Custom Length Claw Grabber

thingiverse

You know those little mechanical claws for grabbing things from far away? Have you ever wanted one that is ten feet long? Now you can make one! Instructions In addition to the printed plastic parts, you'll need: a length of 3/4" metal electrical conduit thin string (twice the length of the conduit) two #4-40 x 3/4" machine screws with nuts (Home Depot) hot glue rubber bands Instructions: Print out all the parts. The claws and guides are easy and don't require support. The handle and base will require support, and were printed successfully in the default orientations in the STL files. You'll want to print the claw pair, base, and handle once, and then print anywhere from 2 to 5 guides depending on how long your conduit is. Put together the claw and the base with the screws, and then shove it on one end of the conduit. Tie one end of the string to one of the claw pieces as shown in the pictures. Glue the knot to the claw to prevent it from slipping off. Put the guides onto the conduit. Take the loose end of the string and run it through the small channels in the guides to the end of the conduit opposite the claw. Take the handle and the loose end of the string and run the string through the channel in the handle. Loop it around the two holes at the end of the handle (the string should go outside of the handle, and then back in), and run the string back through the channel. Put the handle on the conduit, and verify that it can easily slide up and down the conduit. Feed the loose end of the string back through the guides and up to the claw assembly. Glue the guides in place on the conduit, ensuring that the string can move freely through the guide channels. The top guide should be 4 inches from the bottom of the claw. The bottom guide should be 6 inches from the bottom of the conduit. The middle guides should be spaced evenly in between. Pull the loose end of the string so that the handle is up against the bottom guide and the string is taut. Tie the string to the other claw so that it remains taut, and glue it in place. Test the mechanism. The claw should be fully closed when the handle is up against the bottom guide, and should open as you pull the handle away from the claw. Put one or more rubber bands on the claw as shown in the pictures. The claw should snap shut when you're not pulling the handle to open it. Have fun... doing whatever you do with a ten foot long claw grabber?