Collet Miniature Painting Handle

thingiverse

I've been looking for a robust painting handle that doesn't require additional parts to hold a mini. I couldn't find one I liked so I made one myself! I had three design goals: - 100% 3D printed parts - Securely hold the mini without wobbling - Allow access to the mini from a variety of angles. I plan on updating the design as I use it, seeing what works and what doesn't. I'm very surprised at how flexible the collet actually is, so for the next revision I'll probably make it stubbier. I also plan to add support for larger bases when I get to painting them. Any feedback is greatly appreciated! The 25mm collet will fit standard GW bases, and has some wiggle room to fit larger or smaller tapered bases. The 1 inch flat does not have the taper in the collet and should fit any flat sided bases that are about an inch. Revision Notes: - Added Collet Nut R2: Removed unnecessary bulk from the nut to allow better brush access to the mini. IMPORTANT: Don't tighten down too hard on the nut or you might crack the base of your mini. 3/27/2020 Update: I've started work on the second generation of this design. I look to improve the following: - Collet Printing: I've had more failed prints with this collet than I'm happy with. Printing upside down helps, but this leaves an ugly texture where the supports are placed. - Base Compatibility: Scaling up to larger base sizes with this design just isn't practical. Holding irregular bases is also impractical. This will be a fundamental change to the design and I do not expect any part of the current design to be reused.