I manage a small Apple Authorized Service Provider, and as such, we have customers coming and going and signing pieces of paper. For some time, I've had it in mind to have something interesting and attractive to put pens in at the front counter -- I'd been thinking of the Classic Mac form, and with trial and error I assembled a complete object from the component parts used to create my Tiny Mac that could be printed as a single piece.
I've also had it in mind to try printing with Hatchbox Wood PLA, and once I felt reasonably comfortable with it, I thought this might be an interesting project.
Wood PLA contains a certain amount of wood fiber (for Hatchbox, about 40%), and the idea is that once you sand the printed piece, you end up with a surface that's very much like wood. And you do -- sort of -- though it's still less absorbant than real wood, and that makes applying finishes more difficult (particularly if you are inexperienced and mostly making it up as you go along). I had a somewhat lighter tone in mind for the color -- but I found it necessary to apply a heavy coat of stain to get any color. I was able to dull the color a bit with tinted polyurethane, though if I do this again, I'll probably dilute the stain. (I had encouraging results with dark brown stain on a test block, though I felt that would be too dark a color for this.)
(I think I might try printing another as a planter for a small cactus or succulent.)
I've also had it in mind to try printing with Hatchbox Wood PLA, and once I felt reasonably comfortable with it, I thought this might be an interesting project.
Wood PLA contains a certain amount of wood fiber (for Hatchbox, about 40%), and the idea is that once you sand the printed piece, you end up with a surface that's very much like wood. And you do -- sort of -- though it's still less absorbant than real wood, and that makes applying finishes more difficult (particularly if you are inexperienced and mostly making it up as you go along). I had a somewhat lighter tone in mind for the color -- but I found it necessary to apply a heavy coat of stain to get any color. I was able to dull the color a bit with tinted polyurethane, though if I do this again, I'll probably dilute the stain. (I had encouraging results with dark brown stain on a test block, though I felt that would be too dark a color for this.)
(I think I might try printing another as a planter for a small cactus or succulent.)
