Kelly the Carver's Portable LR3 Build Thread - Ice Edition

Also ZYLtech.com is a great place for parts as well they are based in texas and ship same day.

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ZYLtech for the win on price - for sure. But the combination of OpenBuilds and ZYLtech has made this a potentially disastrous day for my credit card……

It’s the shipping that kills us Canadians. And not so much the shipping cost. The shipping companies extort us with “brokerage fees” etc at the border which are seemingly random but always high. Like an automatic $40 and then whatever taxes and duties they assign.

That said, I’ll keep these two new found resources bookmarked for when I decide it’s time. ZYRtech has a 10 x 1m 2040 bundle for just over $100 which is a great price. And I’ve got several other projects that I could make use of it with.

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I bought my last 2020 from Misumu USA. Maybe there is a Misumi Canada.

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Are you located within 45 minutes of the border? Most towns on the US side have a variety of “Mail & Shipping” companies that will accept packages and hold them for you for a very modest fee ($4 CDN at the one I use).

Usually any packages less than $200 US will be allowed into Canada with no provincial or federal taxes charged, even if you are only away for 10 minutes (written policy is much lower, around $20, but I’ve only ever been charged when the value is much greater than $200).

So the savings on GST/HST and shipping (many companies will ship for free in the US), along with the greatly expanded availability and selection makes the drive and wait time at the border worth it.

Or at least that has been my experience.

Edit - always tell them it is for personal use, otherwise you will be filling out paperwork and paying the tax on even small items.

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Yessir, sorry, I took a half a sick day yesterday. I will spray them and ship when they are dry enough. Yours is the next order in the queue.

I learned about it working on a military project. They coat everything. Electronics supply stores usually have it.

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Something like this stuff? First spray that popped up on Amazon

https://a.co/d/eKgQbxs

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Yes, I think that is the one I have.

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I would say keep it off the contact area for the TMC chips. I am going to try and stick the heat sinks but mask them off.

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Solid strut plates are a pita to work with.
Get a set of long reach forceps for the nuts of going that route.
Some things to consider for the cool would be.
What are your seasons like at location. Will you have say a summer and winter mode.
Like winter have a set of non heat sink drivers.
Perhaps the light trick would work I think that’s a good idea.
Just reminds my of the first version of the Canadian griffons. With all the efis screens. Oh it’s so modern lol then in reality you have to warm the machine for a while to get proper function. Makes for a great response time.
I wonder if since the program is essentially a 3D printer CB why not art a heated bed for behind the lcd ? Then you can set your temps for whatever the day is going to be like.
Also the lubriplate grease or whatever that is inside the steppers and what you put on your z screw. You might want to go with something that has a wide range.

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BRILLIANT! You sir, have earned the rest of the day off!

You are right about the summer / winter. In the non winter months I’ll be working in the controlled environment of the walk in freezer. But as soon as outside temps allow I’ll be turning off the big expensive freezer and working in the wild (meaning in the main garage with the doors open). It’ll actually for the most part be warmer in the winter than in the freezer.

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Lol. I.have some 1m lengths of 2040 (should this be a surprise by now?) In the garage if you need something quicker than Ali Express…

Ha! Nope. No surprise. But a guy also doesn’t want to abuse his friends ALL the time. I’m going to spend some time at my desk this evening contemplating and laying out a cut plan for MDF. I think I’ll go that route to get rolling and once I’ve figured out those things I’d do differently “next time” I’ll consider moving to extrusion.

Having said that, I do have another piece of my ongoing puzzle here that I think may require a little bit of extrusion. I’ll remember you’ve got a stash when it’s time to think that one through. I think you’ll be able to answer a lot of the “can I….” questions on that one.

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I have both 2020 and 2040 V slot extrusion currently. I’ll probably be buying more at some point, as I have some improvements to my V slot laser that I’d like to incorporate. What I have now are 1m lengths, I think I’ll want some 1.5m though, so I should have those when they come in, and that will free up a couple of the 1m lengths in use now.

No, they are fine if you use my little nut capture thingies. Actually really easy!

https://www.printables.com/model/584016-strut-nut-encapsulator

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I’ve spent enough time digging around engine compartments blindly looking for dropped nuts and bolts. Managed ok. There is definitely a sequence of events that works best if you’re using solid struts though.

I know that pain! :smiley: The little tack-ons make many of the nuts fully encapsulated - I did it because I have solid “temporary” strut plates, and my board is fully concealed in the beam - with captive nuts it’s a doddle to remove and replace struts.

Oh wow! I’m in love with that “concentric” bottom layer feature in Cura! Saw it recommended on the Printables page for the fenders and thought I’d give it a go. It looks all “carved” like a piece of ice but it’s a dead flat surface. I liked it so much I’m reprinting the Vac Top to see what that looks like. Then I’ll print the other fender (lines up with bedtime - vac top will be done in 4 hours then I can do the 17 hour other fender top).


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Whoa, that does not look flat at all!

Your boards got coated and shipped. I sprayed one, knocked the can off the table and broke the nozzle…so I had to hand brush the rest of them all. Nice thick coat now!

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Ah! You didn’t need to go to that trouble but thanks!

It’s super accentuated by the silk filament too - it literally seems to shimmer like a diamond So crazy. I was going to do some “art” on those surfaces but having seen them may need to change my plans.

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Holy cow…so the build got interrupted by the “honey do” list here but I’ve managed to keep the printer running throughout so have the full set of fenders and clips and trays printed and ready, a second X Drive printed and the second core is about 15 hours in.

Our kids have grown to teen and preteen and so we decided this year was the year to upgrade from our little 12’ round, 32" deep pool to something bigger. And if you know me, you know we skipped the 15 footer. And the 18 footer…we’ve got a 52", 13 X 22 rectangle now filling in the back yard. Turning on the tap is the easy part. Clearing the sod, levelling the ground, making all that dirt disappear somehow, rerunning the gas line and pool plumbing…it’s been a long couple of weeks and my back is killing me. On the upside the suntan is looking good.

Oh wait, it might wash off…

Hopefully back to the build tomorrow and Friday.

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