WHY?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by opresco, Jul 25, 2012.

  1. opresco
    opresco Member
    View attachment 18924

    Last year, I've ordered, at the same time, for me and my wife,
    3 rings (in Gold Plated Stainless Steel Glossy) –
    featuring my "OO" Designer Mark.

    While my wife's duplicate (see 1a), kept in a drawer, still looks
    in pristine condition, the one (see 1b) she's worn for 3 mo.– oxidized,
    and, mine (see 2), worn for 6 mo. – oxidized (inside and out) badly!

    Any idea when will Shapeways introduce 3d Printing in Gold?
     
    Last edited: Jul 26, 2012
  2. lensman
    lensman Well-Known Member
    Are you asking why they oxidised? Because the gold plating is way too thin and the skin is reacting with the stainless steel underneath (actually the bronze in the metal). I gave up making rings in gold-plated s/s long ago, not for this reason but because the plating started wearing off and looked ****ing awful!

    As for Shapeways 3D printing in gold...hmm, not sure we'll ever see that. It is soooooo expensive. Right now it would be cheaper to get your model made in a fine detail material and take it to a jeweller to cast in gold. I did this with a silver model as an experiment but the savings were so minimal it wouldn't be worth it to do it again - UNLESS I wanted multiple models made.

    Glenn


     
  3. opresco
    opresco Member
    Thanks Lensman,

    I knew the answer. :)

    But, I think it will be fair to its designers and customers
    if Shapeways would put a warning on the "Stainless Steel"
    materials page – in this regard.

    And, would you wish to see what happened to my http://shpws.me/3UoK
    "Gold Plated Glossy ", beautiful (upon arrival) – Roosevelt Island Moebius
    Bracelet with Tram Charm — after only a few weeks of continuous wearing?
     
  4. lensman
    lensman Well-Known Member
    Yes, I would...

    By the way, I'm surprised they printed that for you. There are supposed to be no moving parts in stainless steel models any longer. I designed a Harry Potter pendant with a movable bail and had it successfully printed then on re-ordering it was rejected!

    Glenn
     
    Last edited: Jul 26, 2012
  5. opresco
    opresco Member
    ComplaintMobiusBraceletWithTram.jpg

    Same thing happened to me. :mad:
    In 2010-2011 I spent a small fortune experimenting with movable parts in Stainless Steel!

    By the time I decided I'm really "The Master" :cool:, they changed the policy and,
    now, all my models with moving parts that were successfully printed in the past, get rejected!!
    Needless to say how p*&&#@ off am I!

    I gave away the bracelet with tram that was printed in one piece.
    I can't tell you the status of that one, because I never heard from the lady :cry:

    When I wanted to order another one for myself, it got rejected.
    So, in this instance I got around it by separating them in the same file,
    and using a Gold plated Split "O" Ring (see link below) to assemble.
    http://www.firemountaingems.com/search/?Keywords=gold+plated +jump+rings
     
    Last edited: Jul 26, 2012
  6. 7943_deleted
    7943_deleted Member
    Hi Ovido,

    You're right we can update the materials page to reflect the wear and tear.

    THanks for the suggestion!
     
  7. opresco
    opresco Member
    Hi Natalia,

    Same goes for Polished Silver!
    Not to mention all Unpolished Plastics.

    Thanks!
    And, keep up the good work! :)
     
  8. lensman
    lensman Well-Known Member
    What do you mean? I have absolutely no problem with the polished silver. It is, after all, solid silver not PLATED. It's a wonderful material to use.

    Glenn
     
  9. opresco
    opresco Member
    Agreed! I love it too.
    I have a pair of beautiful (Tiffany quality!) silver Tram earrings that were done at Shapeways.
    --------------------
    I meant Silver tarnishes, too, under certain conditions.
     
  10. BillBedford
    BillBedford Member
    Keeping them in cities will do that. It's the airborne sulphur from burning hydrocarbons that causes the tarnish.
     
  11. 7943_deleted
    7943_deleted Member
    Hi Guys,

    We're looking into the technical reasons why this is happening so fast (I suspect it has to do with the bronze content of the steel).

    As soon as I have more information, I can update the materials pages.

    Thanks!