J17 - Attempting a 3D printed boiler
I'd spent a fair amount of time trying to solder up a belpaire firebox and despite many attempts I really wasn't that happy with the results. So, as much as an intellectual exercise as with any practical expectation of success, I thought I'd try and model the firebox, boiler and smokebox up in CAD and try to print it. This is very much a 'work in progress' but the results are rather encouraging. The layer lines at a .03mm layer height are virtually invisible to my eye and will disappear even further under a coat of paint.
I was astonished by how well the rivets around the smokebox came out and how cleanly the holes for handrail knobs have been printed. I printed the chimney and dome as separate pieces (and haven't cleaned the bottom of the dome off properly hence the poor fit). In terms of the actual model I think the smokebox door needs a slightly more pronounces curve to is and I believe I can probably add the sandboxes to the 3D print. I might just add the dome and chimney to the model rather than have them as separate pieces. I think a lot of the other issues are related to getting the printing support right, I'm wondering about modeling a support base in CAD rather than adding on in Chitubox.
I was pleased enough with the results to dismantle the etched splashers on the my current footplate so I could match the 3D printed part with the etch - I think the footplate and cab are still best made from brass. Bear in mind that the holes left in the foot plate from the original splashers are over-size and I'll need to fill them to make them the same size as the 3D printed parts. When press down the gap between the 3D printed part and the footplate around the front splashers disappears.
So I'm very much encouraged to keep going this route. I will solder up the cab and print the rest of the super-structure with a few tweaks and then see how it all looks. This was printed on a Phrozen Mini 4K at .03 layer height using 'The Technology Outlets' premier Low odour grey resin.
Having read the latest MRJ I would like to refute the idea that this 'Dreadful 3D printing' kills craftsmanship.. It just takes a different sort of craftsmanship, just in the same way that photo-etching brass didn't kill craftsmanship when it meant we no longer had to cut everything else out by hand with a piecing saw.
Please let me know what you think.
David
Edited by Fen End Pit
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