3-D Plastic Printing New Handles For The Hoffman #7 Steam Radiator Valve

Gordo

3-D printing in plastic is still largely a solution looking for a problem... for now.
But it seems that for re-creating obsolete parts that make 1920s steam vapor valve restorations complete, its just the ticket!

We're taking orders! How many do you need? Let us know.
(We've also printed out Warren Webster type W valve handles and Kreibel valve handles, too.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjOBBxVKjRw

nicholas bonham-carter

How wonderful, and please tell us about the Voo-Doo doll beside the printer.
I suspect it is against all steam knuckleheads. Are you boiling it, or using pins?—NBC

Gordo

It is a manikin articulated for artists as an aide for drawing. Nothing to do with vodun or "voo-doo" ;-).

New England SteamWorks

Fantastic!

Sailah

I love/hate my 3D printer. Right now I'm hating it. It seems they will grow an antipathy towards you with disuse. I fired mine up recently after a few months off and nothing would work right.

I have about 10 more years before my son is ready to take over IT details at my house!!

Those handles look cool.

Mike Cascio

The work looks great! Nice to see replacement parts for devices that are over 80 years old.

gerry gill

Great job Gordo

Gordo

Thank you all for your comments!

@Sailah : Ayuh, these things are still too glitchy for prime time. The one shown above, the Luzbot, is reviewed as being the most "plug and play" ready of the current models in its price-point (self-leveling bed, self-cleaning nozzle, etc) and it still fiddly and prone to seemingly random failures on top of the steep learning curve.

But...

Oh, the power to make your own stuff that you couldn't before...

So cool!

KC_Jones

The 3D printing technology is evolving rapidly. Company I work for has 4. One is high end roughly $180k yearly service contract proprietary material, but the prints are incredibly accurate. It will also print useable (short term) molds and machine parts for prototyping. It all depends what you want to do and how much you want to spend.

Some of these companies are basically selling prototypes for customers to test. The competition is fierce and they are trying to get equipment out there. My knowledge is limited, one of my guys is the real expert on our equipment.

One of ours is primarily used to make "trinkets" for the marketing department because it's so low end compared to the newer ones we have.

The tech is awesome and the things they can do, even metal. That's our next target is a metal 3D printer. At least a year out until the companies get the tech worked out a little better.

Gordo

@KC_Jones : Oh yeah! When the metal 3-D printing comes down to the "tinkerer" level costs, I'll print injection molds for the plastic handles and anything else my tiny brain can think of! ;-)

Phil53

Gordo - probably more amazing than 3-D printing is your dedication and passion in helping to preserve these simple, elegant, relatively efficient, and historic heating systems.

KC_Jones

The porousity of 3D printing probably precludes it from being used for injection molding. Plus the injection molding machines aren't cheap.

Better off just getting a better 3 D printer as the prices come down. They are already marketing production machines to use in mass production, just very $$$

ratio

The powdered-metal printers are something to see. I got to watch a herd of machines making jet engine parts. The demo pieces they had laying around were amazing. Tedious to watch after the first few minutes though!

Erin Holohan Haskell

Phil53 said:

Gordo - probably more amazing than 3-D printing is your dedication and passion in helping to preserve these simple, elegant, relatively efficient, and historic heating systems.

Yes! Nice work, @Gordo. Such a clever solution.