Next generation mask clips - forever free designs

Roy, thanks for these. designs! I made some Earsavers and some Geckos and Eagles in various sizes and had some folks try test them out. The owner of a local restaurant chain really liked a slightly larger version of the Eagle so I made ~200 of them for them (30 pairs fit on a 12x20 acrylic including the GF border). I’ll let you know what feedback I get!

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Thanks for letting me know. Officially, you’re not supposed to change the size, but that is mainly because I don’t want people making them smaller. I spent a lot of time testing the size and placement of holes, etc., to minimize breakability, both in use and when dropped. I’m confused when you say you fit 30 pairs on a 12x20 piece of acrylic. The template I made fit 19 pairs, so either you made them bigger and fit 30 pairs on two sheets (like an A sheet and a B sheet), which is consistent with what you said, or you made them a lot smaller (which would be bad for breakability). Can you clarify?

FYI The rules do state that the first post must contain a file, and zip files work fine here.

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Hmm, it looks like I made them smaller than your intended size then although that was not my goal. I downloaded the zip and opened the svg in Inkscape. The doc was in pixels so I converted it to inches and the document printed space was showing up as 9"x15". Guess I should have realized that something had gone wrong at that point but instead I plowed on ahead, increased the size slightly from what I thought was the intended size, and packed them onto 12"x20". FWIW each “wing” ended up at approximately 3.45" long. I’ll let you know what feedback I get on breakage, fit, and the like.

The SVGs were designed for straight import into the Glowforge for 12x20 and 12x12 sheets. I don’t use Inkscape so wasn’t aware there would be any problems if people used it. I’ll add a note on that when I update. The Eagle wings are supposed to be just under 4", so yours are about 85%. The other problem besides being more breakable is they will be too small for some people (like me).

The guidelines say “should,” not “must.” I didn’t post the files here because I want all updates to be in one place, and also the license I am using does not permit modifications. If Glowforge wants to change “should” to “must” and/or wants to force posters in this category to allow modifications to their designs, I can move this to a different category. I spent weeks getting these designs just right — I don’t want people making changes.

I won’t quibble over wording or intent, but I’m not sure how you think posting them in a different location will prevent people from making changes. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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I’m using my copyright and a license agreement to ensure that the integrity of the clips is maintained and that they are not engraved, etched, or otherwise adorned in a way that makes them harder to clean (including not putting my own name on them). It’s my right as the creator to do this. Yes, people can violate my rights, but I hope they don’t. Posting them in only one location is a convenience so that I only have to update one location if I make changes (and I will at least be updating instructions based on feedback).

BTW, when I talk about the time I spent, you wouldn’t believe how much time I spent tweaking everything, from the thickness of pieces like the teeth of the Gecko and the tabs on the Eagle, to the rounding of corners to spread out force when a clip is dropped. I don’t have a professional lab like, say, Consumer Reports, so I used my hands rather than torque wrenches, and I dropped clips over and over on my kitchen floor, individually and in batches, sometimes dropping, sometimes throwing.

If you haven’t seen it, here’s a photo of some of the prototypes:

FYI

I see what Dan wrote. I also see that the guidelines say “should” not “must”, and I am providing files, just not embedded in the post. So I believe that I am complying with the guidelines. If Glowforge wants to change the guidelines, or if Dan or another GF representative wants to move the post because he believes that “should” means “must”, that’s up to them.

FWIW, I am about to make a minor update to the package (instructions cleanup, addition of commercial license in addition to the “free forever” license, etc.), and, because I am linking to it rather than embedding it, I don’t have to track down all the places where it’s posted to update. For this reason, other than simple designs that will never change, I don’t think anybody should embed designs in forum topics.

And when a cop says you should have your DL when driving a car? Would you argue with the armed person pedantically?

Fortunately, Dan’s not carrying a gun :slight_smile: This is way, way off topic, but … you actually must (not should) have your DL while driving in the US. Failure to have it with you is a minor infraction, for which you can get a ticket. You cannot be arrested. So, unless they wanted to do anything beyond giving me a ticket, I wouldn’t argue. If a cop insisted they could search my vehicle without a warrant and without probable cause (not having my DL is not probable cause), then, absolutely, I would argue. In fact, if you are in this situation, you must argue. If a bad cop plants evidence, it will be necessary for you to show that you did not consent to a search. Worse, if you are in a state with asset forfeiture laws, a bad cop or a bad department, could seize anything of value found in an illegal search (like, say, money) and you might never get it back, even though you did nothing wrong (google for horror stories).

In this case, I’ve read the guidelines and I believe I am following them. Words like should and must have meanings. Reading them and believing what they say is not pedantic. If GF wants to change their guidelines or believes that “should” means “must”, they can move the post and I won’t complain (it’s their forum). But there’s no reason for me to move it when I believe I am complying with the clearly written guidelines and I believe it’s in the best place.

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Pretty sure that’s what I was attempting to point out in quoting dan.

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