Skip’s Story 15 Minutes to Fix What Money Couldn't Buy

QUICK FACTS

⏱ Time to Complete: 15 minutes (first print)
🔧 Favorite Tool: 3D Printers
💡 Key Learning: So many hard-to-find parts have print files on the web
🎯 Skill Level: New to 3D printing
📍 Location: Norfolk

The Problem

When Skip's stove knob broke, he did what most people do. He searched online for a replacement. The part didn't exist. Discontinued. No longer manufactured.

He had two options: pay a repair company $200+ and wait weeks, or show up to his 3D printing class the next morning and see what was possible.

He chose the second option. It changed everything.

The Solution

Skip found a 3D print file for the exact part online. He downloaded it, saved it to a USB drive, and brought it to his scheduled class the next morning.

We used his broken stove knob as the first project in the session. Fifteen minutes later, Skip walked out with a functioning replacement part. In pretty purple.

He went home, installed it, and his stove worked perfectly.

"So many small hard-to-find parts have print files on the web, especially little auto parts. Great resource. Greater resource is 757 Makerspace." - Skip, 757 Makerspace Member

That single 15-minute print changed how Skip thinks about problems. Since that class, he's been printing something new almost every day. Small fixes around the house. Custom parts for projects. Tools he couldn't buy anywhere and prototyping some new ideas with the kind of solution that saves time, money, and frustration.

What Skip Actually Got

Skip joined 757 Makerspace to learn welding. Since then, he's learned to use the laser, 3D printing, picked up other skills, and met people who actually know what they're doing.

Here's what membership gave him:

• Tools when he needed them. A 3D printer was ready the morning his stove broke. No waiting. No buying equipment.

• Training that actually worked. Zero experience to working part in one class session.

• People who'd done it before. Real help. Real conversations. Real solutions.

Skip didn't need to own a 3D printer. He needed access to one at the right time with someone who could show him how to use it.

Ready to see what's possible?

If you're tired of waiting weeks for parts or paying $200+ for simple repairs, let's talk.

👉 Schedule Your Free Tour We'll show you the tools, walk through what's actually possible, and have an honest conversation about whether we're the right fit.