Helping Hands - 100 Cent Weight Upgrade

thingiverse

I took the Helping Hands from @MicroMotorWarehouse and ripped it open to create cavities that can hold up to 100 pennies as added mass. A dollar's worth of pennies adds a tremendous amount of weight to the base, making it much more stable. Print out the design, add the pennies, then secure them inside with a strong adhesive bond between the bottom and top halves. Applying a bit of glue directly to the pennies themselves helps prevent them from rattling around. Epoxy or super glue (CA glue) work perfectly for this task. I attached epoxy alligator clips to the ends of the loc-line tubes, and I even added a small magnifying glass to mine: with the added mass of the pennies, it stays upright without tipping over. Once the adhesive on the base has fully cured, use epoxy to secure the tubes in place. Do a test fit first: if necessary, trim off a bit from the threads at the base of the loc-line tube. The base itself is not threaded, but the strong bond will hold everything together securely.