Garden Railway Forum

That is a nice looking loco. Quite interested in the jackshaft and cranks, did you end up with any tight spots that needed attention or did everything just fit right off the printer? I've not attempted a loco with con rods, but looking at this I think I am inspired to incorporate con rods on the nex...

That text came out quite nice, you could do a mirrored version of the text that could be used as a stamp? Might be better off in a more flexible material like TPU, but even then I think you would need to do manual touchup. You could even include a slot that fits around the box on the side panel for ...

At 1:52 in your video, the Select arrow magically becomes an Orbit tool. I did eventually spot that the LH tool at the bottom of the screen had gone a bluish colour but it took me quite a while to notice. I presume you used some sort of shortcut, off screen? Shift + middle mouse button allows you t...

At 1:52 in your video, the Select arrow magically becomes an Orbit tool. I did eventually spot that the LH tool at the bottom of the screen had gone a bluish colour but it took me quite a while to notice. I presume you used some sort of shortcut, off screen? Shift + middle mouse button allows you t...

Sorry, me again. I can't get the Offset to accept the full expression in your example. ( 3"*sm32scale ). When I do it, the 3 by itself is fine and draws a square 3mm outside the original. 3" also works and draws a square 3 inches ( 76.2mm) outside the original. However, as soon as I add t...

Sorry, me again. I can't get the Offset to accept the full expression in your example. ( 3"*sm32scale ). When I do it, the 3 by itself is fine and draws a square 3mm outside the original. 3" also works and draws a square 3 inches ( 76.2mm) outside the original. However, as soon as I add t...

That looks interesting and quite logical. My burning question - is it idiot-proof? Will I be just as likely to produce an unprintable shape with Fusion as I seem to be able to achieve in SketchUp? Rik I would say Fusion's modeling system is far more robust than Sketchup's. Sketchup's tools for the ...

That looks interesting and quite logical. My burning question - is it idiot-proof? Will I be just as likely to produce an unprintable shape with Fusion as I seem to be able to achieve in SketchUp? Rik I would say Fusion's modeling system is far more robust than Sketchup's. Sketchup's tools for the ...

I saw that someone in the sketchup & 3D printing thread asked if a similar one could be done for Fusion 360. This is in two parts, a video and a writeup. The video is just a screen recording with no audio, the explanation is in text form below. I havent gone into complete detail on what every li...

I saw that someone in the sketchup & 3D printing thread asked if a similar one could be done for Fusion 360. This is in two parts, a video and a writeup. The video is just a screen recording with no audio, the explanation is in text form below. I havent gone into complete detail on what every li...

Importing scale drawings is an excellent tip. I did this for my Hudswell Clarke, it definitely sped up the modelling. Most modeling software will have some functionality to import images into the 3D space to trace off. I am using Fusion 360, their system is called "canvases," so if anyone ...

I have a a few tricks to try and make printing figures from makehuman easier. First, you are totally correct about there being holes in the mesh as it comes from meshmixer and this can contribute to ruining the face quality of a print. The main problem I found is that the mouth is an open cavity, so...

LEDs really need some form of current limiting to stop them drawing too much current and going pop, the most basic way to do this is a resistor in series with the LED. If you are driving just one LED off 2 AA batteries a resistor of 100 ohms should be a safe value for any LED colour. Calculation of ...

I'm a bit surprised you actually got a fully functional printer for £80! Print quality is about what you would expect for initial prints on a cheap kit, I wonder how much you will be able to tune out the artefacts in software parameters and how much is caused by the mechanics of the machine. Looks l...

I am still not sold on 3D printing for garden railways as you don't get a clean finish after printing and people seem to have to spend a lot of effort to achieve a finish that is not on par of what a resin moulded part would give you. You really think so?.... While the finish on that is very nice, ...

I would second Sketchup as a first program for 3D modelling. It has many limitations compared to a parametric CAD program but it is quite easy to use, it was the first 3d modelling software I used. I now use Fusion 360 as my main CAD tool for 3D printing. Yes, it is more difficult to get into, but i...

While I don't have any experience with that specific printer, my printer was an relatively inexpensive i3 clone built from a kit, but a more traditional design with threaded rods and aluminium frame without bracing. I've found with a cheap printer you are not buying a printer, you are buying a proje...

I don't personally recognise those, but you might be able to use the parametric search at suppliers like DigiKey, RS Components or Farnell to find the connector. Once you narrow down to the correct pin pitch/spacing, 2 pins and locking system you might be down to a list of 30 or so candidates that s...

I second the recommendations for IP Engineering and HGLW - we have laser cut kit locos from both on our line and are very happy with them. Phil Sharples also does a few laser cut loco kits, e.g: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sm32-Sm45-16mm-scale-Hudson-Loco-Kit-Battery-Loco-Narrow-gauge-32mm-45mm/19334...

Had a go at making some brass nameplates for this loco yesterday. I'm still working on my etching process, but it looks very similar to what you would do to etch a double sided circuit board at home. I'm using the type of UV resist that comes on a roll, you apply heat and pressure to stick it to you...