Merlin’s 3D Little Guys

The Mount Rushmore of People Who Are Always Right

Context

• Merlin is an enthusiastic new fan of making 3D prints and then doing things to them.
• Regrettably, Merlin also enjoys talking about this.
• Merlin co-hosts a fortnightly podcast called Reconcilable Differences with his worst friend, John Siracusa.
• On an episode scheduled to be released on Friday 29 September 2023, John interrogates Merlin about his weird new hobby during the member after show.
• Merlin has assured John that photos of this weird obsession will be provided for our beloved listeners. That is this. It is where you are right now. Hello.
• What John does not know is that Merlin is currently developing a very handsome bust of John.
• John is not a good friend, and he does not deserve such a gesture. Which highlights the dysfunctional dynamic of their relationship better than more seemingly lucid prose explanations could.
• John makes nothing for Merlin.

A Factory Tour

Please keep your arms inside the vehicle at all times.

My Apparatus I need my tools Painting things

Remember, they call it “stain” for a reason. As demonstrated by the comma of walnut stain that’s still on my left thumbnail from over 3 weeks ago

Some little guys

Sunday Siracusa Head

Start - Friday 9 pm

• Source: Haunted Bust
  • Maker: Bugman_140
• Printer: Monoprice Voxel
  • Amazon
  • Manual (PDF)
• Filament: Polymaker Black PolyLite PLA-CF (Amazon)
• Settings
  • Hyper Quality
  • Layer Height: 0.08mm
  • Infill: 20%
• No brim or raft

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Sunday 9:44 am

Unprocessed print.

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Cleanup 1, Sunday 10:26 am

Quick cleanup, clipping off big nubbins, then 320 grit sandpaper

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The Stand¹, Sunday ca. 12 pm

Listening: Genesis - Selling England by the Pound (1973)

Printing on the base begins with OVV3D PLA+ wood-infused filament in ‘Walnut’ (Amazon)

Hyper quality and 200°C extruder temp.

The .gx file Infuse me with your wood, Daddy

The stroopwafel emerges

Three hours in. Turning out very cool so far

Cleanup 2, Sunday 12:48 pm

A weird and potentially controversial stage.

5-minute soak in acetone (“ACETONE?!?”) to soften things up, and then we do another round of 320 grit sand paper.

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Primer and Paint, Sunday 1:46 pm

• Listening: John Vanderslice - Time Travel is Lonely (2001)
• Beverage: iced tea

Alt text Alt text He’s so fucking angry. “Sure,” the face says.

Base coat prototype, Sunday 4:09 pm

• Listening: Tony Molina - Kill the Lights (2018)
• Beverage: plain seltzer

Swatches! For context, this guy from late last week is “Iron Hands Steel”

Afternoon Status Summary, 4:52 pm

1. Drying head 2. Sweet-looking stand 3. Swatches!

1. Siracusa’s head is mostly dry from the primer layer
   • touch-up/cleanup prolly later tonight
2. walnut stand needs about another hour, but is looking awesome
3. basic colors have been provisionally chosen
4. Listening: boygenius - the record (2023)

Probably back after dinner and family time.

I thank you for your sweetly faked attention.²

Intermission: Holy Shit

It fits and everything!

Diary, 9:22 pm

“I’m IN!”

I darkly enjoy how much this web page reads like Mark Zuckerberg drunkenly live-blogging his hacking of the Harvard houses to make “Facemash.”

Late night grunt work, 11:39 pm

1. Sanded the stand 2. Stained the stand 3. Weird low lights 4. Base layer begins 5. Base layer continues 6. Well, hello, handsome.

1. Sanded the stand (80 → 320 → 400 grit)
2. Quick layer of Light Walnut wood stain on the stand
3. Probably pointless low lights with Citadel “Iron Warriors” base paint
4. Base coat part 1, layer 1 (Citadel “Leadbelcher”)
5. Base coat part 1, layer 2
6. Base coat, part 2
7. Listening: Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell (1980)

FIN

2023-09-28

My Worst Friend John has stand options. The version for The National Portrait Gallery

• Listening: The Avalanches - Since I Left You (2000)
• Beverage: iced tea

Okay. Just for purposes of this week’s episode, I’m gonna go ahead and call this one done for now.

Obviously, I reserve the right to make more Johns Siracusa in the future, but, remember, real fake artists ship.

Coming Friday 29 September at https://relay.fm/rd. Support the program and hear the 3D talk by joining up.