Next lesson's up: the planning and air-safety work we did before printing a single suit part. Same heads up, we're moving our videos into classrooms so they're easier to follow in order. If you've seen this one, scroll on by. This is the episode where we slowed down on purpose. We learned the printer first so we weren't guessing, picked the helmet as the starting point so a mistake wouldn't cost us the whole suit, and bought the Mark 6 files from Walsh 3D instead of modeling from scratch. Then the big one: air safety. The final suit uses ASA and TPU, which can put harmful particles in the air, and our monitor caught little spikes even with PLA and PETG. So I built a proper vented exhaust setup and tuned it with a simple paper towel test. The takeaway: if you print anything past PLA in your house, vent it properly. Plan first, print second. Do you track air quality in your print space? What are you using?

This one's now a lesson in the classroom, and it's the one I'd point a brand new family to first: the gear you actually need to start 3D printing, and nothing you don't. We kept seeing those giant "must have" lists online, and most of it you don't need on day one. So we split it into what matters right away versus what can wait, and walked through the short list. PLA to start, a glue stick for adhesion, IPA and cloths for the plate, flush cutters, a scraper, calipers, a way to keep filament dry, and the safety basics. On safety, get ventilation sorted, get an air quality meter that actually reads VOCs and PM2.5, and put it on a battery backup. I also made a one page Starter Sheet to go with this lesson. It's the gear list plus our beginner settings and the first-fail fixes, the stuff we wish we'd had taped to the wall on day one. It's attached to the lesson, free to download. We're building these classrooms out so the useful stuff stops disappearing in the feed. More coming. What's one tool you didn't expect to use as much as you do?

Hey everyone, I’m Ryan, and this is my son Evan! We’re the father and son behind The Bonding Blueprint. On YouTube, we’ve been sharing what we’re working on as a family, and we’ll continue to do that. Things like LEGO builds, STEM kits, DIY projects, 3D printing, gaming, and learning new skills side by side. If you haven't seen our channel, you can find that here: www.youtube.com/@thebondingblueprint This Skool exists for a different reason. We wanted a place where families could slow down a bit, talk to each other, share what they’re building, and learn from one another. Not just watch a video and move on, but actually be part of a community. This Skool is for: - Parents who want to spend more hands-on time with their kids - Kids who enjoy building, creating, and figuring things out - Families who already love this stuff and want to go deeper - Families who don’t know how to do any of this yet, but think it looks interesting or want to try You do not need any prior experience to be here. You don’t need to be an expert. We definitely aren’t. A big part of what we try to show, both on YouTube and here in Skool, is that a lot of these topics can look complicated or intimidating at first glance. LEGO mega builds, STEM kits, 3D printing, home improvement tools, DIY projects, even gaming setups can feel like something only experts do. In reality, once you break things down into smaller steps, watch someone else work through it, or tackle it together as a family or a community, those same projects become very approachable. That has been the whole point of our content from the beginning. Showing families that you do not need prior knowledge to start, you just need curiosity, patience, and a willingness to learn together. We make mistakes. We backtrack. We figure things out as we go. And we talk honestly about what worked and what didn’t. The most important part of this Skool is participation. Posts, comments, questions, and sharing your own projects are what will make this place valuable.