Star Compass from Made in Abyss

thingiverse

This is all you need to build a functioning star compass just like the one in Made in Abyss. If printed correctly, your compass should balance and point downwards on its own. Since I couldn't print a clear ball, I used 70mm clear Christmas ornament balls available on Amazon. The outer ring stays in place thanks to the tabs on the ornaments, hiding the seam on the plastic ball at the same time. (I'm pretty proud of that part) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GFW8HPQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 For the pivot points, I used the smallest sewing needles available at my local craft store. I also bought a 0.5mm drill bit from the hardware store and drilled a roughly 2mm deep hole into the compass for the needle tips to sit inside of. If done correctly, this creates a low-friction pivot that allows the compass to spin freely while remaining very secure. I can shake the ball decently hard without the compass popping off its hinges. The next part is also crucial. To get the needles securely mounted inside the 3D printed inner ring and into the clear ornament, I drilled a small pilot hole then heated the needle with a candle or something to push it through and melt the plastic to the exact diameter of the needle. Then, I added a little CA glue to keep it in place. As for balancing the center, it depends on your version. On my 2.0 version, I was able to drill out weight from the inside outwards under the socket that the bottom snaps into, hiding the hole from sight. It's not easy to make, but I promise it can be done with patience and ingenuity. Good luck!