speeking of new tools. I just bought a great one for trimming support material from prints. its made by Xuron makers of model railroad track shears and other such tools. costly compared to other similar tools but much more worth every penny in design and quality. I compared all Sprue cutters from $5 to $23 and the $23 Xuron #2175 was thinnest profile for getting in tight spots and their shear like cutting does excellent job with no mashing/bowing of plastic being cut. I cleaned up over 100 prints in a couple evenings with no ill effects to models or my hands/fingers. best investment so far in 3D printing tools. may find them low as $17 if searched I support my local hobby shop though since its the last of a couple dozen that used to be around.

I print with PETG and use it for support as well and the supports barely make contact, leave no marks and break off with very little effort.. Only thing I use is tweezers to get into some tight spots..

Looks like we'll need one for this:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/colu … /80236104/

And, yes, I had an original thingmaker when I was a kid

EDIT: And I can't believe they are endorsing unattended printing(end of article)!

heck I still use both old Mattel Thingmakers and the newer 1990s Toymax Thinkmakers and other reborn 60s maker toys all have been discontinued long ago due to either safety or material availability issues. Toymax did incorporate safety lockouts so high temps keep door access locked til cooled and lower wattage heaters that can be placed in plastic housings and not set home on fire like in the 60s LOL. maybe Mattel followed their lead. Toymax was bought out by another company that did not continue their maker toys lines. still shocked Mattel is going back to something that cost them so much litigation that they never even made supplies like Goop for die-hard kids. others have resurrected the recipe thankfully. and Toymax also remade Mattels strange machine and plastic injector molding machine (which I also have samples of in my own Maker lab in basement hehe. makers can never just use 1 method to make all our stuff, we always need new tools with different ways to get what we need done no matter if old outdated discontinued or new. just have to figure out how materials used are made and stock up like me.

also Mattel never says anything about selling rights to Thingmaker to Toymax in the 1990s. they are not bringing it back for 1st time since early 70s as they talk like. collectors have begged them for near 50 years to bring them back and they always said 'no way'. their last toy in that line was 'Gobbledy gook' edible goop type thingmaker and collectors dont want that plus it had stamped aluminum molds like easybake oven tins instead of diecast like even Toymax Thingmakers used with light bulbs for heating.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/colu … /80236104/

And, yes, I had an original thingmaker when I was a kid

EDIT: And I can't believe they are endorsing unattended printing(end of article)!