I like it!

Apart from the 3D printer aspect (which I am really beginning to warm up to) I've got a bunch of old pill bottles I can re-purpose!

-George

...

It'd also make a nice Drug Store or Pharmacy...

3D printed donkey engine

My newest model came yesterday.  A few weeks ago I had been experimenting with my 3D design software, trying to learn some new tricks, and by the end of the day I had an HO scale donkey engine.  Since I tend to model a little more modern, I had thought to rust it up and put weeds around it.  I'll still rust it up, but I think I'll use less weeds:  

The smaller gear is less than 1/10 of an inch and has pretty good teeth on it. I know some of the details are incorrect, but I had thought I was making something that was going to be sort of hidden. So now it needs a little clean up, and then I have to build up the nerve to paint it!

Donkey engine part 2

Hmmm.... it seems this website doesn't resize pictures.  I'll have to resize them later, but right now I have to get to work or I'll have A LOT of time to spend model railroading, just no money to do it with.

EDIT:  I figured out how to fix the pictures, I think.

Anybody else got anything from shapeways?

That Donkey looks great dcyale.  Can't wait to see it painted up!

I hope lots of people will post here their shapeways designs and finds!

Kent in KC
nvrr49.blogspot.com

Details to replaced lost casting in FSM Barnstead Lumber

I picked up a started Fine Scale Miniature Barnstead Lumber that was missing many pieces, including all the machinery.  I designed and printed the table saws etc, and had them printed at shapeways.  Here are some pictures of the machinery, and you can see more at nvrr49.blogspot.com

One thing that would be very helpful...

... would be if people who uploaded things to Shapeways would do it in more than one scale. In most cases, scaling the original is a matter of a few moments (though those with thin walls and open doors might take more effort)

It would also help if you stated the scale HERE when you posted them, along with the file name and availability. I'm sure you wouldn't mind if someone here wanted to get a piece or three for their own use!

Scaling and scale.

The donkey engine is HO, as

The donkey engine is HO, as is most of my work because up until now I've done things I want.  However, recently someone who models in S Scale wanted several sets of woodworking machinery for a museum layout and asked me if I could upscacle it.  Although I started with simple telling the software to make it bigger, model pricing relies partially on the amount of materials used.  Something that needs to be 2 scale inches think in HO only needs to be 1.5 S scale inches thick, so there is modification to make the model less expensive for the customer.  The finished S Scale results:  

Tools look

I updated my blog with an

I updated my blog with an entry showing lots of detail parts I designed and 3d printed for a small engine repair shop.   http://nvrr49.blogspot.com/2013/09/lawn-mowersmall-engne-repair-shop.html

imaterialise

I prefer imaterialise.com: http://i.materialise.com/designer/3ddecodetails

What makes it better?

I've started working with Shapeways recently, and so far I've been quite happy.  What makes imaterialise better?

Orientation

My experiences are:

i.materialise: What I define as bottom side is printed as bottom side. The fine structure of the print layers is thus parallel to the bottom of the model and this way not too annoying, for example in vertical walls.

Shapeways: The objects are oriented randomly. Thus the fine structure of the print layers has some arbitrarily angle to the bottom side of the model - this can be rather annoying.

Here are some of my 3D models from Shapeways

Click through to my Flickr stream to see more.

My latest shapeways.com items

These are the latest items I designed and sent to shapeways for printing.  These are HO scale, and the truck cab is a 1948 Nash.

More pictures and details can be seen at: http://nvrr49.blogspot.com/2014/04/latest-shapeways-prints-ho-scale.html

Not Shapeways, but also 3D-printed ...

Door locking devices for scratchbuilt reefers.

This is the masterpiece for brass lost wax parts. I would like to use brass as material because the staff is a free guided part in front of doors. Only the greater fixing elements will be mounted on door and door frame.

More pictures will follow in a new blog if brass parts were delivered.

Intrigued by all this, but how much does 3D printing cost?

The pieces are outstanding, and certainly one of a kinds, but would it be inconsiderate to ask what the price range is for these pieces?

Not at all

Shapeways allows a designer to sell parts for the cost plus a markup, so the cost you pay may be different than what I pay.  With that said, here are a few of my models and the associated prices (no markup yet, as they're still in beta):

Replacement cab for MDC 2-8-0 - $15.03

57" driver pair, in steel - $13.17

Wooden pilot for MDC HOn3 2-8-0 - $8.43

Replacement gears for Bachmann 44 tonner - $3.50

Replacement gears

Hey Ken,

Do those replacement gears actually work?  If so, are they noisy as heck or what?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Rene'

44 tonner gears

They do, though I need to do a little more tweaking to the design.  As it stands, they are a little bit too tight, and they leave the mechanism a little on the stiff side.  With that said, I did actually have a powered truck running with them, and I think that with breaking in, and possibly a little lapping, they would work well enough.  and no, they're not any more noisy that the rest of the old 2-motor mechanism.

Considering that I bought a junked 44 tonner for $10 because it had split gears, I consider it an improvement.

Concrete

I received my parts for half the concrete slab bridge I'm working on. It's based on a 32' PRR concrete slab bridge. I've crawled all over it and in the mud to take measurements and I'm very happy with the results so far from Shapeways. Everything fits!

My question is: I've printed some in FUD and some in WSF. The WSF "seems" like a nice texture for concrete. Nothing has been cleaned yet. I'm figuring the pits or texture I'm left with will make a good representation of concrete in HO using the WSF. Especially an older bridge.

Thoughts on using each for representing concrete?

Charles

Concrete and WSF

Of course everyone's tastes are different, but I like the look of WSF painted in concrete color.  I think the slightly rough texture works.  This is a foundation I did for a DPM Town kit and you can see the texture.  I don't have a picture of it painted, but it filled in the texture a little.

HOn18 engine shell

This is an HO scale engine on a Z scale mechanism, with a standard gauge unit in the background.  The shell for the little critter was designed in SketchUp, and 3d printed at shapeways.

Design and construction details can be seen at: http://nvrr49.blogspot.com/2014/12/ho-mining-engine-on-z-scale-mechanism.html  There is also a video of it running on a small circle of track.