Black Sun

thingiverse

Converted a googled SVG into an STL, then imported it into Tinkercad to resize and add solid elements back in. Printed at 0.2 resolution with a 0.3 nozzle on a Prusa i3 clone 3D printer. Hand-bent the 4mm steel rod for fastening hardware components. Utilized a hobby knife to cut slots in the back of the 3D print, recessing the hardware securely. Created a two-part mold using oil sand for casting purposes. Cast the buckle out of tin using a stainless steel measuring cup, vise grips, and a propane torch. Cut the sprue, sprayed it black, then used sandpaper to remove paint from the top of the pattern and tidy up where the sprue entered. This is the fourth iteration 3D print; previous attempts included one that was too small for the hardware, another with a pattern too deep for oil sand molding, and a third that was too thin for effective casting. Two mold tries were needed to achieve success with this last print. Used the casting box available at Thingiverse (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1240561). Now waiting for a snap-on leather belt to arrive in the mail.