cross-posted from: https://lemmy.procrastinati.org/post/6173
I’m sure many have this problem of, what do I buy for the person who has everything I can already afford? 'cause I have that problem now. My dad has gone deep into 3DPrinting in his retirement (he handed me down my Ender 3). He’s got both an Ender 3 and a resin printer, tho I can’t remember what model.
I was hoping to pick the hive mind for some useful 3D printing related ideas that won’t break the bank. Some useful utilities that maybe I hadn’t thought of. I’d really appreciate any help.
You could print a lithophane of an image of you two. I haven’t done one yet but I know there are online programs to convert images to an STL.
That’s a cool idea.
Personally the thing that comes to mind is printing something for him using the printer he gave you.
Perhaps some sort of fidget toy he can leave on his desk, a sign he can put somewhere, a fridge magnet, etc.
But with the caveat that you design it yourself.
Seems silly but he’ll probably enjoy getting something from you that you made with him in mind a lot more than something you may buy.
I know personally I enjoy presents like that a lot more than stuff that you can just pick up somewhere.
Spaghetti detective (obico) is a good gift idea. Also maybe a Raspberry Pi clone for Octoprint. I know Bigtreetech is selling an RPi clone for $45 that also has pinouts for Klipper.
Create a repository of models for him or design something for him if you have the skills! He may have the tech, but that other stuff always takes a lot of time.
Either start a large collection of models for him to make, or design him something he has always talked about but hasn’t made.
If it were me, I’d like gift cards for filament, maybe some kind of storage or drying containers for filament if he doesn’t have any, maybe some upgrades for his Endor 3 that he doesn’t have like a BL Touch, silent board, upgraded hot end, better build plate, etc. Maybe a subscription or gift card for a service like The Spaghetti Detective (now obico) or to someplace if he buys STLs or other services. These are just off the top of my head.
I’m sure he would always appreciate more filament. You can discreetly check what brand/type he uses next time you visit him.
Since he’s on the older side, something like a Helping Hands (2 holdie things and a magnifying glass) might also be appreciated.
If he likes to design things, one of the more uncommon tools that might be helpful would be a set of radius gauges.
