Well, that didn't quite work :P

Hey there, wonderful people!  Another month has sprinted by already in a blur of extruded plastic!  So, let's look at some stuff that didn't quite work out.

Fixer Jar - Secret Hinged Door!

First up, that hidden door, above!  It works perfectly, prints in place, and really isn't obvious when looking at the model.  The downside is that it doesn't hinge up quite as far as I'd like.  It's usable, and the model is up on dropbox for anyone who's intrigued, but it didn't really work out how I'd ideally like it to have!  That said, the concept went through a bunch of different versions before it got to this point, and this version worked perfectly from a mechanical and printability point of view!

The models print like all the other existing Fixer Jar parts, and you can find two versions of this - one with a closed base, and one with an open base, on dropbox under :

805 Fixer Jar/Experiments  (dropbox post: https://www.patreon.com/posts/dropbox-and-are-31697592 )

I'm also going to start including that link to the dropbox post everywhere, for convenience!

Fixer Jar Connector

Want to join two Fixer Jars together?  This is the model for you!  This one worked out just fine, but it's such a little thing that I figured it didn't need its own post :P  The connector just fits behind the rings, which hold it nice and firmly.  Take a little care with the connector arms, it's only thin!  That won't matter when it's assembled, though, and the crosspiece is buttressed to keep things solid once in place.

 The connector prints with the four arms pointing upwards, and the model is with all the other Fixer Jar bits on dropbox at:

805 Fixer Jar/Experiments  (dropbox post: https://www.patreon.com/posts/dropbox-and-are-31697592 )

Texture Test Cube

I'm not sure what this was originally going to be, but it was really an experiment with drawing together elements I'd worked on in different applications.  So, there's some familiar sharp geometry mixed with some much more organic shapes, but it's still more or less solidly printable (if you look closely you might find some overhangs in the detail :P)

It's just an open topped box, but it's all yours on dropbox at:

999 ZZZ Experiments/Texture Test Cube  (dropbox post: https://www.patreon.com/posts/dropbox-and-are-31697592 )

Gears, gears everywhere...

I'm not going to put the model up for this one, since it was a bit of a dead end, but this was an experiment with building a lid that would roll up using gears.  Still a concept I really love, but this was not the approach to take!  Still, it was fun, and the bits all meshed together well - as always, printers do magically-precise stuff...

If you look carefully, you can kind of see how this was inspired by the sprocket box!

Final thoughts and... clamshell cases!

The clamshell case design, at least for this first pass, is pretty much locked down!  Here's a preview of a test piece I have printing off now...  the key things to notice are the insets on the side, the neater inner lip design, and a slightly tidier hinge.  There were probably some other fixes along the way, but nothing interesting enough to stick in my memory :P

 Look for a post shortly that will include this very same picture, but with a bunch of arrows drawn on it... 

On that note, I'd better get writing, and this time I'll try not to hit publish before it's actually done!

But before I go: as always, thank you so much for your ongoing support!  It means more than I can say!

xoxo

Sven.