Molded Rubber Door Stop (printed mold)

thingiverse

I needed a rubber door stopper to keep my kitchen door from denting the side of my stainless-steel/gray refrigerator. I couldn't really find anything other than some ugly white stick-on ones at the hardware store. I wanted something gray that would blend in.....so I made one. I used my Thing-o-matic to 3D print a negative mold of the final shape, then I formed the doorstop itself using sillicone rubber (or homemade Sugru. See my instructions below. I do not expect anyone to actually make an copy of this, but maybe serve as inspiration of other things you can make using your 3D plastic printer that are not plastic. I find my printer so handy to make things for around the house. Instructions I included a series of pictures above to try to show my steps. First off, I had some Sugru packages around that I was going to use, but when I opened them up, I found out they were already expired and cured. :( I hate buying things with such short expiration dates. I found instructions on-line for making your own Sugru substiute using regular silicone caulk and corn starch. I was able to tint it with some acylic paints and it worked great. I was surprised how easy it was to make and quickly it cured (within 20 minutes it was fully cured an no "silicone smell"). http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-Your-Own-Sugru-Substitute/ I found the best way to mold the "sugru" was to use a rubber glove as a release liner, pulled into the mold with a vacuum....I drilled a small hole in the bottom of my mold and sucked it down with my shop vac. The thin rubber glove is very elastic and gives a smooth surface finish. I then mixed my "sugru" and mushed it into my mold filling it up. I had to be very careful not to trap any air bubbles or they would end of up on the finished product. I made multiple pieces before I figuired out the exact technique. Once I had a finished piece I was happy with, I mixed up a tiny more of my "sugru" and used it to stick the door stop to the side of my fridge. It has stuck in place perfectly for the past year and looks/works great.