The beginning.... let the madness reign!

The history of 3D printing and me.

A few years ago I took a few design classes in college, and then they got a 3D printer and I learned that there was more to the world of machining out a part (which is what I was in school for), now you could just hit print.

Then I found out how expensive they were, so like any other good college kid, I found other things to keep me busy...

Fast forward to the start of 2012 and I was reminded about 3D printers after a rep sent some information to my dad hoping for his shop to pick one up. Not being able to justify the price my dad passed on it, but still I was interested. But alas still way out of my price league.

Then came the drive into work one day and I was listening to Science Friday on NPR  yes I am a nerd and this is the stuff I choose to listen to, if this is a surprise you have missed I am talking about a 3D printer. On the show I found out about Makerbot which was almost in my price range, but being the DIY/Cheap type of guy I am I had to do more research and this is how I found the RepRap project which has opened up the world of 3D printing to the public (well the public can build one now without breaking the bank).

A little about the RepRap Project.


After researching different models of printers to build, how to do it, the cost, and many other things, at times a maybe bit obsessively for about 4 months I decided to start selling parts of old projects and other things laying around the house to fund my new hobby. About the same time I was finalizing the total estimated cost of the build (to be posted in another blog)  and which one to build, for me I decided to build the Prusa Mendel I2 due to it being one of the better documented and cheaper ones to build, I found that my efforts to raise the money to build a Prusa had not only worked but also made much more than I had expected.

After discovering that I had some cash to play around with I begin to do my final cost estimates and started to order and source the parts needed.

Which leads me to today when I came home to find my box of parts from MakerFarm (I figured out that it was cheaper to order a kit with 99% of the parts needed than to self source them, especially factoring in the cost of my time.

Now I can't wait to start the build, sadly sleep, work, and a bike race come first this weekend. But I am still glad to say:

And so it begains.....