Any Guys out there 3D Printing?

[Cadman]

I clean a lot of reels for friends, and in the bass world, there are a lot of painted parts (ie handle nuts, pawl caps) and a slew of other items that guys don't want scratched or damaged. So I have been making some 3d parts out of plastic, testing them and using them for my reel cleaning. I first started out with 10 and 11 mm socket wrenches with a 1/4" drive. See 1st pic. Then a friend of mine showed me a link on the i-net, and I came up with a better idea. Two for the price of one. 2nd and 3rd pic.  I also made a pawl cap remover, and am in the process of designing a new reel handle along with some gears. Just thought I'd share some pics with some other guys that might also be into 3d printing.


I do have a question for you guys. Does anyone know how I can fill in my text with black paint in the last pic so the lettering would stand out? Thanks for any help.

[broadway]

I really like the plastic nut driver as that would be great in not scratching parts.  The finger-majig is pretty sweet too.
How durable are they? ABS plastic? 
Keep up the good work,
Dom

[jurelometer]

I clean a lot of reels for friends, and in the bass world, there are a lot of painted parts (ie handle nuts, pawl caps) and a slew of other items that guys don't want scratched or damaged. So I have been making some 3d parts out of plastic, testing them and using them for my reel cleaning. I first started out with 10 and 11 mm socket wrenches with a 1/4" drive. See 1st pic. Then a friend of mine showed me a link on the i-net, and I came up with a better idea. Two for the price of one. 2nd and 3rd pic.  I also made a pawl cap remover, and am in the process of designing a new reel handle along with some gears. Just thought I'd share some pics with some other guys that might also be into 3d printing.


I do have a question for you guys. Does anyone know how I can fill in my text with black paint in the last pic so the lettering would stand out? Thanks for any help.

Yayyy!!! another 3D printer guy!!!!

Apologies if you are already familiar:  Don't know what kind of plastic you are using (looks like PLA), but for sockets I would strongly consider a fiber reinforced filament.  If you are using a standard hobby printer with a bed that can be heated, I would recommend carbon fiber filled PETG.  It prints about as easily as regular PETG, is more dimensionally accurate and stiffer.  Fiber filled filament requires a hardened steel nozzle.


Regarding paint: The grooves from the layers will hold any kind of paint fairly well, so you just  need something thick. It does not have to stick well to the plastic. Acrylic works fine, and so does nail polish.  Just drop into the the letter pockets with a toothpick or needle.  It is a pain to wipe out any overflows or spills, as it gets between the layers.  It gets a bit bit trickier if you want to paint the whole  part.  The options depend on the type of plastic you are using.  I am guessing PLA from looking at you photos?

If the font is large enough and your printer is good enough, you can print text inserts in a different color and CA glue them into place.  It may require a finer nozzle.  I don't do this much.  Too much work.

I do a lot of printing. In addition to my non fishing projects, I design and print  lures, molds. tools, fixtures, reel parts, etc.  A few members here do some printing as well.   Internal and external search is screwed up a bit at the moment, but if you look around, you will find it. A couple threads:

https://alantani.com/index.php?topic=29909.0
https://alantani.com/index.php?topic=30413.0
https://alantani.com/index.php?topic=26604.0

I have designed and printed gear sets for various projects, and am skeptical that a hobby printer could print gears with a tooth size small enough to make smooth gears for a bass fishing reel.  The gears can be surprisingly strong (albeit on the very rough side) if the teeth are large enough.  I have a couple reels designed for 3D printing that I want to try out on school tuna if this quarantine ever ends.

I assume Cadman means that you are a CAD guy.  What kind of CAD software are you using?  Are you also the Cadman on Tackleunderground and stripersonline?


Feel free to PM me if you want to talk 3D printing on a topic not suited for general posting.

-J

[JasonGotaProblem]

Well this is great. I'm happy for another cad user on here. I dont have my own 3d printer but I send files to my brother in law. Ive been recently thinking about getting some castinf sand and using 3d parts to make molds to cast my own brass components. Still in the idea stage, but I think i may be onto something.

[Cadman]

I really like the plastic nut driver as that would be great in not scratching parts.  The finger-majig is pretty sweet too.
How durable are they? ABS plastic? 
Keep up the good work,
Dom

Dom,
   I have been 3d printing on and off for about a year, so I guess I'm a novice. The parts are made out of PLA, so definitely not the strongest material, but I have not broken any yet trying to get nuts off of reel handles. Naturally these are not made for taking off rusted bolts on a car.

[Cadman]

Well this is great. I'm happy for another cad user on here. I dont have my own 3d printer but I send files to my brother in law. Ive been recently thinking about getting some castinf sand and using 3d parts to make molds to cast my own brass components. Still in the idea stage, but I think i may be onto something.

I'm going to answer this one next, because the post from jurelometer is going to be longer. Anyway, yes I am a cad guy. My name came about from me using so many different cad packages over the years. I started with Autocad, then went to Cadkey, then we needed a sheetmetal cad package which was called Profold. After this I started using Solid Edge, then went to Solidworks. I have stayed with Solidworks for about 10 years. I have also used Metalsoft Sheetmatal cad package as well for programming lasers and turrets. So that's all of it in a nutshell. I currently use Solidworks 2021 and just love Solidworks.

[Cadman]

Yayyy!!! another 3D printer guy!!!!

Apologies if you are already familiar:  Don't know what kind of plastic you are using (looks like PLA), but for sockets I would strongly consider a fiber reinforced filament.  If you are using a standard hobby printer with a bed that can be heated, I would recommend carbon fiber filled PETG.  It prints about as easily as regular PETG, is more dimensionally accurate and stiffer.  Fiber filled filament requires a hardened steel nozzle.


Regarding paint: The grooves from the layers will hold any kind of paint fairly well, so you just  need something thick. It does not have to stick well to the plastic. Acrylic works fine, and so does nail polish.  Just drop into the the letter pockets with a toothpick or needle.  It is a pain to wipe out any overflows or spills, as it gets between the layers.  It gets a bit bit trickier if you want to paint the whole  part.  The options depend on the type of plastic you are using.  I am guessing PLA from looking at you photos?

If the font is large enough and your printer is good enough, you can print text inserts in a different color and CA glue them into place.  It may require a finer nozzle.  I don't do this much.  Too much work.

I do a lot of printing. In addition to my non fishing projects, I design and print  lures, molds. tools, fixtures, reel parts, etc.  A few members here do some printing as well.   Internal and external search is screwed up a bit at the moment, but if you look around, you will find it. A couple threads:

https://alantani.com/index.php?topic=29909.0
https://alantani.com/index.php?topic=30413.0
https://alantani.com/index.php?topic=26604.0

I have designed and printed gear sets for various projects, and am skeptical that a hobby printer could print gears with a tooth size small enough to make smooth gears for a bass fishing reel.  The gears can be surprisingly strong (albeit on the very rough side) if the teeth are large enough.  I have a couple reels designed for 3D printing that I want to try out on school tuna if this quarantine ever ends.

I assume Cadman means that you are a CAD guy.  What kind of CAD software are you using?  Are you also the Cadman on Tackleunderground and stripersonline?


Feel free to PM me if you want to talk 3D printing on a topic not suited for general posting.

-J

Jurelometer, I am sure I will have a lot of questions, I can ask off line if that is OK with you: So here are some answers to your questions:

"Apologies if you are already familiar:" I have only used PLA so far. I have a lot to learn, and am hungry for info.

"Don't know what kind of plastic you are using (looks like PLA)," You are correct

"but for sockets I would strongly consider a fiber reinforced filament.  If you are using a standard hobby printer with a bed that can be heated, I would recommend carbon fiber filled PETG.  It prints about as easily as regular PETG, is more dimensionally accurate and stiffer.  Fiber filled filament requires a hardened steel nozzle." I would like to use PETG, however I have not at this time. I know about the hardened nozzle, as the PETG filament will wear out a std brass nozzle. We can talk off line about this.


"Regarding paint: The grooves from the layers will hold any kind of paint fairly well, so you just  need something thick. It does not have to stick well to the plastic. Acrylic works fine, and so does nail polish.  Just drop into the the letter pockets with a toothpick or needle.  It is a pain to wipe out any overflows or spills, as it gets between the layers.  It gets a bit bit trickier if you want to paint the whole  part.  The options depend on the type of plastic you are using.  I am guessing PLA from looking at you photos?"  The font is about .030 wide and .030 deep, I will try to use a needle or a tooth pick. I was also thinking of injecting the paint with a syringe. Another thought was to use a paint crayon, and wipe the excess off if I can get it out of the grooves. Yes PLA

"If the font is large enough and your printer is good enough, you can print text inserts in a different color and CA glue them into place.  It may require a finer nozzle.  I don't do this much.  Too much work."  I thought of doing this on another project I was working on. Yes too much work to print inserts unless they are big enough to handle.

"I do a lot of printing. In addition to my non fishing projects, I design and print  lures, molds. tools, fixtures, reel parts, etc.  A few members here do some printing as well."  You and I need to talk off line I will PM you my info.  

"I have designed and printed gear sets for various projects, and am skeptical that a hobby printer could print gears with a tooth size small enough to make smooth gears for a bass fishing reel.  The gears can be surprisingly strong (albeit on the very rough side) if the teeth are large enough.  I have a couple reels designed for 3D printing that I want to try out on school tuna if this quarantine ever ends."  Well I'm impressed, you are far beyond me as 3d printing goes. I want to be able to print some jigs and maybe some crankbaits. I have been printing a lot of misc. item for around the house. 3d printing is very addictive as long as everything goes well. We will definitely talk.


"I assume Cadman means that you are a CAD guy."  Yes see post up above

"What kind of CAD software are you using?" Solidworks 2021

"Are you also the Cadman on Tackleunderground and stripersonline?"  Yes and Yes


"Feel free to PM me if you want to talk 3D printing on a topic not suited for general posting."   Ahh all the stuff we don't want the general public to steal our ideas.  No problem, I will send you a PM soon and I would like to talk more to you about...hmmmmmm....a whole bunch of things

Thank You for the thorough response.

[happyhooker]

Interesting area.

Frank

[jurelometer]

I would like to use PETG, however I have not at this time. I know about the hardened nozzle, as the PETG filament will wear out a std brass nozzle. We can talk off line about this.

Plain old PETG will print fine with a brass nozzle.  Getting  it to stick and then unstick from the bed when finished is the tricky part.  It prints really easily, and is my first choice for mechanical parts.  It is not as stiff or as pretty as PLA, but prints well, and doesn't have all of the mechanical problems that PLA has, like warping if left out in the sun.

For most of the standard plastics used for filament, a brass nozzle is fine unless the filament contains abrasive particles.   So filaments with carbon fibers, metal particles, glow in the dark powders and so on require a hardened nozzle.   Steel take longer to heat and cool, so it will behave a bit differently, and if your printer is susceptible to heat creep, you can get more jams with a hardened nozzle.

I really like the winged wrench.  You might want to consider using a fat filet between the wings and the cylinder.  This will add some extra wall and make the junction stronger.   If clearance is not an issue, a 45 degree chamfer  on the socket head will also improve the strength and will mean one less spot requiring support structure when printing. A tiny filet on the internal socket walls might be useful too, but it depends on the accuracy of the printer.  Generally speaking, more walls is more stronger than more infill - you want more bonds toward the perimeter of the part.  Round corners can be stronger than sharp corners because the print head doesn't have to make a sudden sharp direction change, and the slicer won't generate gcode to preserve a nice clean corner at the expense of adhesion.

Or you can just print a new one when the old one wears out

I am more into the functional aspects of making working parts, so I am not the best resource on how to get really nice prints.  But I am happy to help where I can.

I want to be able to print some jigs and maybe some crankbaits. I have been printing a lot of misc. item for around the house. 3d printing is very addictive as long as everything goes well. We will definitely talk.

I understand entirely.   I was making clothespins for awhile.  Just because I could

Most of my 3D printing lure work is making masters for molds to cast in tin, lead alloys or foam.  But I have printed a few saltwater surface lures like this popper:





This was printed with PETG and held up plenty well.   The design still needs one more round of tuning.  I need to add a bit more tail buoyancy.  I was focused too much on casting aerodynamics.  Poppers that can be worked fast are a bit trickier to nail down than I first thought.  That is the beauty of CAD and 3D printing- cranking through multiple iterations is pretty painless.

I am more of a functional lure (and mostly fly) builder, and not at all a fine craftsman like some of the guys on tackleunderground.  I appreciate the artistry, but the reality is the the fish don't care. 

Regarding  CAM,  It seems like the guys that got into Solidworks really are all reasonably satisfied.  I am self taught as a hobbyist.  I started with various CNC router/waterjet/laser cutter specific packages like vCarve and eventually taught myself Autodesk Inventor, and am now using Fusion 360.  The CAM side of Fusion is pretty nice for routing and milling and not horribly buggy for my non-production hobby use. The CAD side is reasonably powerful but is quite the hot mess like everything else from Autodesk that I have tried. I only did some rudimentary sheet metal design, but the last time I tried it on Fusion, it was still playing catchup to Inventor.

Happy to swap some knowledge on lure building/printing.

-J

[Cadman]

Jurelometer,

You have a PM from me.

[Gobi King]

Very very interesting topic,

Could you guys mind sharing your setup and what is would be a value machine for an average fisherman/3d dude to get?

[Cadman]

Very very interesting topic,

Could you guys mind sharing your setup and what is would be a value machine for an average fisherman/3d dude to get?

I could share what I know. First of all you need to find out what you want to make. If you are just going to 3d print items from a website(Thingiverse), then you don't have to learn a cad program. You just take their files download them and print them for your own personal use. Do not download them and sell them, because you will get sued. Now if you want to make things for yourself like I did (sink strainer) see below then you will need to learn a cad package or a software called Fusion 360. I believe fusion 360 is a free download, don't quote me on this. If you decide to make your own parts, then there is at least a 6 month learning curve minimum (in my opinion) before you are somewhat proficient at it. You can also have someone else make it for you and then he will send you a (.STL) file, which you can load in your slicing software, which will generate your g-code which your 3d printer will need so it can run. So here are my components I use:

3d printer: Creality Ender 3 Pro....I bought mine last year about $200.00 (you assemble yourself). You can buy one pre-assembled, I believe it was about $300.00 US. According to many people, Prusa has one of the best 3d printers, however I didn't want to drop $1000 for a 3d printer that I may not use at the time. With that said I love using my 3d printer. There are other 3d printers, however I am not familiar with them.
Filament a spool varies from $18.00 to $30.00 per color. You get a lot of filament for this price. I use PLA filament. There is now PLA, PLA+, ABS, PETG and a few more. I would suggest starting with PLA and figure out how the printer works. There are tons of You Tube videos on how to start all of this up. You will have a ton of questions. You tube is your friend.

You will need a slicer. A slicer is a software program that takes your .STL file, slices into layers , writes a g-code which your 3d printer needs to run to create the image. You will also have to set up your slicer to your 3d printer configurations. I use Cura. It is Free software and it works really well for me. You will have to download it from the web. I also believe that most 3d printers have their own slicer. Creality has one and so does Prusa. Talk to people and use what you like.

Other than that, there is hours  of trial and error. Even if you don't build your own parts, you will still have hours of learning the ins and out of how to make 3d objects along with how to set it up, filament type, and slicer settings.

I enjoy it immensely because I can draw my own parts and have them be functional around the house. This is just a small introduction into 3d printing. It is very extensive and can be very complex.

In a nutshell if you want to make things then 3d printing can be for you. If you don't have the time, then 3d printing will become very cumbersome. Some parts that seem easy to make can take 3 to 21 hours to print. In all honesty, it is cheaper to buy parts then to 3d print them. But 3d printing isn't about that. It is about creating and 3d printing your own creations. I can draw a part in an hour, and 3d print a proto-type in another hour and be done. You can't get that kind of service from anyone in the industry. Also the parts you are 3d printing with the average home printer is not for commercial use. What I mean by that, don't start making nuts and bolts, and use them to support your car. They will fail and someone or yourself might get hurt.

[jurelometer]

Very very interesting topic,

Could you guys mind sharing your setup and what is would be a value machine for an average fisherman/3d dude to get?

There are several threads where this is discussed, including the ones in my reply to this thread


I agree with Cadman's recommendations and observations.   There is a truism about minor league baseball along the lines of "if you shake a tree 10 gloves will fall out, but only one bat."    For 3D printing, the tree holds about 1000 3d printers for every marginally proficient CAD designer. 

There are lots of folks that are happy focusing only on the printing aspect and don't design parts at all.  They source  objects to print from sites like thingerverse.   I can count on one finger the number of objects that I have printed from these sources.  If you just want to print stuff, but don't need to print anything specific, you can skip the CAD step  and print some pretty cool toys and an endless variety of Yoda figurines in different poses from stuff on the interwebs

If you want to design your own mechanical parts, you will need a parametric CAD program.  For organic shapes, use sculpting style software like Blender (free, open source).

Autodesk keeps changing the Fusion 360 licensing.  As of now, it is still free for hobby use (no longer free for small businesses)-  It is cloud based, and holds your designs on their servers. It is the only game in town that I know of for a (currently) free full featured parametric CAD program. 

Any reasonably dedicated person can learn Fusion, but Autodesk won't make it easy on you.  It is very non-intuitive, buggy and full of easter eggs.    Look for online tutorials not from Autodesk, and start slowly. Draw a square- make a cube, put a hole in the cube, and so on.  Just have to put the time in.

Once you can design a part, you still  don't need a printer.  There are lots of services, from guys in a basement with a cheap Chinese printer to full on manufacturing that will print a model and mail it to you.  If I was starting out from scratch, and wanted to design my own parts, I would learn the CAD  part first for free, and then buy a printer once I became proficient. 

If you decide to get a printer, buy an un-assembled kit  You will have to take it apart and fix things fairly regularly anyways.

I like and currently use the Prusa.  The regular sized model is about $750 USD in kit form.  The magnetic, auto-compensated leveling, flexible sheet bed system is magnificent. The extrusion system is a POS.   I have been eyeing the Ender- there are some really promising looking aftermarket extruders from folks like MicroSwiss, but the Ender track/wheel  system for liner motion doesn't do much for me.

Whatever you choose, unless you want to spend a lot of time figuring out why your prints are failing, buy a full kit from a vendor that also contributes profiles to a slicer or two, so you can run your prints on a full set of slicer presets for the filaments you are using- the amount of tunable parameters for squirting out a bead of melted plastic is pretty intimidating, and getting one setting wrong can hose your print.   A heated bed is a must if you want to print functional parts or lures (you will want to use PETG at a minimum).

I have used a bunch of different slicers.  To me, they are almost interchangeable, so I just use the one that the printer maker recommends and provides presets for.

-J.

[Cadman]

So, I just cleaned 8 Shimano Stradic CI4+ 2500 reels. My first dilemma was, that once I got the spool off and the clicker for the spool, I could not find a tool to get the rotor nut off. There are two bosses that stick up pretty close to the rotor nut. I tried a 12mm box wrench and a deep socket. Both would not go all the way down to the base of the nut, because of the bosses sticking up. An open end wrench kind of worked, but it started to scratch the rotor finish. So I 3d printed a 12mm finger nut driver that fit onto the shaft over the nut and in between the two sets of bosses. Success, this worked like a charm. I didn't break the tool and I didn't scratch the reel rotor. Another 3d printed part that worked out for me. Pic one shows the rotor nut recessed around two bosses. Pic 2 shows the tool I made that solved my problems.