The reliable way to get a Hatchet in Probably Stolen is to print it: load a 3D Printer with the Hatchet printer chip, 4 Scrap Metal and 1 3D Printing Filament, and one print run makes four Hatchets. You want one for a single job, because using a Hatchet on a Hydroponic System destroys whatever is planted there, so you can start the machine over with a different seed.
The printer route takes some setup, so below is how the print works in Probably Stolen, where the printer and its materials come from, and when clearing a crop is worth losing it.
What the Hatchet Is For
The Hatchet is the tool that clears a Hydroponic System. Use it on the machine and it destroys the planted seed and whatever was growing from it, leaving the machine empty for something new.
That matters because a hydroponic grow ties up the machine until it finishes. The store page pitches the Hydroponic Farmer start as a climb: “Start with hydroponic machines and farming supplies. End with genetically modified breeds of unique crops that people pay a fortune for.” Somewhere on that climb you will want to swap a cheap crop for a better one, and the Hatchet is how you do it without waiting. Reach for it when:
- You planted the wrong seed and do not want to wait out a crop you cannot sell.
- You are moving up to a better crop and want the machine free now.
- A grow is not worth finishing, and the machine is more useful running something else.
Keep in mind what it costs: the crop is destroyed, not harvested, so you get nothing back from it. Check what you are planting before you plant it, and the Hatchet stays a tool for changing plans rather than fixing mistakes.
How to Print Hatchets on the 3D Printer
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| 3D Printer Chip for the Hatchet | 1, in the printer’s chip slot |
| Scrap Metal | 4 |
| 3D Printing Filament | 1 |
| Output | 4 Hatchets per run |
The 3D Printer’s window is laid out in four parts, module, input, chip and output, which you can see in its official screenshots:
- Place and power the printer. Like every machine, it needs power, and our guide to upgrading your shop covers energy cells, the Powerbloc and the power hijack upgrade.
- Insert the Hatchet chip into the chip slot. Each printer chip is tied to one recipe, so the Hatchet needs its own chip; a chip for another item will not print one.
- Load the input with 4 Scrap Metal and 1 3D Printing Filament.
- Run the print and collect your four Hatchets from the output.
A run makes four, so you will usually have spares. Sell the ones you do not need like any other stock, and our haggling guide helps you get a fair price for them.
Where the 3D Printer Comes From
The Gunsmith start includes a 3D Printer, and the studio’s 1.0.0.2 hotfix made sure “the 3D printer in the Gunsmith start now comes with its instruction note.” If you are weighing which start to pick, our best specialization breakdown compares the Gunsmith with the Hydroponic Farmer and the rest.
On other starts, look to Joe Wild’s network. Its upgrade menu has a Gunsmith section of its own, beside Referral, Supplier and Service, and its referrals introduce retired suppliers who bring the gear for a new trade (the patch notes name the Retired Water Merchant, for one). Our guide to upgrading your shop walks through how Wild’s Network and its Favor currency work.
Getting the Materials
Scrap Metal is the easy part once you have a Furnace. Fit it with the Furnace Module (Junk Processing) and it turns Junk, the most common rubbish in the game, into Scrap Metal. Our guide to what to do with Junk has the exact conversion and where to buy the module. Scrap Metal also goes into repairs and other upgrades, so keep a few spare beyond the four a print needs.
3D Printing Filament is the printer’s other ingredient, and one goes into every run. Buy it when you see it, since a printer with a chip and Scrap Metal but no Filament prints nothing.
Tips for Running a Farm
- Plan your crops. Since the Hatchet destroys a crop, the best use of it is clearing room on purpose, not undoing a misplanted seed.
- Pick the right start for farming. The Hydroponic Farmer start is the run built around it, with hydroponic machines and supplies from day one, as our best specialization breakdown explains.
- Keep the machine busy. A cleared Hydroponic System earns nothing until you plant again, so have the next seed ready before you swing the Hatchet.
Every other guide is on our Probably Stolen hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Hatchet used for in Probably Stolen? Clearing a Hydroponic System. Use it on the machine and it destroys the planted seed and whatever is growing, so you can plant something else.
How do you craft a Hatchet? On the 3D Printer, with the Hatchet printer chip, 4 Scrap Metal and 1 3D Printing Filament. One run makes four Hatchets.
Where do you get a 3D Printer? The Gunsmith start includes one. On other starts, check Joe Wild’s network, which has a Gunsmith section in its upgrade menu.
Do you get anything back when you clear a crop with the Hatchet? No. It destroys what is growing, so use it only when the crop is not worth finishing.
How do you get Scrap Metal? Smelt Junk in a Furnace fitted with the Furnace Module (Junk Processing).