Life-Sized Sword of Omens

thingiverse

I have decided to create a sword replica from an 80's cartoon as a gift for my friend's upcoming birthday. This project also serves as practice for using SketchUp. In time for the anticipated "event" (T-cats reboot), I managed to finalize the model just in time. Initially, the model was too small and did not fit well in hand. After resizing and shaping it correctly, I had to plan its disassembly to accommodate my 3D printer's build envelope. The latest version features location holes for easy part alignment and assembly. Notably, the blade benefits from an internal channel, even without filament, it is stronger. I am currently working on a new version with insert pieces for the eye and blade, allowing separate printing by color (grip, blade, eye, jewel). The sword measures approximately 45 inches from pommel to tip. Printing time took around 14 hours at a speed of 30mm/s with a minimum layer time of 20 seconds. I will report any issues and am working on perfecting the hilt's functionality. V2 update includes an improved eye holder piece with a blade insertion slot, allowing the whole sword to be printed in separate colors. The new holder also has inserts for the eye and cat emblem, printable in two colors using the pause-and-swap method. However, these changes are work in progress and will be tested shortly. V3 update addresses a small geometry issue in the eye holder and improves the thin ring around the eye/cat image. Print height is fixed below 130mm for stock Cupcake printers; adjust if needed. Original eye holder removed for clarity. Combined prints available in SketchUp format. V4 update adds a center channel for using threaded rod or double-ended threaded studs (3mm hole). Reversed extrusion on the cat insert to improve printing quality. Previous users may benefit from this improvement. Registration holes remain for alternative assembly preferences. To assemble, print parts, clean, and glue or weld with acetone. Use channels for 3mm filament locators if desired. Blade pieces are stronger with the filament channel; consider higher infill than usual. Skeinforge's multiply feature speeds up printing for cross pieces, blade pieces, and grip pieces. For a sturdy blade that won't snap along layers, follow these steps: adjust setup, use 1/8th inch steel rod in the channel, glue pieces with acetone, sand joints, paint with acetone to weld layers, and finish (paint or color). The sword is then ready for battling ancient spirits of evil.