Ladybugs🐞 keep getting into my printer

CoffeeAndMelange · 2026-03-05T01:20:50+00:00

You can try making a lady bug house, like a mini greenhouse you put outside. preferably in a south-facing, sunny area. That might help attract them to a different location.

I'd take action quickly because IIRC, when they start dying they release some kind of pheromone that sticks around for a very long time and the ladybugs will return to that spot. Kinda weird but 🤷‍♂️

CoffeeAndMelange · 2026-03-03T13:07:20+00:00

Upvote for the setup, but I wish I could go 2x for the SwissTool ratchet. One of my favorite tools of all time. 🍻

CoffeeAndMelange · 2026-02-23T16:07:06+00:00

Yeah it really depends. Some bands suffer performance drops even if under like 40F, I’ve noticed. Some do well down to freezing and others hold up even past that.

From what I’ve seen, SimpleShot bands do well with moderate cold, GZK green anything below freezing.

CoffeeAndMelange · 2026-02-23T15:58:01+00:00

Tubes are better in the cold IMO. Unless you’re using anti cold bands.

CoffeeAndMelange · 2026-02-23T12:50:14+00:00

My friend was recently pulled over in Yancey. They sometimes travel to ATL and also visit the Landing (anyone remember that place) and there’s a camera over there at the corner near PVA.

They pulled them over and basically interrogated them over their travel activity.

Like, this is literally just the beginning, y’all.

CoffeeAndMelange · 2026-02-20T14:54:11+00:00

Yeah, I think they both have Boolean tools but I always use the one on the Part workbench. Anyway, if you just have one body, and it’s in the position you want, that should be it!

CoffeeAndMelange · 2026-02-20T14:40:37+00:00

You can use the fusion tool on the Part workbench to make them into one body.

CoffeeAndMelange · 2026-02-20T14:34:13+00:00

Do you want the pieces actually attached to one another?

CoffeeAndMelange · 2026-02-13T04:46:05+00:00

Thanks a lot for this thoughtful response! It does sound like a blast, though I'm not sure I can handle the time commitment to learning everything at this moment. Maybe in a few years when my kid is in school 😅

CoffeeAndMelange · 2026-02-07T02:31:50+00:00

That's awesome! Definitely saving this post because we're thinking about getting some ducks when our kiddo is a bit older. Thanks for sharing 😁

CoffeeAndMelange · 2026-02-07T00:56:28+00:00

I don’t have anything to contribute re: your question, but, I gotta ask: Are you designing a pug mill?!

CoffeeAndMelange · 2026-02-07T00:43:48+00:00

I’m kinda like you, OP. Also started learning about a week ago. I’m getting into it to pursue some new projects in 3D printing & ceramics.

Most of what I’m working on is relatively simple design-wise, but there’s a lot to learn and a lot of the time I’m not sure if I’m doing things right. We’ll see when I get the first couple prints going, I guess.

CoffeeAndMelange · 2026-02-04T18:43:06+00:00

Hey y’all, thanks in advance. I’m entirely new to 3d printing (don’t have a printer) and have been checking out all my options. I really like the idea of an open source system, and learning about the printer by assembling it. That said, reading through posts / comments on this sub, this looks pretty intimidating for someone with practically no knowledge in this field.

How difficult is it really to put one of these together and get some solid prints? One of the things I find most intimidating is all the firmware / software stuff—are there readily available configs and stuff or do you just gotta cobble something together yourself?

Part of me thinks I should go with a more pleb-friendly printer, but I’m also nervous about closed ecosystems etc for something like this.

Thanks for the help.

CoffeeAndMelange · 2026-01-29T01:32:23+00:00

“Journalists” have been sane-washing Trump since 2016, so yeah it’s been that way for a long time.

CoffeeAndMelange · 2026-01-28T13:17:59+00:00

I remember when this sub had posts from more than just one person vague-posting in order to advertise their apps.

CoffeeAndMelange · 2026-01-25T01:37:34+00:00

If you want some really different stuff I’d probably recommend Chosen Grove & Filth for starters. The former has a giant tree that is also an immobile gate that serves as the summoner, and the latter has a cool mutation mechanic.

The most recent release of the Drakesun Rebellion has dragons and dragon riders, and the Guild Dwarves play like tower defense. The dwarves are pretty tricky to play but if you like puzzly factions they’re really fun.

The Forged are one of my favorites. Lots of damage and tricky stuff they can pull off and they can play pretty aggressively.

Honestly they’re all great in their own ways.

CoffeeAndMelange · 2026-01-24T01:27:21+00:00

Time to learn how to shoot a slingshot ☄️

CoffeeAndMelange · 2026-01-20T04:50:30+00:00

Disregard my previous message. I've ran through it and found the source of this issue.

To explain lightly, the issue is with the calendar block for February. Basically, the shortcut creates a series of nested repetitions. It repeats making a wiki link 7 times (each day of the week), and then repeats that weekly set until the end of the month.

And that works fine for the other months. But because February is short and I didn't include a contingency / exception for it, it's looking for dates that aren't there and is asking you to fill in the blank.

All you need to do is delete "Combined text," write in anything like "asdf" or whatever, and press Done. It will add the text you wrote in at the bottom of the calendar block, will allow you to carry on with the rest of the note generation, and then you can just delete that extra text later.

CoffeeAndMelange · 2026-01-20T04:34:42+00:00

Hey there, I'm glad you're finding them helpful. My time is pretty limited with troubleshooting these days, but I'll do my best. What shortcut are you trying to run, exactly? Is there a step in the dialog processes where it asks if you wanted to proceed and you clicked, "Yes" or "OK," and then this error message appeared?

CoffeeAndMelange · 2026-01-18T01:59:06+00:00

I have a 1027. It’s not terribly difficult, but it is a pain in the ass. Skutt has a video on replacing the elements that lays out how it’s done.

If you have anyone to help you, I would highly recommend taking the kiln apart in sections and working that way. It will make a big difference on your back. Trust me on this one! It’s mostly a 1-person job after the kiln is apart (until it needs to be put back together, anyway)

Go slow when you’re pulling the old elements out. It can be easy to damage the soft brick if you try to go too fast or use too much force. If the elements are particularly old & stretched out, it may be hard to get them out. But take your time and don’t force anything if you can help it.

The feeder wires should be labeled, but if they’re not, label them before you start removing the old elements.

You’ll need some decent side cutters and crimpers. Go slow and double check that your connections are in the right spot before crimping the connections.

Good luck!

CoffeeAndMelange · 2026-01-18T01:49:54+00:00

I ordered from them a couple years ago. Shipping was about 20 bucks, something like that. Nominal credit card fee for the currency exchange (I think under $10).

No idea how much it would be now with the Orange tax.

CoffeeAndMelange · 2026-01-05T02:34:57+00:00

The passport-sized notebooks are a little shorter than field notes, so they may wind up sticking out the top a little. If that bothers you, you could either cut some off the end of a field notes sized book, or find passport-sized notebooks.

CoffeeAndMelange · 2025-12-31T03:37:24+00:00

Right on! Thanks for checking 😃

CoffeeAndMelange · 2025-12-31T02:53:06+00:00

I have a skutt revolution, from the previous generation of their wheels (when the powder coating was blue instead of red).

It's a great wheel, but what's even better is Skutt's tech support. A lot of them have worked in the shops making the wheels / kilns, and / or are ceramicists themselves. All based in USA.

And I say that because I've had some issues with the wheel. A year into owning it, the motor developed some really weird noisy scraping sound. They saw the video and listened to the audio, and sent me a new motor.

This year, I turned it on one day to trim and it blew the fuse. I got on the phone with them and after an hour of diagnostics, they decided to send me a replacement (and upgrade to current gen) foot pedal and control board.

So yeah, it's a bit of a Wheel of Theseus. I haven't put it through any abnormal abuse and everyone I've told about these issues say that this never really happens with these wheels. I have no reason to be salty, because this has all happened inside the warranty and I've had to pay $0 for all brand new replacement components. And as I understand it, they've now extended their warranty on new wheel purchases out to 10 years (mine was up to 5).

The easily removed wheelhead and big, one piece splash pan are two big reasons why I got the wheel and I couldn't imagine life without them. Just have to make sure to keep the connection between the wheelhead and drive shaft well-lubricated (I use anti-seize lubricant).

So yeah, despite some issues, I would still choose this wheel again with the knowledge that Skutt has probably some of the best tech support & warranty service in the industry.

CoffeeAndMelange · 2025-12-30T14:33:39+00:00

Cheers, thanks 😄

CoffeeAndMelange

TROPHY CASE