3D Printing

Interesting technology just keeps getting cheaper. A Chinese company called Anet is now selling a 3D printer for under $200. (Way under if you watch the sales - Mine cost $157) This model A8 has a bed size of around 10" square and can lay down very fine layers of plastic thereby making pretty much anything you can create a 3D computer model of.

I ordered my Anet A8 from Gearbest and waited for it to be shipped to the mountain. I also ordered a roll of orange PLA plastic filament to use for my first prints. Anet A8 link to Gearbest

It takes about a day to assemble the printer from the various parts. The manufacturer has posted the assembly instructions as a YouTube video so you can watch and pause as needed. There is also a very active Facebook community of folks who own these and provide hints and operating techniques.

I made a mistake in assembling the printer. I applied Loctite to the fasteners to prevent them from vibrating loose in operation, but did not know Loctite has a deleterious effect on acrylic. The Anet A8 frame is made from acrylic sheet. The Loctite caused the acrylic to crystalize and easily fracture wherever there was a fastener.

I got rather good at re-bonding acrylic and re-enforcing the frame with parts I manufactured on the printer.

The user community posts all kinds of things to make on the website "Thingiverse"
Thingiverse link

You find what you'd like to make and download the files and prepare them for printing using a 'slicing' program.

One of the items you can print is this drone - Drone link

For the short term the printer is set up on the dining table

These are some of the first prints off the machine. They include frame re-enforcements and holders for the spools of plastic filament.

 

Front frame brace

This is an enhanced version of Z axis limit switch holders

Rear frame brace

A pretty good test of the printer is the creation of the lifeboats on the Titanic

These print in two halves that are later bonded together along the center

 

More stuff - the U boat conning tower was fun, but not a very accurate model to start with

These are 1/24th scale two post car lifts that are going into a model of a shop we hope to build

HO scale pickup truck in grey primer as well as a 1/100th scale print of the same truck plus a cartoon character

Next I tried a large and rather time consuming print. This is a scale model of the house that used to be sold thru the Sears catalog. This is the Puritan model. It prints in three levels.

You can check the accuracy of your printer by printing a calibration cube and measuring with calipers. My machine is right on the mark for accuracy.

Foggy walks

Here at 9000 feet plus of altitude you are able to get an up close and personal view of the weather. We looked out and saw the area was covered with fog and thought we might find good opportunities for photography on our daily walk. Near the end of our walk the fog lifted and light snow began.

 

We enjoy figuring out the various critter tracks in the snow

The fog can get heavy at times

 

I like this picture of our cottage in the snow

Life on the mountain

It is now February of 2017 and we are enjoying our first winter on the mountain. This is a very different experience from living in Kansas. First, we are much closer to wildlife and see examples of deer, elk and birds close up and personal. The deer were right outside our door most days until the snow got so deep it started rubbing their belly's when then waded thru it. After that they disappeared down the mountain and now spend much of their time along the river.

The birds however just continue to increase in numbers at the feeder. There are Ravens, Stellars Jays, Red Headed woodpeckers, Yellow Finches, Grouse and Grey Jays in reasonable numbers. The big numbers come as flocks of Brown-capped Rosy Finches covering the deck and feeders and go thru lots of food per visit. These are several hundred birds at a given time. The sound of the flock arriving makes you think a helicopter landed on  the deck.

The snow is always light and powdery and comes in pretty steady amounts. It starts out pretty deep and then compresses to much tighter concentrations. It seems to stick around and stays white which is different from the dirty snow after a few days we have been used to in Kansas.

The powder aspect of snow means it gets blown around pretty well by the wind so drifting is an issue. It is not bad to plow if you get to it before it gets compressed and hard to push.

 It snows pretty regularly which means you have to plan on where to put the plowed snow all winter long. As the snow gets plowed to the sides of the road, the roadway gets narrower. At some point time must be taken to move the snow further to the the side of the road.

The snow really drifts at the entry to the neighborhood. This sign is about 8 feet tall.

 The critters are all along the roads which takes some care in driving in early morn and late evening

Out for a ride. These are a pretty good way to get around up here.

We keep a path clear around the cottage for snowmobile and tractor

Elk along the river - some bedded down and one standing

View on our walk

View across the valley at the Elk Mountains

Snowmobile tracks

Elk in the horse pastures down by the river

Fresh snow

Heading out to cross country ski

Elk along the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River

Lift chairs on Monarch Pass

Underneath all of the snow is the gift shop on Monarch Pass

The flock enjoying food on the deck