My son wants an eight-hundred-dollar 3-D printer for his apartment. He says it pays for itself. I asked what he planned to make, and he turned his laptop around to show me a very well-organized folder.
Figurines, mostly. Characters from things I haven't seen, with separate folders for the different kinds. Some were in armor that left an extraordinary amount uncovered. One was described as battle-ready. I asked whether the missing pieces printed separately.
He says the point is to paint them and that there is a whole community doing it. He was perfectly happy to explain. I hadn't realized quite how much explanation I was inviting. I remembered wanting a kiln myself. Sharon Kilbride got one and began selling ashtrays at craft fairs; eventually her husband needed a second garage. I asked how large the printer was.
It's his money and his apartment. He is getting the printer. I only asked that anything he brings here be something he can explain to his grandmother at Thanksgiving.
He agreed very quickly. I suspect the folder was already arranged to allow for that.
— Ash