Meet the Maker: #1 - "Rambo"
Meet the Maker is a blog series we are doing where we want to show people what others are doing with their 3D Printers. We hope that it can inspire or help people with their 3D Printing journey. This is the first one where we meet Rambo who prints and paints his creations and was a pleasure to talk to.
3DPM: What is your name?
The Noob Painter but most people call me Rambo
3DPM: What area do you live in?
Cardiff wales
3DPM: Where can people see your work?
3DPM: How long have you been 3D Printing? What got you into 3D Printing? What was your first 3D Printer?
I have been 3D Printing since the end of 2019, but I have been a fan of the idea and have been watching the industry for many years. The break out of elegoo printers being a cheap budget printer with astounding quality just tipped me over the edge, and in fairness, it was perfect for me to start.
3DPM: What 3D Printers do you own, which is your favourite and why?
4 original Elegoo Mars and 1 Elegoo Saturn. The Saturn is my favourite to use as it's way more flexible, as I can print large items or lots of small items. where it is a newer 3D Printer, it has a lot of upgrades like the mono screen etc that makes it print quicker too. although with the high volume of prints I do regularly, all 5 printers are normally on the go at the same time quite often. I have also upgraded one of my Mars with the Jackson products 250mm rail extensions kit.
Rambo's 4 Elegoo Mar's 3D Printers, with one Modified
3DPM: What is your favourite material to print with and why?
For the work I do resin is king! although I will be looking into an FDM printer in the near future, it will suit future practical projects. I have used a plethora of different resins over my time so far from Monocure 3D to Elegoo. My favourite for personal use has been the Monocure 3D crystal clear. The best for general use and minis was Elegoos standard resin but have recently switched to Liquid Models 3D standard resin as it fits the bill for my uses and pricing.
3D Print of horns being Painted in Rambo's Paint Booth
3DPM: What is your favourite item to help with 3D Printing?/ What are your 3D printing essentials?
When I started I actually made my own wash station, but recently I have become a huge fan of the mercury wash and cure station. That thing may not be able to do a full model off of the Saturn, but it really does amazing work on prints I will be getting the Larger Elegoo wash and cure bundle as soon as possible as to though. A damn good scraper for build plates and my magnetic build plate are some things I couldn't live without oh and a good 99.9% IPA gets the job done every time.
3DPM: Have you modified your printers?
All my original Elegoo Mars 3D Printers have USB extensions on them with brackets I designed to hold them to the side of the printers. Anyone who has owned one knows well enough how much of a pain having to reach around the back of the 3D printer to insert the USB. one of my original mars has been modified with a Jackson Products extension which now has a 250mm Z height, which is useful for tall items. As soon as possible I will be upgrading all 4 of the mars to mono screens. There hasn't been a need to modify the Saturn just yet, but if any mods that are relevant to me get designed, then I will modify it.
3DPM: What have you done to your print area/workshop that helps with your printing?
How to describe my print area? …… well I'm a sucker for music and movies so my workshop is built as much around being in the centre of it all. Plenty of workspace, comfort, ease of access and the ability to enjoy said music and movies in the background. Its super well lit as well with LED strips above all work areas all running off of 12v, installed by myself, and a 3d printed LED gantry hanging from the ceiling providing even more light.
Rambo's Work Area
3DPM: What is 3D Printing to you?/ What do you mainly 3D Print?
It's everything to me both as a hobby and a way to make some money. But honestly, it is one of the best hobbies I have had in my life so far, and I have had a lot of hobbies.
3DPM: What limitations have you found with 3D printing? What is your biggest frustration with 3D Printing?
Speed has been a concern in the past, but with the Elegoo Saturn that's a thing of the past. I guess dealing with inconsistencies in prints would be the main thing, it's all about skills to a point but with new designs coming out for printers this may be a thing of the past as well.
3DPM: What’s your most challenging 3D Printing project/what 3D printing project are you most proud of?
Probably a 240mm Xenomorph for a friend's birthday about a year ago.
240mm Xenomorph 3D Printed and painted by Rambo
3DPM: What Slicer(s) do you use, and why?
I use the same slicer for all my printers, and it's a personal choice but I happen to like Chitubox. Clean easy to use a little buggy at times but overall perfectly fine for me.
3DPM: Do you do your own 3D Design/modelling/modifications?
I am just starting out in CAD and modelling though I have had good results using TinkerCAD as an easy starter CAD package. I will be moving on to something more comprehensive in the future.
3DPM: Where do you get your models from if you don’t design them yourself?
Anywhere and everywhere. If you are going to be 3D printing having a good "Google-foo" is half the battle. I am not a fan of pre supported models, as I feel I can add supports to my models for my printer with my settings more effectively.
3DPM: Are there any projects/models you are looking forward to making?
It's my dream to print a Warhound Titan from scratch, but also I would love to have more practical models to print in the future. Currently, the dream project is reviving Elysian drop troops. I'm a sucker for bringing back unused armies in 40k.
3DPM: What do you wish you knew before you got into 3D Printing?
YouTube is your friend, and the stronger the IPA the better. In both instances, it's a case that you learn by the mistakes you make. I have a bucket full of failed prints from when I started 3D Printing. This Hobby is a steep learning curve, and with patience and perseverance, anyone can make this hobby their own.
3DPM: What don’t you like about 3D Printing?
You can make anything. There is literally no limit to what 3D printers can do. Literally anything. The only limitation really is your imagination
3DPM: What 3D printers/materials are you looking forward to for the future?
Larger format is always a plus, along with new materials. But my main appreciation is speed, the faster we get with printing the more practical it gets for me. If I wanted to get a new printer now it would be the Peopoly Phenom XXL, only because it's the daddy of all printers though we do have some higher resolution competitors coming soon> Nothing beats that build volume yet.
3DPM: What advice would you give to someone looking to enter into 3D printing?
When you first start out it is overwhelming. The costs are daunting, your prints will fail, and you will make half-melted/under dried/over cured low detail models. It will happen, but it will get better, it does get easier. You WILL get better and you can take in all the advice from forums and YouTube, but the best thing that will help you, in the long run, is experienced, and that comes with time and with a truckload of patience.
3DPM: Thank you very much Rambo for this, and it was great to hear your experiences and thought. All participants who get on to the Meet the Maker blog will receive a money can't buy present from 3D Print Monkey. (to Be shown soon when they arrive!!)