Windmill, 1884 #Catch the Wind

cults3d

Ever since I have known my husband (about 50 years) he has wanted to restore a salesman’s sample/patent model that he inherited from his grandfather, Eli Schrock. It is a 24” tall windmill with a 12” wheel. Some of the parts were broken or missing. When I saw the “catch the wind” competition, I suggested that we restore the model using printed parts to substitute for the missing or broken ones. So I started taking measurements and using 123Design, I was able to create what was needed. My spouse put the parts together and discovered the 1884 patent that his grandfather owned. A video of the finished model: https://youtu.be/NE-J6UeUEII I then decided to try to build a working model of the windmill out of printed parts. Modifications had to be made to accommodate the change in materials. The most difficult part was the head of the windmill where circular motion changes to vertical motion. There are three versions laying on my desk right now and it still needs a little tweaking for smoother action. This is the only part that needs support when printed. I am relatively new to 3D printing. Less than a year ago I purchased my first printer (a FlashForge Creator Pro) with the goal of learning a new hobby. I am now obsessed with 3D printing and using a second, recently acquired printer (a Lulzbot Taz 5). The Taz allowed me to make larger parts. The windmill is the largest project I have ever undertaken. The windmill can be used in an educational setting to illustrate how wind can be used to pump water (ecology), to demonstrate how to change the direction of motion (engineering) or to show how the windmill helped to settle the Midwest U.S.A. (history).