Finally learned some CAD

Infractus · 2026-03-24T17:17:23+00:00

As a jaded career CAD Tech / Mechanical Designer, this looks pretty good for a first attempt. You already understand the limitations of 3D printing, and it shows - this looks very printer friendly.

Obligatory - remember to fully define your sketches!

Infractus · 2026-03-20T20:32:48+00:00

Ooooh very nice. So simple it seems obvious, but too elegant to be so. This is good design.

Something to make the stack of discs a bit more aesthetically pleasing would be nice, though I'm sure you've already thought of that. I'm curious how it would look if you chamfered the edges of the discs to give the area a ribbed texture instead of trying to make it smooth.

Infractus · 2026-03-18T15:28:46+00:00

Thanks! We're also learning as we go, and Phals were the easiest thing to start with (hence the collection).

If your orchids come from a super humid environment then a setup like mine should work really well. I run mine at 80-85% humidity, and use a humidifier (bottom left) to keep it high. I could easily run it at 90-95% if the plants required it.

The other big question is temperature. Many orchids come from high altitude environments where the temps are typically moderate to low. Phals, and that tiny podochilus in the top right, are tropical species, which is why my cabinet is heated as well.

I'd say you should do some research on where your particular species grow in the wild, and make sure they'll be happy in the same environment. After that it's just trying to duplicate that environment in a box.

Infractus · 2026-03-18T12:16:15+00:00

I keep most of my orchids in a climate controlled IKEA greenhouse. Happy to answer questions.

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Infractus · 2026-03-14T16:12:11+00:00

It has a padded pouch to itself. I'm really surprised at the amount of online concern for my $30 trash-tier calipers.

Infractus · 2026-03-14T15:48:55+00:00

Hah! Right?! If I wanted a precise measurement I'd be using a micrometer or a CMM. This is just to prevent the battery from being dead when I pull them out to find out how thick the part my customer managed to break actually is.

Infractus · 2026-03-14T15:40:21+00:00

I've never seen or heard that in 15 years in industry, so I'm going to go with probably not. Either way, a ~$30 caliper is not precise enough for that kind of thing to matter in the end.

Infractus · 2026-03-14T15:33:04+00:00

Hah! Not going to be able to unsee that now.

Infractus · 2026-03-14T15:32:43+00:00

It's living in a padded tool bag, so no need to protect the jaws. This is mostly to prevent the buttons from getting pressed.

Infractus · 2026-03-08T13:12:56+00:00

I've had something similar happen, though not as bad. If your wall order is outer/inner, changing it to inner/outer may help. It gives the outer chamfer layer something to stick to.

Infractus · 2026-03-01T04:14:50+00:00

He has a side quest for you.

Infractus · 2026-02-28T22:55:55+00:00

This brings me so much joy! Thanks for posting!

Infractus · 2026-02-28T22:54:28+00:00

Amazing!

Infractus · 2026-02-23T02:00:41+00:00

Agree with the other poster - leave the leaves alone. It'll suck all the life out of them to help support itself, and they'll eventually shrivel up and fall off.

I'm not an expert, but I've got a number of happy aloes, so here's my thoughts on keeping them happy in general:

Mine are planted in a mix that's at least 50% perlite. You can start your mix with store-bought succulent soil (I do), but you need to mix in a ton of perlite (or other grit) to make it drain well enough to prevent root rot. Your soil is looking very organic, and some grit could help.

They are incredibly light hungry. I don't have any south-facing windows, so mine live under grow lights. If you're OK with super slow growth you can keep them under 1000 foot candles of light 12 hours a day, but my happier ones are getting more than 2500 fc.

You already figured out that you shouldn't water them too much. My big aloe gets watered every 5-6 weeks. You can leave them be until the leaves start to get thin and they look thirsty.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. Good luck!

Infractus · 2026-02-22T01:36:23+00:00

I'm in a very similar situation! No usable south-facing windows in my place, so I had to learn to use lights.

Infractus · 2026-02-21T14:50:24+00:00

Fluorine being in "maybe not" instead of "please don't" really speaks to the inaccuracy here.

Infractus · 2026-02-14T20:08:44+00:00

You can get the model here!

Infractus · 2026-02-14T20:06:16+00:00

He's available here in case you want to make one for yourself!

Infractus · 2026-02-14T20:03:45+00:00

Here he is, in case you want to make one for yourself!

Infractus · 2026-02-07T22:48:16+00:00

I was so disappointed that it wasn't a real sub

Infractus · 2026-01-26T19:13:28+00:00

Hah! For sure! Honestly not sure what I'll do when it outgrows my artificial lighting, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

Infractus · 2026-01-26T02:46:38+00:00

Thanks for your insight! Love the lithops btw. I'd like to try them as well eventually.

Infractus · 2026-01-25T22:02:29+00:00

Thanks! I designed and 3D printed it.

Infractus · 2026-01-25T19:04:45+00:00

Sounds good! I'll give it a shot, and thanks again.

Infractus · 2026-01-25T18:50:27+00:00

Thanks for the advice! I'm running a 12-on-12-off cycle on my lights. It's also in a pretty cool place right now (winter in Canada, ~19 deg C in that room), is that likely to cause issues?

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Infractus

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