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The 3D-Printed Curta Calculator

10 videos recommended on HN
YouTube
2 HN users recommended this demo2 months2017–2025 score 2
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026

Linked whenever the Curta or mechanical calculators come up, as a look at a working 3D-printed version.

Adam Savage shows off his collection of analog calculators, ending with a 3D-printed, scaled reproduction of the Curta mechanical calculator built by Marcus Wu. The video examines the replica and the engineering behind it.

“Adam unboxes his 3D-printed Curta on YouTube at” (HN, 2017)

2 recommendations · 1 citations · Demos

3 Hacker News comments

From the HN archive; up to 20 kept per video, favoring different commenters. Recommendations first.

@function_seven Oct 2018 Recommends
on HN thread The Slide Rule
I'm sure you've seen this already, but if not: [this video] A 3:1 scale replica of the Curta, 3D printed.
A 3:1 scale 3D printed Curta replica.
@beeforpork Nov 2025 Recommends
on HN thread Designing a Mechanical Calculator
Maybe have a look at the Curta for inspiration of a mechanical calculator. There's a 3D printable version of it. [this video] [link]
A 3D printable Curta as inspiration for a mechanical calculator.

Citations, criticism and jokes

@jshprentz Dec 2017 Cites it
on HN thread ReCurta: Our goal is to build the first Curta calculator since 1972
Marcus Wu designed, 3D-printed, and assembled a 3x scale working Curta calculator. He shared his models and progress on Thingverse at [link] His YouTube channel includes many videos of the development, assembly, and operation of his calculator. Watch a short demonstration at [link] Adam Savage commissioned Marcus to build a copy. Adam unboxes his 3D-printed Curta on YouTube at [this video]
Adam Savage unboxes a 3D-printed Curta built by Marcus Wu.

Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.

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