My first (plastic) "Thing"!

As I mentioned previously, I've been working with a PhD friend on a 3d project for his lab. I've also been working on a couple of ideas of my own. One that I just completed is the kind of thing that a personal 3D printer seems perfect for - one off fabrication of parts that are otherwise almost impossible to get.

We have a really nice courtyard, courtesy of my wife. In the courtyard we have some low voltage accent lighting. Many of these are set at the base of our willow trees to light them up at night. Unfortunately the stakes that these lights come with are pretty chintzy. Made of soft plastic with poor tolerances. At least that's the excuse I made when I broke one...

So, Colossus to the rescue! After making some careful measurements, i ginned up what I think is a much improved version. Made of PLA, it's tougher than the standard stake. To be sure, I thickened the ribs. To make sure it stays in the ground, but not under the surface, I widened the collar at the light base. Voila!

The 3D rendering

The actual item, with light base in place

 

If you're interested, I've posted it to Thingiverse, and you can get a copy of the .STL file and print your own if you like.