It's mildly hilarious to me that the phallus depicted herein is non-human, absolutely no one has mentioned it, and we're all just discussing the engineering. The Alabama legislature must be having a fit.
I bought a 3D printer for under $200 a year ago, and it has been the absolute best investment I have made in years, and doubly so. It would have been worth it as an educational tool alone, I have learned so much (and so quickly) about CAD and mechanical engineering in general. It inspired me to buy books and hardware and poke at things.
On top of that, it is also practical. I have printed parts for things for less money and in less time than it would take to go get from the hardware or auto parts store. Car wouldn't pass inspection without seatbelt cover thing? 3D printed. (Don't worry, it's a decorative plastic part, not a safety-critical part...) That alone paid for the cost of the printer.
I'm making electromechanical devices and the corresponding software now, for no dollars, at home, with no help and very few tools. It's amazing, the possibilities!
Actually, humans have relatively large male genitals relative to body size when compared with other animals. (I am at work ... so no way I am looking up sources for that ;-) )
Prusa i3 MK3S. Kit if you want to DIY a bit, standalone if you don't.
I've saying this because it's a complete, stable, easy to use 3d printer from what I understand, with minimal troubleshooting/tinkering to get it to work. \Good support too from what I gather.
The catch is the price, it's in the upper end for it's spec, but you pay either in money or time.
Speaking of budget, it'd probably be possible to save quite a lot of money on silicone by using a different, cheaper material as the "core" of the toy.
As long as the surface isn't exposed, it doesn't matter if it's sterile or not, all it needs is to be sufficiently durable and flexible for your needs.
If you want it to just work and work well, the answer is Prusa Mini+ (with the optional filament sensor) or the larger Prusa i3 MK3S+. Anything cheaper and you're looking at your new hobby to be fixing and tinkering with your 3D printer.
> So traditionally you'd have to print a blank and smooth it (with loads of manual sanding and buffing), and then cast a silicone mould around it, add a mold release ($$$) and THEN (finally!) cast your actual sex toy.
The process is here to print the negative and then do a thin layer of beeswax inside to smooth the layer lines from the print. I haven’t done either method but would like to try it out soon. I’ll probably stick to figurines instead of sex toys though..
This is very true, I tried to print some figurines using filament, and it was a total disaster. I'm sure there are some figures and some settings of slicer and printer that work, but just grabbing a fig and printing it isn't the same as grabbing other things and printing them. My experience based on 5-7 spools of filament printed through a rather enhanced Ender 3 Pro (+BLTouch, MicroSwiss, new mobo, dual gear extruder, upgraded bed springs).
Though, as others here mentioned, resin may not be what you want either. I looked at them briefly when my son was interested in painting minifigs, and decided I didn't want to deal with resin and I DEFINITELY didn't want him working in resin, based on the messes he makes with cereal.
You can get reasonable results printing minifigs with a FDM printer ... tiny nozzles (0.1 mm), tiny layer heights (0.05 mm) and very slow print speeds (<10 mm/s) will get you a long way ... but even then resin printers just blow the results out of the water easily.
I’ve spent more time mastering my resin disposal process than printing with my resin printer. From settling, exposing and filtering my isopropyl alcohol so I don’t waste tons of money on rinsing my prints, to how to handle all the partially cured resin and avoid contamination (was really surprised to discover the sorts of things that will soak up some resin chemicals and get. Discoloured)
The core of this technique is the use of beeswax to act as both a filler/smoothing agent and mould release. A clever hack - but I'm confused by some things:
- the assertion that 3d printed materials are not body safe; PLA (the most common 3d printing material) is nontoxic and used for utensils (although agreed that the layer lines are a hygiene hazard)
- the description of the "traditional" method as printing a positive shape, then casting a negative in silicone, and then casting a positive also in silicone (with release agent, presumably because silicone bonds to itself). Why would you not just print a negative directly - as indeed she later does? Is it because she considers the concave surface difficult to sand smooth?
- Why is release agent "$$$"? There are a variety of extremely cheap household items that work as release agent, notably dish soap.
- Pouring 100C beeswax into a print. This is well above the glass point of PLA. She doesn't say what material she's printing with, which may explain the earlier remark about not being body safe.
- The need for any sort of release agent. Silicone does not bond to thermoplastic, at all. She's not casting silicone in silicone, so what's the problem?
- PLA as a material is at least food safe (though food safe and body safe aren't the same). But! The material passes through nozzles which probably have lead in them etc. even if that's of negligible consequence though the main issue with making something body safe is the layer lines, which retain moisture and breed bacteria.
- yes, concave surfaces are dang near impossible to smooth.
- plenty of household release agents don't work in a silicone to silicone mould, or impede the cure of platinum cure silicone (the body safe kind), and if you bugger it up you're just wasted the mould and the dildo's worth of silicone which is $$$.
- I just used PLA. the beeswax doesn't touch it for long, you literally pour it in and immediately back out. Because the print is hollow on the inside and because beeswax has such a low specific heat capacity it cools instantly, and this all works, my pics are proof.
- silicone doesn't bond to PLA, no, but you need to smooth the layer lines, which brings us back to point 1....
I've been orbiting this array of technologies lately - 3d printing + silicone, and also epoxy resin - so this is all really useful info for me. Your comment about having to figure out working processes by trial and error rings true. I'll be sure to bear beeswax in mind - maybe it'll work some magic on epoxy as well.
In the spirit of reciprocal knowledge sharing, I've been using filler primer spray or smoothing prints. You're probably aware of it already, but it seems very underrated in the 3d printing community. Sands to a mirror finish amazingly quickly and easily, especially under running water. Obviously that's not a body safe surface, and I don't know what effect it would have on silicone curing, but still - one worth keeping in the toolbox.
Which comment about trial and error sorry? I honestly rarely do the same thing twice... ADHD and all. lol
Yes, filler primer is great and I recommend it often. I think I actually mention it in the article? It's just a LOT more work than pouring some wax in and out of a mould.
>And there's so little info out there about the topic! What materials are safe/work? So many processes to master to get a good result, such expensive supplies to be dabbling with! Urgh! Not worth it, right?
Ah, it seems I projected the "trial and error" part. I certainly don't often get it right first try! I would never have guessed about dish soap preventing curing, for instance. So easy for a project to end prematurely in a sticky mess...
> Why would you not just print a negative directly - as indeed she later does? Is it because she considers the concave surface difficult to sand smooth?
I think the problem with sanding a mold is that it would be very hard to sand both halves equally, so you'd end up with a step where the two halves meet.
Using the wax to smooth the mold when the two halves are already stuck together is quite ingenious, as the wax will also smooth the part where the halves meet.
I wouldn't fear a PLA thing first use; but cleaning it thoroughly enough to re-use is going to be a challenge without special effort applied to finishing it after printing.
Beeswax temp: Thermal mass of the print is probably high enough that it sucks the heat out of the wax before melting much surface feature. in this case, smoothing bumps is beneficial.
Beeswax melts at about 65 degrees centigrade. Going higher than that discolours it and if you go very hot, when it sets it cracks. These things would seem unlikely to be an issue when using it more like paint.
> PLA (the most common 3d printing material) is nontoxic and used for utensils
Utensils are (generally) not inserted. however more crucially in this respect, depending on the mix, silicon is more compliant. You want to have a bit of give. (I know I know, glass dildos exist, but thats a specific, advanced usage)
> […] presumably because silicone bonds to itself […]
Silicone absolutely loves silicone. If you pour silicone into a silicone mould you end up with one piece of silicone — which now includes the mould. So a barrier is absolutely essential.
I guess silicone is a good material to make a seamless mould of a smooth object. Since it's flexible you can remove it from the original object without cutting it.
Try Thangs.com, their search engine actually works, and it also produces results for objects from other sites. I've completely given up on Thingiverse as of ~6 months ago.
Not interested in her specific application, but good info none the less about how to do reusable and fast 3D printed silicon molds with smooth surfaces.
It suffers a loss of detail, but that acceptability depends entirely on your intended application.
Another technique is to print in ABS and then give it an acetone vapor bath - you preserve details much better, but setting all that up is a pain and a little dangerous.
The furry world has been 3d printing sex toys for a very long time now. Bad Dragon is still better quality overall, but you pay for it.
She's also not added a flared base to it, which with her equipment probably isn't an issue but still a nice touch for completion's sake, especially if she's going to share the file.
In the article I explain how to go from print to safe dildo very easily and quickly using a technique I haven't seen anywhere else. With this technique I have made toys that legit are on par with the bad dragon dildos I own. I compare them in the article.
I also mention adding a base if you're going to use it for anal play, so I'm not sure why you felt the need to assert my article wasn't "complete".
I hadn't seen the beeswax smoothing done anywhere else, so I felt I had to share, hence the article.
But yea, I dunno why it should have to be novel..
But hey, haters will attempt to find literally anything they can to try and cut you down. I've unfortunately learned this well in my time producing content.
Even if it was something you read somewhere else, I often find that if you’re deep into something you’re pulling ideas together that a beginner would not think of at first or simply be unable to google the right words.
So thanks for a well put together article. Please do a more SFW version. How am I even going to explain where I learned this? Hahaha.
And toys take so much pressure off everyone involved, as well.
As an aside I made a clamshell thing that can hold three cellphone vibrate motors and wiring with whatever the free web browser stl site is and published...
To be honest I can't remember the exact reason I asked why there's anything novel about this - might have been some wording I found either in the title or in the excerpt, but I can't seem to find it anymore. I might have misread it.
Yes, and useful in many contexts. What a great technique!
Other methods, such as solvent mists and such, can be toxic and or dangerous. And doing all that costs a little time, space and money. Not a huge deal, but given how simple and cheap this is...
You can go a long way with just 3D printing a mould in PLA and then just filling it with silicone. I've done some parts this way, and haven't felt the need to use mould release for either the silicone from the mould, or the resulting glass reinforced epoxy parts from the silicone. Not for body use in my case.
I modeled some plastic parts as a meta-mould to make a mould for some parts I wanted to make.
yeah but silicone will pick up microscopic details, so you will retain the grooves from your print doing it that way, which retain moisture, which gives bacteria a chance to grow.
Indeed, and that is a very clever use for the wax. Seems like you might be able to reduce the loss of detail by having a warm mold, as long as it doesn't warp the mold.
Might also be fun to experiment with the opposite side: 3D print the mold and use it directly, then dip that in silicone to coat it and eliminate the artifacts that way. Plus then you could have the outer layer be a softer composition, like an overmolding, which might give an interesting feel.
In my experience using beeswax in contact with platinum cure silicons will cause the silicone not to set properly. For the record the molds were for a different purpose.
When using 100% pure beeswax, it seems to be an issue with just Smooth On Dragon Skin. Is that what you used? I've added a note to the article about it.
I've also had a few folk think they were using pure bees wax, but noticed when they poked around on the label after that it wasn't actually, it's often mixed with other oils and waxes.
this is totally off topic. but where did she get those scissors that are in the video at the end - they are gorgeous. never thought i'd have scissor envy
The author highlights a good consideration that its not just the filament (e.g. pla) but also the printing process (e.g. hotend materials and bowden tubes) that may effect the body safety / biocompatibility.
It's a reference to my teddy bear (Billy Rubin) who I've had all my life. He was named after I made my mum's bilirubin wonky in the womb, my parents have a great sense of humor.
A few years ago I wanted to study medicine, but I knew we would miss my income, so what's a girl to do to make easy money while studying? ... Porn of course! So when I made my porn accounts I used Billie, the name was so familiar and it had a good alignment with my goals.
But my porn went unexpectedly viral and I kinda got overwhelmed by that. And in the mean time I took up 3D printing, and that's how I ended up moderating the largest 3D printing community on earth under the username BillieRubenCamGirl. lol.
I ended up meeting lotsa doctors because of the name (doctors love puns as much as I do it seems) and decided through talking with them I didn't want to be a dr after all. Ended up starting a double degree in two other STEM fields.
I still have the teddy, he sleeps on my bed every night.
I always wanted to demonstrate that I'm a whole human. Not just sexual or chaste. Sex is a healthy part of my life, and I like to demonstrate it thusly.
I have questions. If you're doing it all yourself why do you need to go to a silicone shop and "talk to the experts about your needs"? Why tell a beginner to use 3D Builder or Meshmixer when you could do it in ninety seconds in Tinkercad? Why would you slice it in Chitubox to get the volume when your original modeling program or regular slicer would give you that info? On what printer is 0.25mm a step-integer layer height? Finally, is this really any better than printing your dildo and using a $35 clone-a-willy kit?
2. Different 3d modeling programs are better at different things. Meshmixer is really good at some organic shape manipulations. Tinkercad is very limiting.
3. Not all slicing programs will give you the volume
4. Just because it isn't a default in your printers config doesn't mean it won't work.
5. Clone a willy kits have limitations, may not suit your needs or be available, or you may want more control of the process.
Blender loves making non-manifold stuff though, or are least when I try to use stuff people "designed in blender" I get spaghetti instead of a radawesome toy for my kid.
Definitely, and Zbrush does as well. Meshmixer has an easy to use function that heals non-manifold models if you want to take another run at any of those toys.
Allmost all your 'questions' are closed questions and include your assumed preference. They are not really questions. The tone is belittleing ( is that a word? )
I disagree with all your assessments. I think specific, discuss-able questions like this lead to educational answers. Asking questions about something isn't disrespectful.
I think it's now pretty obvious from your lack of reply to my responses to your questions that you didn't actually care to have your questions answered.
Just to try and help explain why people think you have a negative tone: written words tend to be interpreted negatively by default since you can't hear the person's tone of voice, so you have to use extra words to reinforce your positive intentions, and avoid using phrases that can be construed as positive with the right tone but have negative connotations by default.
For example, "Why do X when you could do Y" assumes they were aware of Y and consciously chose X over Y. It is overly presumptuous especially since you don't know them. It also carries the implication that you think Y is a better "default" choice and comes across as a prompt for them to defend why they chose X instead. It might be better phrased as "Had you considered Y instead of X, and if so, I am curious why you chose X instead?"
Also the phrase "Why would you do X" kind of comes across as "Who in their right mind would do X". A better way to say it is something like "Curious about the use of X? In my experience Y works better, have you had a chance to try that yet?"
You go to the shop and ask so you get the right product because silicones that are safe for this are rare and rarely advertised as such.
Because 3D builder is legit better than tinkercad in many ways, but you're free to use tinkercad, it's totally a matter of preference. I actually list it as an option in the article, so not sure what prompted this comment.
Tinkercad won't give you volume info and nor will most organic sculpting software.
Are you talking about "magic numbers" with regard to the layer height? If so, I'm printing on a delta so it basically doesn't matter.
Yes, because it removes the layer lines, which is the main health risk in printed toys (and without smoothing those layer lines just get transferred to the toy, silicone picks up microscopic details)
Why not spend 90 seconds building it in TinkerCAD? My experience is that it took a year for me to get to the point where I could build it in TinkerCAD. Love it, but I really struggled at first. Now it's my go-to, and you can make some awesome stuff quickly, but I'm the only one in my house that can do, well, pretty much anything in 90 seconds in TinkerCAD. :-)
Why do this rather than clone a Willy? If your willy looks like the sex toy in this blog post, you'd probably better see a doctor.
I bought a 3D printer for under $200 a year ago, and it has been the absolute best investment I have made in years, and doubly so. It would have been worth it as an educational tool alone, I have learned so much (and so quickly) about CAD and mechanical engineering in general. It inspired me to buy books and hardware and poke at things.
On top of that, it is also practical. I have printed parts for things for less money and in less time than it would take to go get from the hardware or auto parts store. Car wouldn't pass inspection without seatbelt cover thing? 3D printed. (Don't worry, it's a decorative plastic part, not a safety-critical part...) That alone paid for the cost of the printer.
I'm making electromechanical devices and the corresponding software now, for no dollars, at home, with no help and very few tools. It's amazing, the possibilities!
$2 Arduino + plastic + software + minor components = ???
What a time to be alive.