Fantastic 3D Printing Experiments by a Hobbyist: Interview with Crazyfilament

Those people who are in love with 3D printing know that this industry can be rather expensive. You have to buy a printer, filament, model STL files, paints before you can craft something outstanding. Since it costs much money to make figurines and miniatures, not many enthusiasts are willing to perform 3D printing experiments and test various filament types on multiple 3D printers.

Still, some hobbyists love to take risks, both financial and time-consuming. They like to play with printer settings, switch filaments, try something new and create fantastic masterpieces through 3D printing experiments at home. Such people as @crazyfilament are in love with their hobby and worship risks, tests and try-outs.

3D Printing Experiments

Gambody – Premium 3D printing marketplace also enjoys experiments. And discussing the pros and cons of filament, best 3D printer to have at home, secrets of creating a perfect figurine or miniature is best with a person who loves experiments.

You will find an interview with @crazyfilament about running 3D printing experiments to be an interesting personal conversation. It includes tips and tricks for beginners, photos of stunning models from movies and comics made with rainbow and sparkling filament, and fun facts from the life of this hobbyist.

1. Your Instagram account @crazyfilament looks very impressive. Can you please introduce yourself and tell us more about your hobby? When and how did 3D printing experiments become an integral part of your life?

My name is Giuseppe Pasquarelli. I entered the world of 3D printing a few years ago. I was intrigued by this technology. I have always been a lover of engineering and new technologies.

3D printing has become a full-time hobby for me because I love to test new materials, perform experiments, do my best to print more and more complex objects, print objects in the multicoloured filament, continuously modify my 3D printers to achieve better quality and keep up with the news of the industry.

A few years ago, I saw a 3D printer in an industry that worked with plastic. Fascinated by this technology, I decided to buy my first printer. I purchased a machine in a mounting kit to understand better how a 3D printer works. So my adventure in the world of 3D printing experiments began.

2. You focus on testing 3D printers, filament and upgrades. How do you manage your 3D printing experiments? Do you have many 3D printers at home (and how many), or is it a part of your everyday work? Can you list them all?

I like to test new printers. I particularly like to mount them and think about how they could be improved to increase the quality of prints more and more. I always look for new upgrades to test on my printers to make them faster and more precise and to improve the quality of the prints.

I always look for new 3D printer filaments to perform experiments with different materials and colours. I try to combine them to get different results. I experiment with as many materials as possible to understand the quality of the different filament and manufacturers.

I currently have the following printers in my house:

• 1 Prusa MK3S with MMU2S for multicolour printing
• 2 Creality (one Ender-3 and one CR10-S)
• 2 Anycubic (one Kossel Linear Plus and one Predator)

All my printers were modified with customizations and upgrades. And I am continually looking for a new device to try.

3. Do you 3D print something every day of your life? How many hours a day do you devote to this hobby and your experiments?

I use my printers every day. I am always looking for exciting projects to make, and I devote several hours of my day to 3D printing. Then I spend the weekend on printer upgrades and maintenance.

4. Which 3D printer is your favourite one and why? Is it Creality CR10-S or not?

My favourite printer is Prusa MK3S. I find it nearly perfect and very reliable. It is a printer on which I can print anything without fear that it might stop or have other problems. I think it’s the most reliable device I’ve ever had.

5. You have worked with various filaments (PETG, PLA) and so many colours, including gold, silver, white, red, purple, crystal clear, rainbow, even glow in the dark. Which one did you enjoy the most? Which one guarantees the best results?

I performed 3D printing experiments with many different colours and many different materials.

Among the various PLA, the ones I love the most are those containing glitter and other materials that increase its brightness, those that have a silk finish and those that have particular colours.

Among the various PETG, the ones I love the most are those with a translucent finish and those that have solid colours.

Other materials I usually use for mechanical parts, and here the colour doesn’t matter to me much.

The filaments that guarantee the best result are quality filaments with a very low tolerance.

6. Is it more challenging to work with chameleon sparkling PLA and rainbow PLA if compared to using regular PLA filament?

It is not particularly tricky to use chameleon sparkling filaments or even rainbow. In my experience, they allow excellent results, because if used on massive projects, the colour change or the sparkling effect increases a lot and becomes very special.

7. How do you choose your next 3D printing model? Do you rely on your taste, contemporary culture, new movie or game releases, reviews, etc.?

I have always been a lover of movies, comics and video games. It has a significant impact on the choice of models to print. Even my taste has a vital influence on the selection of models.

I look very much at the sites containing material to be printed, and I try to find exciting projects. When I see a project that affects my imagination and interest, I start thinking about how I could make it happen.

8. You have made several fantastic models offered at Gambody – Premium 3D printing marketplace, including characters from Terminator, DC Comics, It, Game of Thrones, etc. Can you recollect your most fantastic moments and your most loved figurines? Did you face any challenges while working with these STL files?

I have printed some of your models because I find that Gambody 3D printing marketplace contains many exciting projects that are easy and fun to make.

Among the various models created, I remember IT the Clown with pleasure. When I printed IT, the best moment was to paint the figurine and try to make it as real as possible.

Another model that I love very much is the diorama with the Demogorgon. Here I performed experiments with rainbow filaments and chameleon sparkling material, and it was very nice to see the final result.

Finally, the Game of Thrones is a TV series that I love a lot. So, I made Viserion dragon and Night King. And it was much enjoyable even though I used different coloured filaments for both models to have an impact result.

I didn’t have any particular difficulties in the process. Gambody projects are very detailed and easy to make, even if they are complicated.

9. Your projects shared on Instagram range from home décor and children toys to adult collector figurines and cosplay, from heroes to supervillains. Which field do you love the most? What characters are your favourite to 3D print, good or evil?

My favourite characters are those from movies and DC comics. I am also a lover of supervillains because I’ve always thought they are more interesting than superheroes. Generally, I like to do everything that strikes my imagination.

10. Many of your 3D prints look fantastic even without painting. How do you manage to combine filament colours for different parts of the model to make it excellent and as-if-already-painted freshly from your printer bed? Are there any secrets or tips you can share?

When I decide to make a model with different colours, I think a lot about the final result. I try to combine filament so that the final result looks as beautiful as possible as if it were painted. I do a lot of tests and experiments. If I don’t like how it turns out, I try again.

The only suggestion I can give is to have many filament colours available to you to give freedom to your imagination.

11. Do you airbrush your models?

I would like to make many more airbrushed models. Unfortunately, I do not have time to follow this part too. I like using the airbrush, and I try to colour the models that can also highlight this technique.

12. Do you have many interior elements in your home 3D printed by you? Vases, candy plates, pencil holders, candle bowls, iPad stand, cookie cutters? What experiments did you do?

I, as well as my friends, have many things printed on a 3D printer. I create home decor, vases, pen holders, toys and puzzles for my little daughter. I also perform many experiments to test new filaments and printers.

13. Do you 3D print models for your collection? Where do you display everything posted on Instagram?

The printed models are all displayed on some shelves in my office. Unfortunately, space is running out.

14. What does your family say about your hobby? Do they support your projects? Do they help you choose your next models?

I am fortunate that my family supports my hobby. They come with me to the fairs. They help me to choose models to print (especially my daughter), and they help me to take photos and videos that I publish.

15. Which is the model you are working on now?

Now I’m dedicating myself to multicolour printing experiments with different filaments. Still, I’ve seen some projects on your site that I’d like to do.

16. What can you advise to hobbyists who have just stepped onto this road of excitement to the world of 3D printing?

It is a wonderful and exciting road full of satisfactions and with some 3D printing fails. But I advise everyone to take these experiments. The advice I can give to those who are at the start of this road is to always try and experiment with new projects, new things and new materials.

It is great to discover new facts every day and adore beautiful figurines and miniatures made on a 3D printer. If you also like 3D printing experiments, welcome to Gambody Facebook group. This community loves to experiment and share fantastic models its members create, give advice and useful tips to newcomers, and support each other.