OK… This project isn’t Super Secret from anyone but my kids. My last project “Project CORHAKADA” was such a hit with my kids I absolutely had to start another one before they forget how fun they are. I think the reason it was such a big success with them is that they helped me build the Christmas light show project and got all the way to the end without knowing exactly what it was.
Before I get started we need a back story:
I have been saving up for over a year to purchase a quad copter (drone). I wanted a really good one that me and the kids could play with in the yard. Now I am a responsible person and can’t just spend 500 dollars on a toy. So I had to create some “rules” for myself to actually get it. The rules go like this:
- Start a savings account in an old mayonnaise jar.
- Any coins left in car, around the house or that look generally unwanted can go into the jar.
- Any money that is given to me as a “gift” for Christmas, birthday, etc. can go into the jar.
- Any other money that comes in that is NOT from my labor or a reimbursement of any kind can be put into the jar.
Here is a picture of that jar today:
Yeah.. There is money in there… But not as much as I thought. I asked my wife where, “All the bills went” and she said, “I spent them on violin lessons”.
Grrr… It made me so mad that it got all into our family business and I had to explain to my kids that me and mommy actually “can’t steal from each other” because all the money, cars, house, and any other stuff we own, we own together. And technically neither of us actually has “our own stuff” until one of us is dead (Yeah… It was a whole thing). I am still a little irritated. I have since moved my “savings jar” out of the family safe (Irony!) and put it in a safer place in my office drawer (My wife will never know as she doesn’t think my blog is interesting).
So anyway… I had all of these rules for saving money for my quad copter. For Christmas my beautiful wife bought me one, so I had all this money (or so I thought) just sitting there in a jar in the family safe.
Yesterday (1/8/2016) I was at a customer site and while there the customer, whose name is Charlie told me about his 3D printer. He told me about his printer before but it didn’t hit that nerve. It was before “Project CORHAKIDA“…. Before I knew my kids could actually be interested in anything I do for fun. When he told me again about it today… I went a little nuts.
To make a long story short. I have a legitimate business need for a 3D printer. So I just had my company buy one. Done and done; no mayonnaise jar, not thieving fingers, no safe, just order it up and call it done. Did I break the “rules”? Nope… I didn’t even bend them. It has to be done…. So… I went a little nuts….
I ordered one of these kits (We will have to build it):
That was going to be more money than I had in my toy fund so I got a little squeamish and sent the following to the website contact us page”
I have a customer that told me about your 3D printer that needs assembly and would like some help choosing the correct one. I am a homeschooling parent and want to build one with my kids. I have never used a 3D printer before but am in IT and familiar with hardware/software, etc. I would just like some guidance on what to purchase. I am thinking of the 12″ model and need some help picking out nozzles, extruders, etc. Oh… and of course filament. Is there someone there that I can talk to on the phone so I can explain what my situation is. I like the prices that I see on the website so I just want to get what will work the best for a beginner. I don’t have a hard limit on what I would spend on the entire unit, but keeping it around 1000.00 would be good.
Thanks in advance.
Joe
I literally got this response back from a guy named “Colin” 5 minutes later:
Hi Joe,
I don’t have a phone, but can answer any questions you have via email or on google hangouts.
As a general rule of thumb I prefer the 1.75mm e3d hot end and the standard Gregs accessible extruder, that gives you the widest variety of print materials, Great print quality and reliability. For the electronics they perform the same and unless you plan on hacking your printer in the future you won’t notice any difference between the two other then the rumba supports the graphical lcd which does look cool.
Let me know
Colin
Um… Yes! That was really great… I bought the 12″ 3D printer kit last night… Then every color of filament they had in a 1.75mm diameter today and everything I would need to start printing out stuff. I can’t wait to start this project with my girls.
Here is the next post, I have to build a computer to run this printer, so me and the girls resurrect a broken one from my basement.
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