Jinghu (Chinese Bowed Instrument) *Prints Without Supports*

thingiverse

Here's a Jinghu, a Chinese bowed instrument with just two strings. 3D printing without supports proves that it works well and sounds great! If you want to play it perfectly, some technique tips and string gauge advice would be super helpful! Take a listen to the short sound test on YouTube here: http://youtu.be/_3KunmFT0to Here are the printing instructions: For the body, I recommend 30-50% infill. The shaft should have at least 50% infill for maximum strength. For tuners, you can go with 30-50% infill again. And bridges, you'll want to fill them in completely (100%). If you have a large enough printer, you might be able to print the entire shaft at once. But if that's not possible, just break it up into three pieces like I did. Once everything is printed and sanded smooth, use super glue or JB weld to bond it all together. For assembly, simply insert the shaft into the body - you can even skip gluing it for now since it might fit pretty well on its own. Then glue any parts that need more stability. Don't worry about attaching the bridges just yet, especially not the top one, because those are meant to be adjustable. By the way, I've used D and A violin strings for mine, but I think a pair of A and E might work better still! Not sure exactly what traditional Jinghu tuning is, but it's usually around a 5th interval. Good luck with it! Technique-wise? Don't worry - have fun figuring that out as you go! Any feedback or design suggestions would be super cool!