for dimensional accuracy, but I'll check to make sure nothing has changed.Later on, I may test max flow rate so I can get the best performance out of the printer without overdriving it.At a minimum, my goal for tonight will be to do a retraction calibration and a flow calibration. If successful I'll move forward. Anyone with further ideas are welcomed.

This post is to de-mystify the basic operation of 3D printers for for those just getting started. The diagram below presents a functional exploded view of the filament path: The filament goes into the extruder, which has toothed gears to push the filament forward into the heat break.The heat break has a hot side and a cool side. The cool side of the heat break is embedded into the heat sink. A fan blows across the fins of the heat sink to help keep it cool.The hot side of the heat break goes into the heating block.The hot part of the heat break meets up with the nozzle, fitting tightly against it. This is where the filament is melted and pushed through the nozzle.In a setup where the extruder is mounted on the frame of the printer (known as a Bowden setup), there is a lot more distance between the extruder and the heat break (shown below). In order for it to work, the filament is fed through a PTFE ("Teflon") tube. It's like pushing water uphill: without a hose, it will never happen. However, the hose directs the water, making it possible. The problem with a Bowden setup is that there is elasticity and play in the filament and the tube, making it much harder to manage the filament precisely.  By contrast, with a direct drive setup there is almost no distance between the extruder and heat break, eliminating almost all of the play found in the Bowden setup. This allows a potential better print quality. This has a practical application for me: I'm upgrading an older printer I have from a Bowden setup to a direct drive in order to improve print quality. I hope this helps folks understand the basics.

I'm stoked!  I've been working with our local Microcenter (Kansas City area) has been printing my humpback whale model scaled up on their extremely large Giga Orange printer (which is a pretty cool sight in itself). I've been working with them for a bit, and while It's not done yet, they've made terrific progress. It's a great size! I've been working with Roosevelt, who has been overseeing the printing, assembling, and even a repair of the print as it's been progressing. Their entire team are some of the most passionate and engaged people I've seen, and I count them among my friends as well as fellow makers. I'd encourage everyone in the KC area to talk to any of them over there: Roosevelt, Derek, Nicole, Winter, Rubai, Gary, and anyone I might have forgotten. All extremely knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly!  #microcenter