News from the Teaching During Covid Front

I just finished my third week of teaching in two classrooms and online, all at the same time. A few days ago, I was so worn out from having to shout over the air cleaners through a mask, and from hiking between two classrooms, often just to ask if anyone had any questions, that I asked for some things to make it easier, namely a microphone, which was approved through Covid funding, and this little darling, which is changing my life for the better. It is a Kandao camera, which allows me to see and hear the students in the 2nd classroom. I still have to run down to check work and answer questions, but it is saving me a lot of trips. I am very grateful to the guy who I consider to be my personal  tech guy, Zach K. (he isn't; he helps everybody, but he always seems to be there when I need him) and to my department chair Scott C., for the same reason. Teaching is hard during a pandemic, but these guys are doing their best to help. I appreciate both of them.

    That's poor, armless  Roxy in the background. I'll print another of her fingers on Wednesday. I think she needs a new outfit and a new 'do. Maybe in Spandex and bleached blonde?

 

The 3D News

This was my second effort, and it worked out! The first one looked the same, with comparable quality, but it was printed with a raft, a base that the real piece is built upon. Unfortunately, the raft stuck like glue to the piece, where it remains. After reading some of the forums on the subject, I ran across a sassy guy who said he never used rafts but used brims instead, So, I changed the setting to brim, which is supposed to be just a border around the piece, and lo and behold, it worked, because with medium effort, I was able to release the part from the brim. Except the "brim" extended all the way under the part, exactly like the raft, but thinner. So, I dunno. But, I'm not complaining. Next, I'll try either a photo or a drawing. We'll see. 

 

Lithophane

 Well, I would post a photo of the lithopone I printed, but the raft, the plastic platform that gets built underneath the part, is stuck like glue to the image. So, I have to figure out how to remove it. When I get around to ordering new supplies, dissolvable supports will be first on the list. Until I figure this out, this is the image I printed:

I can't take credit for it; my wonderful son took the photo of me at a restaurant before the apocalypse and applied an anime filter to it. I don't usually like to see pictures of myself, but I like this one very much. Thank you, Coltrane G.💗

Foxy Roxy's right hand pinky finger

This is the first of five fingers I'm printing for our mannequin Foxy Roxy's hands. The PLA filament I printed it with is paintable, so when I get them all printed, I'll paint them all up with acrylic paint to match her skin color, drill some wire holes on the fingers and Roxy's hands and attach them with Titebond, an excellent glue we have here in the shop.

    Later today, I'll post my first attempt at a lithopane, a 3D version of a 2D image.

 

Compostable filament for the 3D printer

I have high hopes that this filament is as compostable as Polymaker says it is. They include composting instructions on their website. I'm going to give it a try.

Polyterra PLA 

Maybe this one

Since the subway painting is just about done (I'm still tweaking, but it won't change a whole lot more except for highlights and a few refinements). That means I'm eyeing my next one. I was going to do another mother/son image, but since I just did two close-up figures, I don't think I want to dive into another one just yet. 

     I've been mulling over a new word, "mournal", as in mourning the past and getting used to the new normal. A friend challenged me to make it a title, and this is the image that seems to fit, as it is representative of my school life right now. Except there is only one of me.

 

And the spool credit goes to...

 ... Scott Rippetoe

aka MrRip: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:376

And, another shoutout to  The 3D Printing Professor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFbfOLvHYSM

  

The start of something interesting

I showed the top image, Rene Magritte's painting Collective Invention, to my class today. I am still scuttling between two classrooms to give my students safe distancing. After class, I found the second image on the whiteboard in the second classroom. The last time this happened, the white board ended up being filled with a whole mural of images with mice as the heroes. I can't wait to see what happens this time.

 

Today's small progress and a bonus shot

While I ran my classes, I let the 3D printer run off these new spools for the filaments of the FlashForge, so that I can use other kinds of filaments that the FF type. The one on the right still has the supports attached, and the left one has been detached and filed. Small progress in the midst of the chaos is still progress.

   Plus, a bonus shot of a fitful Michigan sky.

Tomorrow, when I can keep my eyes open, I will give credit to the kind soul who published the file for the spool :)

 

A few hours of peace

    It has been such a hectic couple of weeks that in spite of saying I was going to go to school and get my classrooms prepared for tomorrow, instead, I dived into my studio and stayed there for about five hours. The top two photos are where I left it today, and the bottom one is what I started with.

    Really, this was a mental health effort, to spend so much time at my easel today. In order to socially distance my students, I've been holding class in two classrooms, which means two setups and a whole lot of technology to manage. Plus, I have to run between the two classrooms, while wearing a mask. I'm hoping it will get easier. The peace of this day will help me this week, I think.

    I still have little way to go on this one. As always, it helps me to post here, so that I can see where I need some work. I guess it is a luxury to know what to do next :)