Japanese Water Feature "Sōzu" or 添水-Fun, Easy, Elegant Project

thingiverse

This fun water fountain is an easy DIY project for any age! Once all the pieces are printed and materials gathered, it takes less than an hour to build and fine tune this beautiful piece. Glue and screws aren't required but if you really want to use them, go ahead! *You will first need these materials*: 1. 3D Printed Pieces - Reservoir - "Bamboo" - Water Brick - Strut (x2) - Tap 2. DC Pump (https://amzn.to/2ArnVBo) 3. Waterproof Sealant (I used Loctite Clear Silicone Waterproof) -https://amzn.to/2LFe0ww 4. Tubing (https://amzn.to/2GYjKTg) 5. An old charger or a 9V battery Finally, a knife or soldering iron makes fine tuning the Sōzu much easier. *Procedure*: 1. Gather the required materials 2. Insert the two *struts* into the holes on the *"Bamboo"* piece and place the whole thing into the holes on the *water brick*. 3. Place the *tap* into its designated place on the *water brick*. Then, place the *water brick* into its cutout in the *reservoir*. 4. Feed one tube into each of the holes on the *resevoir* and make sure the top hole's tube reaches the *water brick*'s hole too. 5. Cut the tubes to the desired length and insert the ends of the pump into the tubes 6. *Recommended but not mandatory* Seal off the edges of any connections with sealant (Sometimes the tube is so tight that there is no need for sealant). 7. Secure the pump to a power source. This can either be an outlet or a battery. -If an outlet is being used, an old charger will have to be stripped and soldered to the pump's wires. -If a battery is being used, the pump's wires can be secured to the battery with tape. 8. Fill with water and enjoy! Other Notes: This is a remix of Jelson's Shishi-odoshi. I enjoyed making his model, but the water pressure was too low and caused too much splashing. The *water brick* as I call it, was prone to swell with water (when printed at a normal infill^), and since it was outside the reservoir, it would leak. These problems were solved by decreasing the space in the "*tap*" to increase pressure and limit splashing. I also completely redesigned the reservoir, allowing for any possible splash droplets to stay in the system. Finally, I moved the *water brick* inside the reservoir, meaning any leaks would just replenish the reservoir instead of leaving the system. ^print time was insane if printed at 100%