Flat-Printing Discs and Outer Grip for Grand Inquisitor Lightsaber

thingiverse

I made the super fun Grand Inquisitor lightsaber by CaseStudyno8 (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1945665) and wanted to share the modified parts I used to make it easier. The original design features discs that print well when laying down, but this approach makes it difficult to achieve a good flat angle, so I decided to split them into top and bottom halves with pegs connecting them. To ensure smooth edges, the split discs only need minimal support along their sides, and printing them flat results in a nice circular shape. All you need is a large enough print bed, and you might need to flip some of the parts over in your slicer to get the flat side down. Next, I wanted to print the outer grip with supports that stabilize its tall thin columns, which tend to wobble high up and scar the print otherwise. To minimize support usage, I flipped the outer grip upside down but had to split off the peg because it was there. This peg is now printed separately and added later. Using grid-style supports proved effective, as they popped easily out of the cutouts. Print with the closed side facing down. For some reason, I added a groove around the outer rotator to loosely align it with the groove that runs around the outer discs. Perhaps I thought it would look like its ready to break loose at that line and spin away. While this feature is totally unnecessary, I'm sharing it anyway. Don't forget to use supports. I hope these mods help if anyone needs them.