So…something like 3d printing…

I forgot until looking at your photo that the mini uses a Bowden tube, not direct drive like the MK3S+. Did you replace/switch the nozzle around the time this all started happening? With Bowden tubes, there are a few problems that can arise that you don’t see on direct drive. The end of the Bowden tube (that is inside the extruder/hote end assembly) can get deformed or clogged. If you can check that, you may find an issue. Other than that, when swapping nozzles I always had to put the nozzle in part of the way, then push the Bowden in further, then tighten the nozzle.

My money would be a clogged nozzle. But a better photo (close up) may be helpful. Things I wonder…

Does the filament come out and curl back up during preheat?

Is your heat block messy with residue?

Have you tried a cold pull, or pulling the nozzle and cleaning/replacing it?

When I first started working with 3d modelling (for 3d printed parts), I followed everyone’s advice and got a trial of Fusion. Luckily, I didn’t use it much and when I came back to it, my trial was over. I did not want to use a hobbyist license, just to have things change - so went looking for FOSS alternatives. OpenScad made my brain hurt, but then I found FreeCAD. Definately hard to learn, and for someone new to CAD design - I am learning very slowly.

I watched a ton of videos, but still struggle. My saving grace was that I found the official discord. The users on the discord server can be super helpful with learing the nuance of the platform. Several times I posted a file and askded for help and had an answer within an hour. In fact, I just submitted a screenshot of my sketch with dimensions and someone went ot the trouble of recreating it and fixing my problem…so I recommend you join the server if you are struggling. Link below:

https://discord.gg/uh85ZRNcfk

Yes and on some printers, that spot where the Bowden tube meets the nozzle is very problematic. You have to loosen the nozzle a bit, push the Bowden tub up against it, then tighten the nozzle the rest of the way

It was awful on my Ender clone, but haven’t had that issue on my Prusa.

I gotta be honest…I am hanging on by a threat. The communities that I was engaged with on Reddit before the Snoopacolypse were pretty niche. I wasn’t there for r/funny or r/videos, etc. I found similar communities on Lemmy, but they have soooooo little activity. I have to modify my sort just to see content, as its so old. When there are posts, they typically get very little discussion.

I am on Lem.ee, and I have the hardest time posting anything from mobile. It looks like it fails, and if I sort by new, it isn’t there and never shows up - HOWEVER, I start getting replies, so someone is seeing it somehow.

I detest what reddit did and is still doing - but Lemmy is not filling that void for me, and its frustrating.

Can I ask what settings you had to hone in?

What printer and hot end?

(this is all specific to Prusa MK3/Prusa Slicer)

I used the default profile that Prusa has for .6 nozzles, and I changed the layer height to be larger. I think I may have actually added a perimeter as well, which slows things down normally. Nothing else changed at all.

You have to change the nozzle size in the printer hardware menu. Then I had to run the first layer calibation. I found out the hard way that that calibration test ALWAYS uses .4 settings. I printed about 10 of them and nothing was turning out, then I made my own, but creating a 75x75 box, that was one layer high. It printed perfectly with minimal z adjustment.

Was it a kit? Had it been printing before you started getting this issue or was this an issue out of the box?

I am not sure. I think as long as your waistband has enough tension to hold the fold in place it should work. Otherwise you may need a belt. Congrats on the wedding.

Looks sharp, I learned a little too late to do the “Military Tuck” when the sides got a bit bunched up. It can really help clean up the look with non tailored shirts.

And then Linux will finally get the attention it has always deserved.

Would have been nice if they decided to give that option during the early days when they made the decision to start mining data and selling it off. I totally would have been up for a reasonable fee to keep my data felt bad for Julian from being sold.

All great points. I thought he was asking if it was worth it to invest more on it. I was simply saying that if money wasn’t a limitation, there are great options that are a significant improvement. Some day my MK3 is outdated too. I wouldn’t buy one now, but I also am not sure I will buy the MK3.5 kit and spend the time installing it.

That looks like the issue to me as well, good call.

Here is my take. I have an Aquila (Ender 3 v2 clone). I really had to keep that thing tuned in order to get decent prints. I later bought a Prusa MK3S+ which I haven’t had to tune at all. I am bummed that the MK4 was released 4 months after I bought my MK3, but thats life.

With the evolution of printing, and the new advances, an ender 3 just cannot compete with quality or speed…unless you put in a lot of upgrades and time/energy. Its a workhorse, but only for those that want to work on it and tune it. There are so many new printers that are faster, more reliable, and have some incredible features like Bambulabs, Mk4, Anker Make, etc. Its really hard to recommend Ender 3s (any of them) anymore.

To play MWIII on battlenet, you bet it is. I opted not to, but that’s the gimmick lately

It is tough to get support for a machine that is at your house anyways. Youtube will offer way better support for Creality and Prusa printers. You can find almost any repair you need.