Banister Pole Insert

thingiverse

We have a spiral staircase in my house with metal poles connected to the main banister rail via large plastic hinges. My kids love swinging down the rails like monkeys, but it's caused some lower plastic connectors to break. Unfortunately, there are no identifying markings or logos on the structure, making it impossible for me to determine the make, model, and manufacturer of my staircase after months of searching. I decided to take matters into my own hands and create a replacement part myself. We bought a cheap 3D printer (£100) and downloaded Blender to get started. The result was impressive, but I have to warn you - use it at your own risk! Broken plastic is easier to fix than broken legs, so if you're planning to use this print, please test its strength by applying some destructive forces. If you're still unsure, it's probably going to fail. See the notes below for more information. This is my first-ever 3D printing project, and I'm sure there's room for improvement. I've included the original Blender file in case you want to try your hand at making something better.