How annoying is the loose fitting PEG board accessories, they fall out wobble, etc..

I created this to allow you to make customized TIGHT fitting peg board accessories.

Create U, L, Supported U , and shelves all customizable, 8 variants in all.!

Using the defaults you will get a very nice fit on a standard 1inch / 1/4 hole.

Use supported pieces to allow larger sizes.

Work in progress.

To-do:

• Fix accuracy of peg arm length calculations
• Fix round hook issue when thinning width.
• fix larger pegboard holes.

updates v1.1

V1.1 [ may 5th ] added width and control over the end arm ( for U shapes )

NOTE: "Customizer app" Issues:-

Issues with the "customizer app" may make you preview not work, the STL is still correct, or try rotate the object in customizer and it will fix itself.

Here are some miscellaneous toolholders that can be scaled to fit practically any tool.

I was in the market for something like this myself, and was looking around searching for toolholders. The problem however is that there ar alot more different sized tools than there are toolholders that match, so then you end up with something that just looks awful and doesnt fit 100% to anything.

So regarding this project the goal was to make many different shaped toolholders that could easily be customized to fit any tool.

And again a big thanks to the makerbot crew for the plastic that made this:)

(Just an FYI - Everyone of my toolholders are printed on my full size makerbottable makerbot http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3285)

I've search many times to find the perfect spool holder for me, but without finding. So i created my own. With this Spool Holder you can put as many spool as you wish on it (simply print and other level) and it doesn't take much place. When i wanted to change color on my printer, I was tired of always putting on and off spool behind the machine, so with this Holder, you can use the spools directly without removing them of the Spool Holder. There is practically no friction and the spools turn really easily. The pieces are made to be print on a very small printer (4,5'' print bed) and don't uses a lot of materials. It fits pretty much every kind of spool but you can always resize the pieces if you wish. i Made 2 versions of this Spool Holder. The main difference between the 2 is that the V.2 is less bulky (uses less material but still enough strong) and the base and legs are made so you don't have to glue them together.
If you want this Holder, simply print 1 Base, 4 Legs and 1 add and you are ready to go.
Spool Holder add : Took 90 mins each to print
Spool Holder Base: Took 110 mins to print
Spool Holder Leg: Took 30 mins each to print
Spool Holder Top: Took 20 mins to print

Amusez-Vous :) Sorry for my doubtful English

Greetings Bold Adventurers!

I know you must be pretty excited right now, but please try to contain yourselves while we get thought this final pre-flight briefing....

Your rocket is just coming out of the Replicator now. And let me be the first to say, she’s a beauty. This new model you’ll be flying has that stunning red-and-white color scheme, and a much lower risk of sudden occupant liquefaction.

We’ll be sending you on a daring voyage of exploration and discovery. You're going out into the furthest reaches of the known Thingiverse, with only your wits and those little helmets for protection. We have no idea whats out there... or if it's friendly. But here at MakerBot Space Exploration our engineers have decided its best to just say positive.

Remember, it's the dream of every spool of filament to one day be printed into an astronaut, and you are the lucky few who get to live that dream. Go forth my brave astronauts and see all there is to be seen! Discover all that can be discovered! Meet new prints and learn their ways! Yours is the greatest adventure of our time!

And be sure to take lots of pictures, you know we love a good slide show.

Created by Thingiverse user Skimbal, designer of the Turtle Shell Racers, MakerBot Botmobile and the Gothic Cathedral Playset.

Forward Brave Astronauts!

Journey into the farthest reaches of the Cosmos and be among the first humans to see the wonders of our Thingiverse.

Your daring MakerBot crew risks all for science, adventure, and our distributed-manufacturing future!

Created by Thingiverse user Skimbal, designer of the Turtle Shell Racers, MakerBot Botmobile and the Gothic Cathedral Playset.

The Penrose tiles by pleppik got me thinking and I decided they would be cooler if they held together on their own. The snap shapes enforce the matching rules (as long as all the pieces are right-side up), which means any pattern you make out of them will be aperiodic.

It's a real-world question mark block! Will it contain coins or a power up? Ok, well, neither actually - just some custom electronics designed to make the bottom capacitive-touch sensitive. When you punch - er, touch - the bottom, the light toggles on and off and plays the classic "coin" noise. Once in while, though, you might find that you get something... extra.

Check out this video of the lamp in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J05lAg8_1zY

I designed this in OpenSCAD and cut it out of several colors of acrylic. I'm going to post the scad file as well as the Eagle PCB design and the firmware once I have cleaned those up a little.

In the meantime, if you must have one, you can buy a kit from our Etsy store: http://www.etsy.com/listing/90652319/super-mario-inspired-touch-sensitive

Long Long ago in a land far away, there was a little castle surrounded by an industrious town. The townspeople loved their little castle and wanted it to be perfect. But the little castle was empty. Its owner had left long ago, taking all the fine things with him and locking them away.

The Townspeople resolved to re-furnish there castle. They learned to craft and create. Making chest and chairs, tables and beds, gadgets and gizmo's, they filled the castle with things that reflected themselves and their experiences. They created so many things that at the end of each day it looked like little castle couldn't hold any more.

But the castle had a secret. Every night, it grew. Sprouting new towers, chambers, and cellars. The town's people would awaken and rejoice, ready for another day of crafting and creating. The town was proud of its magical castle, and everyone wanted to fill it with the best that they could offer.

But wasn't a magical castle, it was a MakerBot Castle.

Each night the daring Damsels deftly deployed their wondrous Replicator, creating new rooms to extend the structure. Floor by floor they built up into the sky. Until one day the little castle had become the tallest and grandest in all the Thingiverse.

And the small town around the castle had grown into a great city, filled with the incredible things and spectacular ideas. The Makers, Crafters, and Hackers had learned from furnishing the castle. They had perfected their crafts and honed their skills. When they looked out on the world from the tallest tower, and saw that it too was a place they could rebuild. And they spread across the land, sharing their knowledge and teaching others how to improve the world around them.

Created by Thingiverse user Skimbal, designer of the Turtle Shell Racers, MakerBot Botmobile and the Gothic Cathedral Playset.

A toy robot action figure designed by a Boy Scout and intended for only good deeds.

UPDATE: Files 1 & 2 have been revised for cleaner meshes.

Make your creations scurry around with these handy little windup walkers, http://store.makerbot.com/makerbot-windup-walkers.html

One day Bre walked into the Workshop and declared "everything on Thingiverse should be able to walk". And now it can!

With the Windup Walker 5 pack you will have your ideas scurrying off into the sunset before you can say sarsaparilla.

To help get you started we've created charming walking derivatives of R. Maker and his friend the TARDIS.

See them in action: http://youtu.be/O5dVQayw9Nc

R. Maker is a derivative of: thingiverse.com/thing:11654

TARDIS is a derivative of: thingiverse.com/thing:13109

So you've gotten your hands a handcuff key to print in case some vagabond cuffs you to a table conveniently within reach of your trusty Makerbot. But what if, using your newfound freedom, you find yourself at liberty to turn the tables and show them what the powers of nerd rage, extruded nylon filament, and Greyskull combined can achieve? This is a functional pair of handcuffs that you can print out in the comfort and privacy of your own home.

Ferret7 printed one out! http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1300 Awesome!

I just polished off a working model. Take a look here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gianteye/sets/72157622866071790/

This is a DIY art. This was one of the first project I printed on my 3D-Printer. Just a really cool thing to have. :)

This is how it looks live: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-c5_IVQEhE

To those who have emailed me about the lack of files.. I'm updating the files please be patient no one is paying me to do this so progress is slow. My printer is also under repair and it will take some time to test my mods. The reason for the mods are to corrects some problems and to back out changes made for the museum challenge as the entry was unsuccessful.

This toy takes advantage of the accuracy with which a 3D printer creates parts to produce a very precise aerodynamic and balanced flying toy that only works well due to the precision of a 3D printer. I'm designing different Prop Rockets for it say tuned :-) bigger faster further!

Was "Analog Sine/Cosine Calculating Machine", but then I found the actual name for this device, which I really like.

It is a thing to hold, enjoy turning the crank, and look at. If you can't find your calculator, and need to know the sine or cosine of an angle real quick, you can dial in the angle and read off of the Scotch Yokes. It also works in reverse.

I plan to paint one up, hang it on my wall, and use it to help explain Trig to my kids. I have built and assembled one.

This was initially going to be a simple design to help me learn Alibre. Simple was lost at some point, I'm afraid. I am thinking about adding a paper feed and pencil holder, so I can plot with it.

I've included a photo of two prototype versions, where I worked out the mechanical details. You can read more about them here, along with notes on why I'm making my own printed screws: http://swampcastle.blogspot.com/2011/06/sincos-prototypes.html

I also added photos of some now-funny-looking prototypes that helped me get the design to where it is today.

There are various other articles about this project on my blog: http://swampcastle.blogspot.com/

I took Bruno Levy's model of a stone kitten published on AIM@Shape[1] (specifically the "kitten quads" file) and processed it a little. I fixed minor issues (such as flattening the base) so I could print it out.

[1] http://shapes.aim-at-shape.net/viewgroup.php?id=270

Do you think the Politicians have it all Wrong? Is your Mayor a Bumbling Idiot? Are your local City Planers out to kill you?

Well now you can prove them all wrong! Demonstrate your city building mettle with the Sim City 2000 Tabletop Play Set!

All the Thrills of being a real City Planner, without the boring environmental impact statements.

But Watch Out! Disaster can Strike at any moment! The Devastation of the Spilled Coffee Flood! The Clean-Up Alien from the In-law's House! The Horror Of the Attacking 1000 foot 3-Year-Old!

The first version is a floating widget catapult (those patented plastic balls that you find in some black cans of beer).
Watch it in action:
http://vimeo.com/29575935
 
The second is an OpenSCAD catapult with one single parameter.
Just enter the diameter of your projectile and let it build arm and base accordingly.
Short animation showing variation of "projectile_diameter" from 10 to 35 millimeters:
http://vimeo.com/29589013
If you want a longer arm catapult also adjust the "catapult_length" parameter.
 
Floating widget image from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floating_Widget

UPDATE: There is a new version of this design which is more reliable to print and easier to assemble. I highly recommend you use it instead: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:243278

At last, here is the much-requested 100% printable heart gears. No more ugly bolt holes! This was designed along the same lines as the screwless cube gears: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:10483, and in fact uses the exact same center block (though the pins are slightly shorter).

UPDATE: If you lack a 3D printer, you can now buy these from CarryTheWhat at http://www.etsy.com/shop/CarryTheWhat.

The size has been increased a bit from the previous version to accommodate the printed pins, so it now measures 100mm across when assembled. Since everything is now printable, it should be easy to scale this design up or down as you see fit. At this size it took me ~6 hours of printing time on my TOM.

This is a spring designed for 3d printing.

Watch the video to see it in action!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxwbQSMbEIA

The more you scale the spring, the smaller the spring constant.

Increasing your filament width increases the spring constant.

The spring can be used in tension or compression, but it must be fairly short with comparatively thick filament width to be used in compression.

It can be made extremely flexible and it is very fun to play with.

It's form was discovered by accident, as it was originally auto generated support for the middle of a hollow cylinder.

I'm still perfecting the design but it works quite well in it's current state.

I will be uploading different sizes (and source files shortly) over the next few days.

The spring was prototyped on a Fablicator.
www.Fablicator.com

These are 3 different machanical animals. They are all pretty basic mechanical devices that turn rotary motion into more of a linear motion. My kids (and their friends) have gotten a real kick out of them. I drew them all in sketchup.

Jumping Prairie Dog Turn the crank and make the prairie dog jump up and down.

Diving Dolphin Turn the crank and watch the dolphin dive through the waves.

Wood Pecker Turn the crank and see the wood pecker peck away. (This was originally posted as a pecking bird, but my kids all call it the woodpecker, so I'm putting it up as part of this collection).

Functional Pin Tumbler Padlock Model. User Print-To-3D: http://www.thingiverse.com/printto3d shared a very cool sectioned Paddle-Lock: http://js-kit.com/blob/sk9sIwQKzOFH1K4lciYmmQ.jpg that got me interested in making something that actually locks.

Again, all items are printable except for the springs which I removed from ball-point click pens (thankfully my wife is still putting up with disassembled pens around the house). This one is a little more complicated but it still works and makes a good desk oddity. If you were to glue the "Top", "Retainer", and "Lid" in place, the only way to get this lock open without the key would be to break it. But, what is the fun if you can't take it apart?

Note 1: I did do a bit of finish sanding on the components to make everything fit together and slide/twist well. I would suggest a "dry-fit" of the components with their mates before attempting assembly.
Note 2: The "Lock" component is a difficult print. I was able to get good results by adding two supporting features over the length and then carving/sanding it back to a circular form. If anyone has suggestions on how to print circular objects on their side, I'm all ears.

My new YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnnw56J_TeOsF4M_F5pPPJQ

This is my submission to the MakerBot Robot Mascot Challenge!

A few comments:

Although I am no stranger to 3D modeling, this is my very first model intended to be 3D printed. I do not own a 3D printer of any sort and I have never 3D printed anything. That being said, I tried my best to research good design practices for FDM printing and I sure hope I did all-right!

Anyhoo, this little guy is customizable by having different parts printed in different colors. Also, he was designed to be able to be personalized by the producer being able to place his or her own model in the body to add personal flair. The feet articulate as do the head, arms and claws. Everything should snap together. The spool on his back is Mr. Maker's fuel supply! Take some 1.75mm filament and wind it on the spool (you may have to warm it to be more pliant) then thread the end through the top of his head.

Now he's ready to go!

I designed this in about 10 hours with Autodesk Inventor 2012.

(Many thanks to "techknight" for the advice on re-orienting the models in ReplicatorG!)

Also, I would LOVE to know how well this prints. I tried very hard to be mindful of the vertical slopes and tolerances but this being my first design for print, I don't really know for sure. If anybody prints this, I would GREATLY appreciate it if you could explain any issues. THANKS! :)

UPDATE!
I'm working on the Mark II version as well as an Experimental Mark III body that acts as a stylish enclosure for the Gen 4 electronics guts. I don't own the parts so it's a lot of guesswork at the moment...Along with a new segmented head so it can be wired up with lights or cameras or whatever you can fit in there! (The FOO and BAR lights on the console for example!)

The Mark II I'll be uploading soon. Unfortunately not soon enough for the contest, but it was always my goal to create a neat little gizmo that was hackable and modular for ultimate customization!

More to come!

Update: Name Change! As a nod to robotic lore, this little guy will now be known as R. Maker!

Functional Pin Tumble lock. All of the components can be printed with the exception of the helix compression springs. These springs can be taken out of standard click pens. The springs I made this for are 4mm OD and ~20mm long.
I made a small window in the "Outer Barrel" to view the key pin pushing up on the driver pin.
This was a quick project to familiarize myself with the design constraints required for successful FDM designs/prints. I thought I would distribute since it could be fun for teaching and demonstrations.

Customizable, snap fit, articulated and poseable bobblehead in the style of classic 1950's windup tin toy robots. His name is BOB and that's what he does.

Here's a video of BOB in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWU_xUSmFKc

Here is a motor with a v8 configuration. It is two halves mounted ninety degrees from each other with the same crank shaft, connectors and pistons as the four cylinder just more of them. It is worth noting that they can be alternatively mounted flat or opposing piston configuration. I opted for the muscle of the V8!

I have added the crank shaft parts layout and the source file as separate files so if any parts brake, you don't have to print the whole thing again!

UPDATE: I have uploaded the fixed STL files, no more errors from Skeinforge! Thank you all for your valuable input as I am still learning too.

I have added a larger piston file but it requires good printer settings.

He's climbin in your windows
He's snatchin your people up.
Hide your kids, hide your wife
Hide your kids, hide your wife

It's your favorite Internet Meme Friendly Bear. Print him up and glue him to your door. The neighbors will know you are friendly, approachable, and totally legit!

Edit: There's a problem with "Bear 3". He prints hollow. Download "Bear 2" for better printing. My Bad!

I think we can all agree, life would become much more interesting if I launched a turtle shell at you every once and a while.

But it's no fun if I'm the only one with a shell to launch. Therefore,

Turtle Shells for Everybody!!!

All you have to do is print it out and assemble!

The Turtle Shell Racer is as fully 3d printable as I can make it using my Makerbot Cupcake CNC and its MK5 Extruder. The pdf file contains full assembly instructions and a parts list. This is a very ambitious project; expect to spend some time on it.

Video of the Shells in action at CCCKC:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAd3e_UTW4c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA-wY-Q_onU

UPDATE Sept 26th

I have uploaded the modifications I made to the shells for the NYC Maker Faire.

Wheely Bar.stl - This replaces the rear axle brackets.stl with a wheely bar, which allows awesome wheelys!

New stearing Link.stl - This new link replaces the old steering linkage.stl. It is designed to capture one of the servo horns and allow a better connection between the servo and the steering.

Articulated, snap together, Mars Rover! No screws, glue, or support structure needed (although some glue in a few places wouldn't hurt). All the parts can be posed, turned, twisted. The wheels turn and the legs even pivot like the real thing to go over obstacles! Unfortunately, it is not autonomous.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Exploration_Rover

2011-07-19 Update: V3 fixes a problem with plate 5 that was causing some pieces to be too close together and get merged, makes the axel holes in the body a little tighter, half the panels in the plates have been flipped so that the shiny side of all pieces printed on a HBP can be on top, I made the dimples on the panel tabs larger so they hold together better, and I also added squares to the panels to make them look more like solar panels.

2011-07-16 Update: I uploaded a new version of everything with a few changes like dimpled tabs for the solar panels (thanks to gpvillamil) and slightly larger holes to make it easier to snap bolts into. I also added a variable to the openscad script called tolerance that you can use to make those holes slightly larger. If you print the tolerance_test.stl you can use it to help find the right tolerance for your printer. The holes range from a tolerance value of 0.0 to 0.6 in 0.1 increments and the files I uploaded are 0.2

Superstition

Some hold that when confronted with unfortunate events, or just when these are mentioned or suggested, a person wanting to avoid that fate could resort to the sign of the horns to ward off bad luck. It is a more vulgar equivalent of knocking on wood. Interestingly, superstitious ones can alternatively "touch iron" (tocca ferro) or touch their noses, which are not considered as vulgar alternatives, or (for males) grab their testicles (the left one with the right hand in Argentina, a country very influenced by the Italian culture), which is considered very vulgar, but is perhaps the most commonplace of the three. In Peru it is shown usually by saying contra (against). In Dominican Republic is usually used the expression zafa as a protection against curses commonly known as fukú, as well when a mention is made of someone or something believed to be involved with a curse. All of these gestures are meant to somehow conjure some supernatural power to protect the performer of the gesture. This sign may be used (e.g. in Cuba, Brazil and in Italy) to indicate a man whose wife is unfaithful (probably in the very widespread traditional association of horns with a cuckold), and as with superstitions, gestures to avert harm such as knocking on wood or saying "solavaya" are commonplace.

Such gestures are typically used when a black cat crosses one's path, when seeing a hearse (whether or not it is loaded), or when encountering any situation, object or person believed to bring about bad luck. It was once thought to prevent or distract the effects of the evil eye, that is of intentional or directed curses. Historically the gesture was pointed at people suspected of being witches.

In Italy, pointing the index and little finger at someone is a common curse as well as an accusation of having an unfaithful wife. With fingers down, it is a common apotropaic gesture instead, by which superstitious people seek protection in unlucky situations (something like touching wood). Thus for example the President of the Italian Republic Giovanni Leone shocked the country when, while in Naples during an outbreak of cholera, he shook the hands of patients with one hand while with the other behind his back he made the corna. This act was well documented by the journalists and photographers who were right behind him, a fact that had escaped President Leone's mind in that moment. The gesture was interpreted as especially offensive for the patients.[1] It is much more common in southern Italy, and is typical in the popular culture of Naples, where President Leone was born.[2]

During an European Union meeting in 2002, Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi did this gesture during a meeting picture. Asked why, he answered he did it "because it's fun".

European and North American popular culture

Music history and acoustics

Daniel Speer (1636–1707) calls this sign "zwey quehr Finger" and designates it as a measure of the distance between adjacent positions on a tenor trombone. Literally "athwart two fingers" this primitive measure may rank along with the cubit in its antiquity. Michael Praetorius (1571–1621) uses this term in his Syntagma Musicum III to describe the pitch difference between "Choir tone (Chorton)" and "Chamber tone (Kammerton)." To find the difference between Chorton and Kammerton, one must lower the slide on a tenor trombone made in Nürnberg the distance of "zwey quehr Finger" which is one-half step; zwei quer Finger is German for "two across fingers".

Contemporary use by musicians and fans

The 1969 back album cover for Witchcraft Destroys Minds & Reaps Souls on Mercury Records by Chicago-based psychedelic-occult rock band Coven, led by singer Jinx Dawson, pictured Coven band members giving the "sign of the horns" correctly and included a Black Mass poster showing members at a ritual making the sign. Starting in early 1968, Coven concerts always began and ended with Jinx giving the sign on stage. Incidentally, the band also recorded a song called "Black Sabbath" on their 1969 album, and one of the band members is named Oz Osborne, not to be confused with Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath.

On the cover of The Beatles' Yellow Submarine album (1969), the cartoon of John Lennon's right hand is making the sign above Paul McCartney's head. For many fans, this was one of the many "Paul is dead" clues. Some may think it is possible that the cartoonist misrepresented the sign for "I love you", which is very similar and more in keeping with the band's public message and image. However, the 1969 cartoon is based on many photos of John Lennon making the hand sign in 1967. One of these photos of Lennon doing the hand sign appears on the cover of a Beatles single release shortly after, making it the first time the hand sign appears on a rock release.

Beginning in the early 1970s, the horns were known to some as the "P-Funk sign" to fans of Parliament-Funkadelic. It was used by George Clinton and Bootsy Collins as the password to the Mothership,[3] a central element in Parliament's science-fiction mythology, and fans used it in return to show their enthusiasm for the band. Collins is depicted showing the P-Funk sign on the cover of his 1977 album Ahh... The Name Is Bootsy, Baby!

Frank Zappa can be seen making the gesture in the 1977 film Baby Snakes.

Music fans sometimes brandish this sign, often accompanied by headbanging, to signify that they enjoy the music they are listening to, mostly when the music is of the rock or metal genre.

Heavy metal subculture
It also has a variety of meanings in heavy metal subcultures, where it is known by a variety of terms, most commonly maloik, metal sign, horns, Leviathan Horns or metal horns, among others.

A March 31, 1985 article in Circus by Ben Liemer states that Gene Simmons of Kiss was influenced by Blackie Lawless of W.A.S.P. in 1977 after watching Sister perform in Los Angeles. Blackie had come across a hand salute known as the corna in an occult book and had started using it during live performances.

Simmons appears to be making the sign with his left hand on the cover of the 1977 Kiss album Love Gun. Simmons has later claimed—noticeably in the special features segment "Satan's Top 40" in the movie Little Nicky—that he plays his bass with his plectrum in his middle two fingers so when he raises his hand, he automatically draws the horns.

Steven Tyler, during the pre-ride film for Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith displays a sign of the horns on his forehead during the movie, along with the line "Wait a minute, I love that idea!"

Ronnie James Dio was known for popularizing the sign of the horns in heavy metal.[4][5] His Italian aunty used it to ward off the evil eye (which is known as malocchio). Dio began using the sign soon after joining (1979) the metal band Black Sabbath. The previous singer in the band, Ozzy Osbourne, was rather well known at using the "peace" sign at concerts, raising the index and middle finger in the form of a V. Dio, in an attempt to connect with the fans, wanted to similarly use a hand gesture. However, not wanting to copy Osbourne, he chose to use the sign his grandmother always made.[6] The horns became famous in metal concerts very soon after Black Sabbath's first tour with Dio. The sign would later be appropriated by heavy metal fans under the name "maloik", a corruption of the original malocchio.

Terry "Geezer" Butler of Black Sabbath can be seen "raising the horns" in a photograph taken in 1971. This would indicate that the "horns" and their association with metal occurred much earlier than either Gene Simmons or Ronnie James Dio suggests. The photograph is included in the CD booklet of the Symptom of the Universe: The Original Black Sabbath 1970–1978 compilation album.

From a 2001 interview with Ronnie James Dio on Metal-Rules.com:

"I want to ask you about something people have asked you about before but will no doubt continue to talk about, and that is the sign created by raising your index and little finger. Some call it the "evil eye." I would like to know if you were the first one to introduce this to the metal world and what this symbol represents to you?"

R.J. Dio – "I doubt very much if I would be the first one who ever did that. That's like saying I invented the wheel, I'm sure someone did that at some other point. I think you'd have to say that I made it fashionable. I used it so much and all the time and it had become my trademark until the Britney Spears audience decided to do it as well. So it kind of lost its meaning with that. But it was...I was in Sabbath at the time. It was symbol that I thought was reflective of what that band was supposed to be all about. It's NOT the devil's sign like we're here with the devil. It's an Italian thing I got from my Grandmother called the "Malocchio". It's to ward off the Evil Eye or to give the Evil Eye, depending on which way you do it. It's just a symbol but it had magical incantations and attitudes to it and I felt it worked very well with Sabbath. So I became very noted for it and then everybody else started to pick up on it and away it went. But I would never say I take credit for being the first to do it. I say because I did it so much that it became the symbol of rock and roll of some kind."[7]

Whatever the derivation may be, the sign eventually came to signify, variously, that the one gesturing is rocking him or herself, is encouraging the recipient of the gesture to rock, and/or that he/she emphatically appreciates the rocking that has already commenced.

Existing most often within the metal subculture is a variation in which both hands are used. All digits, with the exception of the little fingers, are closed and the hands are then brought together; thumb on thumb. This technique is often employed by Kirk Hammett of Metallica, Butch Walker and other musicians. A similar sign can be made by crossing the hands and extending both index fingers.

Another form used by the metal subculture (such as the Brazilian band Angra) is similar to the version depicted above, except that all digits except the index finger are closed and the hands are brought together with thumbs pointing in opposite directions. One form features the forearms crossed, the pinkies interlocked, and both thumbs and index fingers extended (sometimes referred to as the "Super Ozzy").

There is a two-person gesture known as the "rock lock", where a second person makes a hand with the second and third finger extended (rather than the first and fourth), and grabs the first person's metal gesture from the front in an interlocking fashion. The meaning is essentially an affirmation or reply to the original gesture made by the first person, something like a heavy metal high five. Another variation can include the second party forming a traditional "devil horns" sign and rotating it 90 degrees, interlocking at the knuckles.

Angus Young holds both his hands to the sides of his head with index fingers extended to create "Metal Horns".

Politics

A variation of the gesture, linking ring finger and thumb to give the hand the look of a "wolf", was adopted as the symbol of the Turkish nationalist political party Grey Wolves.

Sports

In baseball, the hand gesture is used by players to signal to other players how many outs there are; using this gesture signals that there are two outs. The signal is used because the space between the two fingers makes it easier for players far away to see the two fingers.

The sign has been used in professional wrestling. It was adopted in the early 1990s by Bret Hart in the WWF, with the two extended fingers standing for the initial of his surname. Later on, a variation was used by The Kliq, a backstage group composed of Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman and Triple H) adopted a variation of the horns to identify between them. Hall and Nash used the wolf-like variation after they moved to WCW and formed the nWo stable in 1996. WWE performer Edge also began using it prominently with his "Rated-R Superstar" moniker in the mid 2005s.

The sign is also used by some college and high school sports teams, such as the University of Texas and the University of South Florida, fans during athletic competitions. The fingers usually stand for a type of horn such as longhorn or a bull's horn. Students and fans of the NC State Wolfpack use this sign while the thumb, middle and ring finger move up and down like the howling of a wolf.

If you're looking at this, you probably really want this version that has better access for cleaning the hobb and also a guide for the filament integrated with the idler:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:17030

If you are interested in the stages of development, read on for the details of this version:

This is an update to my Accessible Wade's Extruder.

The idler is now hinged using an M3 screw.
I have also added support for the central part of the 608 idler so that there is no need to use washers to space the bearing away from the plastic.

I have been using this design for a while now and love it.

Changing filament is a simple as compressing the spring then whipping out the old filament and poking the new one in.

UPDATE: 6 Aug 2011 - Add arcol (cory75 thing:10532) and wildseyed hotend mount options. Im not overly happy with the asymmetry of the arcol option.