Windmill, 1884 #Catch the Wind

thingiverse

Ever since I've known my husband, he's wanted to restore a salesman's sample/patent model that he inherited from his grandfather, Eli Schrock. It's a 24-inch tall windmill with a 12-inch wheel. Some of the parts were broken or missing. When I saw the "catch the wind" competition, I suggested 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 his grandfather's 1884 patent. I then decided to try building 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 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'm 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. Now I'm 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've ever undertaken. The windmill can be used in an educational setting to illustrate how wind can be used to pump water, demonstrate how to change the direction of motion, or show how the windmill helped settle the Midwest U.S.A.