Some people are just designed to push the limits of things. They see possibilities where others see limitations. And then there’s the special breed of person who finds all these new answers and then shares them with everyone else. Cosmo Wenman continues to prove himself one such person.¹

Here’s Cosmo’s latest: using a MakerBot to make a negative, that is a mold, of something, and then casting the shape in metal. Look at some of the incredible stuff he’s done with this process already.

You’ll see in the video that Cosmo’s using an acetone bath to slowly peel away the ABS mold. This isn’t necessarily something MakerBot encourages people to do, and if you choose to work with acetone, you should do it with a lot of caution. Also, note this extremely important warning on the Thingiverse page for these items:

[UPDATE: I have to point out that all the low temp "cerro--" alloys have lead and cadmium, and are toxic. You need to use proper ventilation, and keep it away from food preparation areas. In fact, I'm going to be looking into "Field's metal", which has neither lead or cadmium, and I'll report back how well that works in ABS. The objects you make *won't* be suitable for food preparation or food containers or utensils of any kind, and probably not for kids' toys either. FWIW, I've seen several gunsmithing how-to videos that don't mention toxicity of the Cerro-lines at all, and they aren't using ventilators either, but they should. For all I know it gives off gamma rays too. Here are some Material Safety Data Sheets I found:

bendalloy.co.uk/Cerrosafe.pdf
alchemycastings.com/pdf/Low158-190%28Safe%29.pdf

Now, imagine the possibilities of this process. Like he says, it’s like lost wax casting, but a few steps easier since you make the target object on your computer and there’s no “wax burnout” step at all.

 

1. In fact, we could probably declare him the champion of Thingiverse documentation. Any objections? [↩]

Thank you to all of you who joined us for the April 3rd, standing-room-only MUGNY event. Great start to MUGNY’s 2012 season!

MUGNY might be the “flagship” MUG given its proximity to MakerBot HQ, but this particular event was something of a special case. I assembled a heavy-hitter list of MakerBot colleagues to each deliver a short talk on frequently requested topics. Future MUGNY editions will focus on show-and-tell directed by community members, along with a sprinkling of A-list superstar keynotes.¹

I am following (cue the TV mad scientist hand-rubbing) a secret plan: the plan to generate a number of great talks and tech demos that can be later transposed into full-out tutorials on MakerBot.com to share with our community — so that all of the MUGs can benefit. Those physically able to visit weren’t the only ones attending — despite our same-day notice, we had at least seventy-five visitors via the event’s livestream, chatting with MakerBot blogger Andrew while following the proceedings. And this is just a piece of the MUG-to-MUG exchange that will become possible as more MUGs come online and swap activities with each other. So keep your eyes on this space — I’ll be blogging about these tutorials as we post them. I encourage MUGs to give these tutorials a try at their own events.

Across the planet, dozens and dozens of MUGs have been forming to bring MakerBot Operators together regularly to share prints, models, stories, and (frequently) pizza. Are you on the hunt for fellow MakerBot Operators to meet with in your area? Or maybe you have a group and you’d like to tell us about it? In either case, drop us a message to mug at makerbot dot com and I’ll be happy to follow up with you.

Wanna check out the run down for the night? Click the “read more” link below for the Techniques Swap summary!

Read the rest of this entry »

1. I have lined up some really outstanding contributors for the upcoming season! [↩]

When I saw the above image I first thought, “Gah!  Have we learned nothing from the flaming bunnies!”  After reading the entire description, I was greatly relieved and excited to see mah_digilife was using their MakerBot for printing molds, not candles.   His description, list of materials, instructions, and numerous pictures should be enough to help anyone get started in candle making.  These directions could probably be used to help make molds for candles, soap, and probably even little silicone objects as well.  What a great new use for a 3D printer!