May 2023 Model - Here's your sign

Spring is in the air! Don’t you just love the scent?

Years ago, I became obsessed with the idea of scented filament. Coffee, pine, cinnamon, and rose were all interesting in that they all made a pleasing scent while printing.

We made many experiments with natural materials ground into powders, and at least one less pleasant experience with an artificial pine scent that forever made our shop vac smell like laundry detergent. Oh yeah, and there was bacon…

We’ve mostly shelved the idea of scented filament, though it did make a small, but fun resurgence last year with some friends of Protopasta. 

It’s a lot of fun, but it’s also a lot of work to prepare powdered ingredients. We enjoyed some unique creativity with creations like “toasted meat”. Thanks Pooch! What happened afterwards led to an unfortunate experience, yet entertaining monologue from Zach Freedman. 

While we don’t currently make any aromatic filaments, you can still “stop and smell the filament”. Take a load off. Enjoy the moment! Wait, could a phrase like this make a cool sign? How cool would weathered garden signs 3D printed with Protopasta Iron be?

Corey (more about the Protopasta x CM Design Collaboration) ran with that concept to create three wonderful signs that you can download for free from your favorite model platform (by clicking an icon below).

Corey recommends printing face down on a textured build plate for the best possible forward-facing finish. Before oxidizing, Corey roughs up the surface to expose more metal. You can find instructions for metal finishing in the how-to section of our blog or have a look of Corey’s process in our latest video on your favorite social site (linked to icons below).

Which sign is your favorite? What metal(s) will you try? Use MAY4METAL for 10% off all our metal filaments (in 100g, 500g and 1.5kg) at Protopasta.com all May long (no order minimum) to make your own metal signs.

May you have a metal-filled month,

Alex and the Protopasta Team