9-year-old sells Iowa-inspired 3D-printed keychains on RAGBRAI 2024
LIBERTYVILLE — Cutler Earnest turned his 3D printing expertise into an entrepreneurial enterprise alongside Friday’s RAGBRAI route.
Earnest, 9, of Hedrick, parked his stand exterior his grandmother’s restaurant, Peck’s Pub, in pass-through city Libertyville. Subsequent to assorted baked items, Earnest sat confidently behind a rotating rack lined with 3D-printed keychains of the state of Iowa and bicycles of assorted colours and sizes.
Earnest, who has a 3D printer at residence, says the method goes like this: obtain a picture, put a “micro SD card in and take the stuff from the information, put it on to my 3D printer. After which, I’ve to click on course of.”
He mentioned the method can take wherever from quarter-hour to some hours relying on the dimensions of the figures.
“It is (a) fairly affected person course of,” Earnest mentioned. “My mother helps lots with it … However more often than not, I make the stuff.”
Earnest mentioned the thought got here from his mom, Amber.
“He is been making stuff and promoting it to his buddies at college,” she mentioned.
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So, what does he cost? The “little Iowas” are $3; “little bikes” are $2 and the bigger, layered state cutouts that learn “I 🖤 Iowa” are $5. The “larger bikes,” priced at $4, are his favourite, Cutler Earnest mentioned.
He mentioned a number of individuals had come by Friday morning and estimated he’d made about $15 or $20 plus suggestions. Steve Beckler of Tiffin stopped by and acquired a number of keychains Friday morning.
“Most of them simply say it is actually, actually cool,” Earnest mentioned of the reactions to his artwork to this point. “And I feel so too as a result of it is simply actually enjoyable to print stuff like this.”
Virginia Barreda is the Des Moines metropolis authorities reporter for the Register. She could be reached at [email protected]. Comply with her on Twitter at @vbarreda2.
