So old mate has dived into the 3D Printing multiverse recently. You know what seems like it would be really easy to print but really wasn't? Threads. I've been trying to design and print a mallet head that can accept flannel (and other materials) for a new line of professional mallets.
That's usually done by creating a plastic "nut and bolt" that is then attached to the bamboo, as can be seen here done to perfection by Kato timpani mallets.
With some basic design skills it seems easy enough to do, right? Well, no. My initial prints were all coming out FAR too tight for the nut to wind down the bolt end. What gives?
Well if you're a 3D Printing geek or just the normal kind of geek, I had to change software to make use of something called "hole horizontal expansion". It makes the nut just slightly bigger, and voilà ! And we've all learned that developing things and learning new skills is an easy road, so that should be that! I was so excited after learning about this new software. How could anything go wrong?
As if the gods were mocking me for my hubris, like Phaethon, son of Helios, my initial attempts were met with catastrophic disaster. Fortunately, my mess can go into plastic recycling, while his resulted in the Saharan desert. I also lived to try again, and again, and again. Until...
With some beautiful merino wool flannel sourced from here in Australia, I will be developing a hard, general and soft flannel mallet. Watch this space!
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