Check out my 3D Printing storefront! It's slightly weird!

Marketplace
1

I’m actually not sure if I’ve ever mentioned it here or not, but I’ve been dabbling in 3D Printing for a few years, now. I use Shapeways—you upload a model to their site, and all things checking out, you can order a print in a variety of materials, including metals and ceramics.

Better yet, you can establish your own “shop” on the site and post your own designs for sale, and Shapeways handles all the actual production, shipping, etc., while the designer pockets the markup the set. Neat stuff.

Anyway, I do have my own shop, “Ranchoth’s Arsenal”!

I’ve mostly specialized in making specialized toy customization and modeling accessories, but in the last year I’ve started expanding into other areas. Jewelry, mugs, object d’art…but, like you might suspect, mine tend to be a little “unusual.” And I thought I might get some interest in mentioning them in particular here.

And so, a little too late for Christmas, I present:

The Artificial Heart Pendant!

Valentine’s Day’s coming up, and all those OTHER heart necklace pendants, even the anatomical ones, aren’t tickling your fancy? Well, look no further—give that special someone (or special cardiac patient) the gift of a heart of steel!

Also available in various precious metal coatings. External pneumatic driver not included.

The Dinosaur Skin Mug—with a surface texture taken from 3D scanned commercial casts of fossilized Hadrosaur skin impressions, with a modified Raptor-claw handle!

Food and dishwasher safe, available in several colors.

And, in what I suspect will be a relative hit, what I’m calling, succinctly,“Oh, Poop!”…an authentic, 3D-scanned, life-sized feces (probably Cocker Spaniel) replica! In Gold-Plated Steel!

Actually, to be accurate, that particular model is in gold electroplated steel—although true gold-plated metal is in fact available, at an additional cost. As are solid gold, silver, and platinum, if you have the money to spend.

I’ve actually already sold one, in a polished bronze finish. Hey, as the man said, “Pecunia non olet.”

Also available in a smaller, and very affordable necklace pendant version (in two sizes).

Great as a gag gift, or for someone who really loves you or someone you really hate! The prank opportunities alone are endless!

:smiley:

Also, if anyone wants a replica Orbitoclast, a 1/72 or “N” Gauge scale replica of a house used in 1950s Atomic testing (built from declassified DOE blueprints), or a GI Joe scale brain and spinal column, I’m your man. :cool:

Eh?

2

Interesting, and good luck to you! It’s a new frontier for cottage industry.

BTW, 1:72 is not N-scale, but a common military scale. HO-scale is 1:87, and N-scale is 1:160, much smaller.

3

Thank you for your kind words. :slight_smile:

Sorry, just a mistype, on my part—the house is available in 1:72 or 1:60 “N” scale.

I considered offering an HO, as well, but it was worried it would be too pricey. 'Course, considering the nature of niche technical interests of some hobbyists, that might not have been an obstacle at all.

I also have some more railroad items planned, actually. Mostly cargo (anyone want an Army portable nuclear reactor), but maybe even a couple of plastic “shells” of engines (anyone want an unbuilt atomic locomotive?).

4

What program(s) do you use to do your designing? And do you have your own 3D scanner, or did you actually bring the poop in to some makerspace?

5

Carpe Excrementum. (Seize the poop.)

6

Wow, that is way cool. Bill Nye keeps saying this is the wave of the future.

7

I primarily use AC3D, which I use for most of my other 3D related work, but I’ve been increasingly using a couple of other programs for sculpting or fine smoothing—Blender, which is powerful and free, but which I’ve generally been loathe to use because of it’s comparatively byzantine interface, but has been getting much saner and refined in the last few versions; and Meshmixer, a true 3D sculpting/“painting” program, which I used extensively in the Artificial Heart pendant, as the heart(s) it was modeled from used a lot of maddeningly curvy, irregular shapes.

The scanned poop is an interesting story—I’ve been using Autodesk’s 123D Catch (recently starting to be supplanted by Autodesk ReMake, which does the same thing) for a few years now, which simply uses photographs of an object (about 80+, from as many angles as possible) and point-cloud photogrammetry to generate a 3D model of the subject. It’s actually surprisingly accurate, once you get the hang of it.

8

Update:

Development continues apace, with a niche that seems to be surprisingly untapped as of yet. My Little Pony-style…skull pendants!

Unicorn-horned, realistic bone texture, and Day of the Dead-themed versions to follow shortly.

9

That’s cute.

10

You’re right, it is surprising that that niche is untapped.

And I’ve been meaning to experiment more with 123D Catch myself (or maybe ReMake, if it’s better). I’m in a pretty high percentile in my own 3D design skills, but there’s still a heck of a lot for me to learn.

11

I am thinking of buying ROBO 3D R1 Plus 3D Printer
In compare with other models it is much cheaper, but for its price it has an impressive feature list.
Does anyone know, is it possible to make something like this product on this printer?

12

The artificial heart pendant is awesome.

13

Meanwhile, I’m thinking of setting up my own Shapeways shop. What percentage goes to you, to them, and to costs? I expect the designer’s share is probably pretty small, but then, they make up for that by handling all the production for you.

14

You get to set your own markup, actually, in addition to the base production price (which Shapeways pre-calculates, based on a few factors, and presents you beforehand. They keep the base price the customer pays, of course)—like you say, this would typically be a fraction of the cost of the item just to keep costs reasonable. But, technically, you could make it whatever you wanted.

Shapeways also takes a cut for themselves—3.5% of the total markup.

That reminds me, I’ve put a coupla new items up on the shop, since! Including…

An accurate replica Russian VVER-1000 nuclear reactor fuel pellet…in necklace pendant form!

Also available in plain, non-necklace ready form, and in other materials. American fuel pellet design also available…in both plain and jewelry form.

And say “Hi There” to…a 1/72 model of one of the B-52 “Leper Colony”'s hydrogen bombs from “Dr. Strangelove!”

(Hollerin’ Major Kong not included.)

15

More updates I thought I’d share, including a slightly diversified inventory. Some based on some customer requests…

The ASM-A-1 “Tarzon” Guided Bomb, circa WWII/Korea! In 1/48 and 1/72.

The “Davy Crockett” nuclear projectile, with recoilless rifle launcher!

The “Lockheed Compact Fusion Reactor”!

Currently under development in real life by Lockheed’s Skunkworks, this version is based off of publicly available technical information and images, and is available in several model and model railroad scales, for exposed power plant or novel flatbed cargo use.

“Die Glocke,” the mythical German Wunderwaffe/Time Machine/Antigravity Engine/etc.! Spruce up your Crazy Luftwaffe Flying Saucer today!

(Vril not included)

16

'Been awhile since I’ve done an update, but I’ve kept busy. Such as with:

-The Bell Jet Belt!

The only true “Jet Pack.”

-Brain and Spine…necklace pendants!

-Argus Pulsejets!

Need to strap an engine on a Dieselpunk model build, but don’t want to buy and cannibalize a V-1 kit to do it? Well, now you’re in luck!

German X-7 Antitank missiles…in 6mm wargaming scale!

I’m thinking about expanding into more wargaming items, as a matter of fact…

And of course, a whole bunch of nukes!

Featuring several examples never before made in a scale model form, including some planned but unbuilt in real life weapons, from seven different countries so far!

17

You could make a fortune making BMW e10 (early six-fuse models) fuse-box covers. Clear plastic, about the size of a credit card, people wanting $60 for them at swap-meets. (I can’t even find a Google image!)

PM me and we’ll get together on this, and make a killing! I’ll be the test mule and the POS (Point Of Sale) guy!

20

Reported.