Donair lovers who are looking to spice up their Christmas trees this holiday season — look no further.
A Halifax resident, and donair aficionado has created a tiny replica of the East Coast delicacy using a 3D printer and re-purposed motor. Since sharing a video of his creation on Reddit, Gary Marsh says he has been inundated with messages from fellow Haligonians looking to get their hands on an ornament.
“Half the time I look at my phone, it’s blinking because someone’s messaging me that they want to buy one,” he said via email.
Marsh says his creation was inspired by the 24-hour Donair Cam, which features a live feed from the King of Donair restaurant on Quinpool Road.
Using his “piece of junk” 3D printer kit, he printed off plastic filament from a sketch he made with a CAD program (that’s computer-aided design, for all of us tech newbies). A quick coat of paint and a little motor to make the meat spin capped off the project.
“My co-workers just set up a Christmas tree in the lobby, and I strung up the donair ornament in the tree with the motor turning it to give people a chuckle,” Marsh said.
“I shared a video of it on the /r/halifax subreddit for a laugh, and I guess the whole thing exploded from there.”
That prompts the next big question: how can the rest of us get one?
Marsh says he has had so much interest, he has been updating his design so that he can print more ornaments quicker and easier. He was also looking for other 3D printer owners to join in his meat-inspired venture.
READ: Halifax Donair declared official food of Halifax in close vote
“There’s no way my printer will keep up with the current demand,” he said.
There’s a big caveat though. Remember that repurposed motor Marsh used to make his donair meat spin ever so realistically? He doesn’t have any more.
“Sadly I don’t think there’s any way I can sell one that spins by itself. Maybe that’s something I can have figured out for next Christmas,” he said.
There’s always next Christmas.
A delicious update
By Monday afternoon (after the lunch hour and possibly fueled by a donair or two), Marsh had the update Halifax had been waiting for.
He says he is working with a local retailer to build and sell the ornaments, and they should be ready for sale in the next few days.
He adds it’s been a “weird, sleep deprived odyssey” to get to this point.
“But people have been messaging me, telling me it’ll be the perfect Christmas gift to send to their homesick friend that has moved away and such,” he said.
“If I can put a smile on those people’s faces, it’ll be totally worth it.”
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