February 22, 2025
Description
The Man In the Arena
is a popular motivational quote that is particularly apposite for our current era, with no shortage of Critics for the Doers of deeds.
However it is actually a short excerpt from a very long speech by 26th U.S. President, Theodore Roosevelt, which he gave over 100 years ago.
You can buy all sorts of 2D prints of the quote, some using using different typefaces and weights to add some visual flair. I have not seen it in 3D before however, so decided to step into the arena myself and offer this up.
The typeface I used is Cheltenham, in several variants. I chose it because it is period-correct, being created in 1902, and the speech given in 1910; and still in use by some US government departments, which demonstrates appropriate longevity and gravitas.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheltenham_(typeface)
The full speech can be found here:
Slicing & printing recommendations
I used a 0.4mm nozzle - I don't think you will get the detail with anything bigger.
Slicing small text is difficult and easy to lose details with default settings.
In Prusaslicer, Print settings/Advanced/Arachne Perimeter Generator, I reduced the Minimum Feature Size to 5%. (Default 25%) This made a noticable difference to the slice output, recovering details that were otherwise being lost.
Layer height - you may as well go for Draft 0.3mm - the thicker the better, as this print is all about getting to the top layer.
Infill - I printed the baseplate with clear filament and did not want to see any infill pattern, so I did it solid. However this took a long time, so no reason to do it solid if you are using opaque filament.
Top Layer Infill - I recommend using Monotonic Lines for the top layer infill and setting the angle to be 0 degrees so it is parallel with the rows of text.
Colour choices - My rationale was to have the baseplate clear so it sparkles and could potentially be backlit, then the first “cold and timid souls” layer in a dull colour, and build up increasingly more eye-catching colours as the oratory rises, with “the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena” and “the triumph of high acheivement" in gold; and “while daring greatly” in copper. I happened to have some shades of blue to purple for the intermediate steps, which I think could be improved upon. I look forward to seeing uploaded pictures of your own prints in better colour schemes!
How to make something similar yourself
If you only have a small amount of text you might be able to do the whole thing using PrusaSlicer's built-in object & text tools, without using CAD at all.
However if there is a bit more complexity to your vision I suggest using Adobe Illustrator or its free open-source alternative Inkscape to lay up the text, as slicers and 3D CAD software do not have the subtle typography tools required to do the job with precision.
Start by drawing the correct shape & size of the baseplate of the model, then inset a text box by an appropriate amount (e.g. making an allowance if you plan to drop the print into a slotted base to make it stand up), or come right up to the edge if appropriate.
Less, bigger text will be much easier to print and read than lots of small text, and a lower-case letter needs to be no smaller than ~5mm tall or details will be lost when slicing, depending on the font. Rounded sans-serif fonts are probably the easiest to print, such as Arial Rounded. Whatever you do, use a spellchecker, because if you make a typo, you can be certain that The Critic will rightly point out how you have stumbled.
Export the outline of the whole lay-up as a DXF so that you can import into CAD and extrude it as one feature. Then cut down into the extrude to create the colour-change steps, and model on a baseplate as necessary, perhaps including features such as a perimeter wall to frame the print with, a hanging hole, or blind pilot-holes to screw into.
License:
Creative Commons — Attribution — Share Alike
321POP
