3d printing

[Tinwhistler]

I've ended up with a lot of coinage, so I needed to print a piggy bank.
This one seemed a good one, and I dolled it up a bit with gold rub-n-buff

spoilered for nuuudez

Spoiler: n00ds

 

[Tinwhistler]

Dulcimer player at the local Renaissance Festival asked me if I could replicate a dulcimer hammer she had. I don't know anything about dulcimers, so these could suck big time. But they look alright.

 

[PatrThom]

Even if you get the profile right, it's more about the balance/weight distribution, a bit like a tiny khopesh.
From observation--the finger holds near the neutral (balance) point with just a shade more weight towards the front. The head should be light enough to swing/move quickly via wrist motion, but have its weight loaded vertically (thin and tall) so that striking can be exact yet bring the full weight of the head to bear in a precise vertical profile. The back end should be beefy enough to allow the fingers holding it sufficient control to "soak up" any undesired rebound or sideways deviation, but still allow enough rebound to jump high enough off the string to head towards the next one(s).

--Patrick

 

[Tinwhistler]

I was talking about this same thing elsewhere and said something along the lines that "I'm sure dulcimer players geek out about their hammers the same way whistlers geek out about their whistles. thickness, weight, balance, striking area, etc etc etc. But since I don't have years of experience to inform my efforts, I'm just gonna use my eyes and calipers and if they don't like 'em, I warned them in advance that I didn't know what I was doing and PLA doesn't have the same weight as wood"

 

[PatrThom]

Hey all it makes me think about is whether it is possible to make hammers with ridiculous geometry, or make a dead blow version, or ones that "break" like a torque wrench when struck, or come with accelerometers and RGB, or silliness like that.

--Patrick