This statement is technically true, but maybe not in the way you think.
One of my absolute favorite things to do as an artist, is to create something that starts out looking one way – like paper, for example – and then working to make it take on some realism.
I’m trying to take those ideas and skills with me into 3D printing.
You may remember, we used 3D printers for some of our Paws 4 Autism fundraising for Bandit, JJ’s autism service dog. We made ear savers and 2020 Toilet Paper ornaments to commemorate the year (those are still both available).
But when I’m not busy printing for fundraisers, my printers get used for other things. Things that might be helpful around the house.
We’ve been redoing our hall bathroom upstairs. It has a kind of an ocean theme, but one that’s very easily removed so we can go a different direction if we ever choose to. This bathroom is the one that got the light switch I printed that had gears.
Well. We needed a hand towel holder and a TP holder. So I printed pieces that look like and fit together like pipes we could use for this.
We went from this
To This
To this
I used gray PLA filament. This is the same type of filament I used for the ear savers and the 2020 TP ornaments. It took some time to print, and I had to reprint a few pieces to get the right sizes for my needs. But you can see that they were individual pieces that actually threaded together. I bought the file online, and the designer did a great job with these. There are so many ways to mix and match to get what you need.
So then the next magic step began. The pieces required a couple of priming passes, a couple of coats of copper colored paint, and an oxidation spray. A lot of people sand between primer coats and painting coats, but I wasn’t going for a smooth, shiny, flawless look.
And we ended up with these.
So, there you have it. I 3d printed pipes for my bathroom 🙂
And while you’re here, I’ve got some other 3D printing fun to share in the next couple of days. It will be the next fundraiser for JJ, Bandit, and Paws 4 Autism. So don’t forget to come back 🙂
As always, if you’d like to donate to JJ’s fundraising page, you can find it here: Help JJ
Thanks for stopping by!
XOXO
ajdurrant 