The AikiHomestead
Our Lifestyle Blog as We Create a Homestead in Northern Ontario
2023-05-24
An Entina Tina2 3D Printer For The Homestead
As some of you may remember, my new laundry hanger came with the added excitement of having super sharp points levelled horizontally directly at eye level!It was at that moment that I finally succumbed to the notion that perhaps a 3D printer could have a home here on the homestead, helping out to create those little things that I could imagine in my mind's eye, but couldn't for the life of me figure out where I could purchase (although Amazon has been a game changer in that department for so many things!)
I promptly ordered up one of the smallest, cheapest, and simplest ones I could find online that still had decent reviews. And here you have it - the Entina Tina2 3D Printer (affiliate link).
I opted to save $60 and not bother with the wifi version. I'm happy to load things onto a microSD card and carry it over to the printer between deciding on new prints.
As I said, after doing some tiny test prints, I moved onto trying to make my own replacement caps for the ends of the pipes on the laundry rack. I simply guessed on my first one - 20mm diameter. That one was too large.
Next I did 18mm diameter. That one was too small.
I finally opted on 19mm diameter, and instead of enclosing the entire end, I just put a small lip so that it wouldn't slide over the whole pipe. This one was JUST RIGHT!
A few things I've noted - all the prints automatically create a "base" plate that you remove after printing - I guess it adds stability or something - but there is a certain amount of the PLA that needs to be devoted to that.
Apparently PLA needs to be kept as dry as possible. Store it in a ziplock with silica gel when not in use.
While PLA is made from pretty natural materials, it does take quite some time to naturally degrade, and recycling for it is not yet widespread. Here's hoping that as it becomes more popular, the facilities also appear. In the meantime, I'll try to find a large enough container to store it up until I have a weight worth shipping to one of the facilities that CAN melt it down and reform it into more filament.
If I have other useful or interesting prints, I'm sure I'll be sharing them here!