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The difficulty with 3D printing is that the materials you get to work with aren't as robust as you do with conventional casting and forging techniques. That said, a 3D printer is a hell of a form maker for sandcasting or lost wax, either of which are foundry processes well within the realm of the experimenter/mechanic. And hell - if it doesn't need to be particularly tough, 3D printing works fine for low production volumes. FInish is still iffy.
That said, there are a lot of fun possibilities. One of my favorites: