Author Archives: Justin

Starlock Washers

Posted on November 23, 2019 by Justin

Long ago, I promised myself that I would build a steam loco. Progress is slow, but it is steadily progressing. The loco I am building is a kit from Roundhouse Engineering, and it has nice clear instructions. By the end … Continue reading →

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Launching Windows programs on AWS

Posted on June 14, 2019 by Justin

A friend of mine is using Studio 2.0 from Bricklink to create digital models in Lego. He is particularly interested in rendering (creating real-looking images of models that only exist in the computer). The models are complex, and include transparent … Continue reading →

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3D print settings – Dremel 3D20

Posted on June 1, 2019 by Justin

I have a Dremel 3D20 printer. It uses proprietary software, which has some limitations Dremel Idea Builder will load 3D files in .STL and .OBJ format, and will write them to the 3D20 via USB cable. Idea Builder has limited … Continue reading →

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3D printing gears

Posted on June 1, 2019 by Justin

Back in March, I determined that using a raft was a waste of time. I tried printing some Lego-compatible helical gears, and this happened. The first layer wasn’t adhered sufficiently to the bed. The print head was merrily depositing further … Continue reading →

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England’s weird place names

Posted on May 28, 2019 by Justin

England has some of the weirdest place names. Until recently, my favourite was Dial Post. Yes, there really is a place called Dial Post, and anyone familiar with the A24 south of Horsham will have seen the signs. Someone I … Continue reading →

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AWS Logging (or “why am I being charged for free-tier S3?”)

Posted on March 26, 2019 by Justin

I have an AWS account. I created it less than a year ago, so I get some free stuff with the account. In the billing dashboard, I was somewhat concerned to see this: It is only 5 days to the … Continue reading →

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A 3D printer diary – printing another box

Posted on March 14, 2019 by Justin

Following the 3D printer’s instructions online and in the book that came with it, I heated the print head up to working temperature, then carefully used a pair of tweezers to tweeze any filament off the brass nozzle. Doing this … Continue reading →

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A 3D printer diary – printing a box

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Justin

3D printing takes AGES! Even something as simple as the small container shown below takes four hours! A lot of lessons were learned from this print job. The short version is as follows: Don’t start a print job at 8pm. … Continue reading →

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A 3D printer diary – clogged nozzle

Posted on March 7, 2019 by Justin

After printing a stringy mess, the nozzle of my 3D20 is covered in goo (filament). At room temperature, it’s a nice hard crusty smooth goo. The instructions explain how to clean the nozzle. There’s a nice video (with jolly music) … Continue reading →

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A 3D printer diary – supports

Posted on March 7, 2019 by Justin

The SD card with the correct software was missing when we bought our Dremel 3D20 (it was a bargain). But I found the “Dremel Idea Builder” software and a firmware update on their website, and that allows me to load … Continue reading →

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